After reading and watching videos on Xunzi and Mengzi’s stances on humanity and human nature, I had to think to myself about whether I thought humans were born with the tendency for good or bad. I thought both philosophers made valid points. For Mengzi, I agree that with the right nurturing and upbringing (such as not having to fight for survival and having ethical education) humans will grow to be intrinsically good. In those circumstances, there would technically no reason for a person to have naturally dark thoughts and purposes. However, I am sure there are cases in which even with the perfect upbringing and circumstance a person can still turn out badly. For Xunzi’s argument, he stated people are inherently bad, and if we follow our nature we will always be in conflict. He said that since humans are intelligent we can turn our natural dark selves into good by crafting ourselves using the instruments the Sages gave us.
I do not have a definitive opinion on which I think is correct. I think both opinions have value and hold backing behind them. I think it is almost impossible to know what we are at our very core, as we are influenced by so many different factors while growing up, and there are almost no ethical ways in which to research nurture versus nature without allowing a child to grow up and be raised by wolves, per say. For now, until I have had more time to dwell on it, I am choosing to believe the middle ground. That humans just are, and that humanity combines both the best and worst parts of what humans are capable of.
