Essay --

Is human nature fundamentally good or bad? Mengzi argues for the instinctive goodness of human nature; however, admits our inherent goodness must be encouraged through propriety. Mengzi treats nature as one’s natural â€Å"potential, inclinations, or capacities† (Liu 68). It is important to note, however, that he only views nature as the beginning. Mengzi believes that the way we behave as mature humans is the result of how successful we are in fulfilling our nature. Other Confucians, like Xunxi, argued â€Å"human nature is bad; his goodness is the result of man’s deliberate effort† (86); however, Mengzi believed the contrary to be true. According to Mengzi, nature refers to the natural inclinations of humans. Thus, any development in the opposite direction is a direct consequence of some form of external stimuli. Mengzi views nature as a â€Å"species-specific notion† (68) that separate us from lesser animals. More specifically, humans are distinct from animals because they are born with moral virtues. Mengzi believed that because all humans belong to the same species, all humans possess the same universal nature. He goes further by claiming that due to our collective universal nature, any differences demonstrated by mature humans are owing to an â€Å"external environment and individual effort† (69). For the purposes of this paper, let us assume that Mengzi is correct in his argument for the innate goodness of human nature. So if humans naturally tend toward virtue and all possess the sprouts of morality within, what rationalizes the inconsistency between instinctive goodness and manifested badness? Although Mengzi highlights the heart/mind of our nature desires moral virtue, he also acknowledges that â€Å"desire for physical comfort and material g... ... chef. While it is true that a human’s physical and biological attributes are determined biologically, no two humans are actually identical. That being said, how can all human’s morals be a biologically determined constant? It would be more plausible to think that while humans have the capacity for moral virtue, the extent on which they are able to actualize this capacity differs as much between people as physical traits such as taste. This leads us to another criticism. The second example is also flawed. Consider the Iron Chef Bobby Flay. He is known for, amongst other things, being a world renowned chef as well as a television show called BBQ with Bobby Flay. Although many people would view his cooking as amazing, these tastes are not shared by all (a vegetarian for example). This is just another example of his flawed belief of a shared and universal human nature.