Humans Are Naturally Virtuous Or Selfish

for his view that human nature (xing) is good, while Xunzi is known for his view that human nature (xing) is evil. This paper will demonstrate the substantive differences between Mencius’ and Xunzi’s ethical thinking that are conveyed through these two slogan-like statements, while also considering the implications of such differences for other aspects of their different views like the self-cultivation process. This paper will begin by explaining Mencius’ reasoning for why our human nature is good followed

Most people do not realize that the act of “difficult compassion” is being virtuous, because “difficult compassion is having empathy for a rapist, spouse abuser, or murder. [In which even] the most religious and ordinarily compassionate people often draw the line at [this] behavior. Yet, there is no valid reason for doing so” (Cavanagh

Machiavelli’s View on Human Nature The author, Niccoló Machiavelli, is different from other humanists in his time, because his view on the nature of man contradicts what most humanists believed. Humanists of that time believed that individuals played an important role to the well-being of the state, and that “… they also believed in classicism’s basic tenet that human nature is inherently rational and good” (Western Humanities, pg. 343). Machiavelli, however, had a negative view on human nature and made

According to Aristotle, humans are the most imitative of all creatures and status competition is a cycle of mutual emulation. Emulation is a pain which is caused by the presence of good things that are highly valued. How emulation works is that there is the person who is doing the emulation, the individual who is being emulated, and then relationship between the two. The second individual provides a model for the first individual, who then decides they are similar to the model. Humans do not emulate individuals

when it comes to people within a virtuous society, because it gives them a sense of justice. The people of a society must first know what is right and what is wrong before being able to act upon a situation, assuming that they will do it in a fair and just manner. Once having acquired a virtuous state of mind, these people know that it would be morally just to help those in need, and to help them, it often requires a degree of fortitude. A society is virtuous when its people strive to have good

Xunzi and Thomas Hobbes are two well-known philosophers each with a profound understanding of human nature and its relationship to the preservation of social harmony. Throughout their lives, both philosophers had experienced extreme social turbulence. While Xunzi lived in the Warring States Period, one of the most chaotic eras in China, Hobbes was caught up in the ferocious English Civil War. Such chaos motivated both to seek ways to restore peace and social order. Both Xunzi and Hobbes presumed

Human Nature: Self-Interest vs. Altruism A debate encompassing human nature has carried on for centuries, and philosophers throughout history have provided a vast inventory of explanations they deem to be sufficient in understanding the perplex idea of human nature. A question commonly debated regarding human nature is determining whether human beings are naturally self-interested or altruistic. Political philosophers Bernard Mandeville and Francis Hutcheson specifically addressed this question

Virtue Ethics is neither deontological nor teleological, since it is concerned with neither duty nor consequences, but rather the state of the person acting. Aristotle believed that once you are good, good actions will necessarily follow, and this belief is at the centre of Virtue Ethics. Rather than defining good actions, Virtue Ethics looks at good people and the qualities that make them good. The non-normative theory, although very effective in determining the morality of individuals, is particularly

truly had to be virtuous, instead a ruler must only appear to maintain virtuous characteristics for the citizen’s benefit. Secondly, to understand virtue one must examine the formation of virtue. How is virtue formed in individuals and society? Aristotle believed humans learned virtue, and the act of being virtuous. He believed there were two ways people became virtuous, people were either “born innocent, becomes selfish” or they were “born into sin, and must learn to be virtuous” (pg. 14). Cicero

true. Happiness can be attained by any living creature, but on a multitude of different levels. Mill posits in his text that happiness is greater in potential for humans than it is for lower animals, as humans are able to attain a superior mental form of happiness over bodily forms of happiness. Due to this limitation, Mill believes few humans would