Cultivating Seeds of Virtue:

Authors

• Sarai Brown

Keywords

human nature, goodness, altruism

Abstract

Human beings have long been concerned with the question of human nature. Countless media—both academic and creative— have devoted much time to the pursuit of whether humans, at their very basic core, have inherently good or evil natures. While many in the Western world are familiar with the debates between the likes of Hobbes and Rousseau, this topic has also been a major theme of Chinese philosophy. Of the two choices between good and evil, which is the natural inclination of humanity and which is a deliberate deviation from our original position? This is the approximate question that Chinese philosophers Xunzi and Mengzi discuss: Is human nature evil or is it good? Are humans selfish or altruistic beings? What I will argue is towards the end of defending Mengzi’s position that human nature tends towards goodness and altruism. First, to situate the argument, I will present both Xunzi’s and Mengzi’s arguments on human nature. I will then discuss what two contemporary scholars, Richard Kim and Eric Schweitzgebel, have to say on these Chinese philosophers. This will be followed by offering further support for my claim that Xunzi’s argument is flawed and human nature is inclined toward goodness, a tendency that is cultivated through and by our environment.

Recommended Citation

Brown, Sarai (2026) "Cultivating Seeds of Virtue:," BYU Asian Studies Student Journal: Vol. 11, Article 1.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/asj/vol11/iss1/1