Evil and Good

Good vs. Evil

The passages that I chose to compare were the articles that explain whether man's nature is evil or good. The first author is Mencius and his article is "Man's Nature Is Good" in which he believes that man's nature is good. The other author is Hsun Tzu and the name of his article is "Man's Nature Is Evil" in which he believes that man's nature is evil. Both argue that a person can only be evil or good but a person can't just be destiny to one single nature.

Mencius believe that a man's nature is inherently good from the beginning of his or her birth. His thoughts about human nature was that everyone has a little of goodness inside them. Mencius said, "There's no such thing as a person who isn't good, just as there's no water that doesn't flow downhill". He explains that the truth is human nature is good just like water never changes its flow downhill.

Hsun Tzu believe that man's nature was evil since the moment they were born. He explains that in order to a person to become good he must learn what is good from sages and religious principles. He believe that a person must learn first from a mentor or teacher in order for that person to reach a conscious state of mind. Therefore, the person can now be fully aware of his actions to difference from good or bad.

A person's nature can be direct in different ways some people can be easily trick by others to do evil or good. Like religion, people go to church to get rid of sins that they have commit in order to become pure. This makes a person feel good inside and therefore in shows naturally on the outside. Tzu's beliefs can be justify through his writes giving explanation on how laws and religious principles restrain people from turning evil. But, how would you know if someone is truly good? These rules and laws are made so people won't misbehave in an imprudent manner.

In conclusion, both authors have reason to believe why each of their decisions are correct. My reaction to this is that some many people still don't have the ability to differ from good and evil. My thoughts about Tzu is that he acknowledges that man's nature is evil and are in need rules and laws because of fear to see what man is capable of without a system to rely on. But, Mencius's beliefs man's nature is good because no man can be born