Good Confucianism book (pdf) - Department of Physics

94 Menciusmay be shaped by the family we grow up in or by external events to floweast or west, but it will always tend toward the good and we can see thatwhen we look at decisions we make about life and death.Mencius argues for his position that human nature is good by takingthese five approaches to it. First, that human nature contains certain sproutsor tendencies that, if cultivated, can grow into moral qualities. The seeds inour human nature are what make human nature different from the natureof other animals. Second, he says that human beings are all alike in havingthese sprouts. The sages are not special in their morality; we are just likethem. Sages are special because of their cultivation of the sprouts. Theonly reason we are not all sages is that we have not fully cultivated thetendencies to morality within us. Third, we can see signs of these sproutswhenever we are surprised and act naturally from them. Only when we havea chance to think about profiting ourselves do we behave badly. Fourth, ifhuman nature is good, how can we explain evil people? Evil people exist,says Mencius. Their natural tendencies toward the good have been hackeddown and covered over to such an extent that it is hard to believe that theyever had any goodness within them. Fifth, there are some things that wecannot bear to do. That is because there is a tendency toward the good:human nature flows toward the good as water flows downward. Menciusis arguing that our human nature cannot just be reduced to self - interest.There is a lot more in us that also provides motivations for our actions. 15So the foundation of moral behavior is internal. It is not welded ontous from the outside. Moral behavior is natural to human beings. Menciussays that human beings differ from other animals in very little and thatdifference is in the human potential for moral growth. We all love all theparts of ourselves, says Mencius. Those who nurture the goodness withinare greater than those who emphasize their senses. The latter lose their“ original mind/heart. ”“ Losing one ’ s original mind/heart ” 16 means we can lose our sense ofmorality when we let self - interest and greed guide us: a gentleman maintainshis mind/heart by cultivating the goodness within and so is always inaccord with humanity and ritual. 17 It is the mind/heart that thinks, decides,and focuses; we can lose it when we are ensnared by things outside us. Themind/heart works something like a rational faculty for Mencius, and it isdeeply connected to our inner moral being and to our human nature. Themind/heart does not work like the ears or the eyes; the mind/heart can thinkabout things and, unlike the senses, cannot be fooled as easily. However,if the mind/heart does not think about things, it can be fooled and leftwithout understanding. Mencius says, “ To completely develop one ’ s mind/heart is to understand one ’ s own nature; to know one ’ s own nature is toknow Heaven. ” 18 Our rationality, our inner moral tendencies, and Heavenare closely connected.