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Xunzi

Xunzi·Chinese

About this text

Thirty-two essays on ethics, politics, ritual, music, logic, and the nature of heaven. The most systematic and philosophically rigorous work of the Confucian tradition.

Human nature is evil; its goodness is the result of conscious activity. Now, the nature of man is such that he is born with a love of profit. If he follows this nature, then strife and greed arise, and courtesy and yielding disappear.

A warped piece of wood must wait until it has been steamed and forced before it can be made straight. Blunt metal must wait until it has been whetted on a grindstone before it can become sharp. Similarly, since human nature is evil, it must wait for the instructions of a teacher before it can become upright.

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