Hsun Tzu's Argument Essay

A man must be willing to learn. He must be willing to go against his nature in order for him to achieve the state of sage. Hsun Tzu claims that a man’s true nature is simply evil. He believes that the only way a man has reached his state today is because he once had a teacher to enlighten him on the good. Tzu argues that man must be careful of his acts. He urges man to not become distracted. He explains that these distractions will only further the man’s journey from becoming a gentleman and in order for a man to reach such a stage they must go against their nature. They must first be guided and taken under the wing of a teacher. This teacher must be able to correctly guide the man so that he too can become a gentleman. However, becoming a gentleman is not easy. One must learn to accept patience, they must learn how to persevere, but not become too fond of oneself to think that they do not need to learn anymore. Thus, creating the ultimate image between the difference of a petty man and a gentleman.

He believes that people have an instinctive trigger that allows for them to feel for another person. It does not necessarily have to be good, but there is something that allows for humans to have this so called “heart”. He argues that humans all have a heart and a heart that has the capability to feel something for another human being. He states that if one does not have these feelings then one is simply not human. (Mengzi, p. 45) A person does not necessarily need to feel compassion, but people have the instinctive ability to react to such a situation. The difference between these two men is that Mencius believes in the good of people, he considers all humans to have a heart that has an instinctive reaction. Where as Tzu thinks that just because a person has a beating heart does not mean that they have the capability to react to a situation similar to the child falling into a