Basic Goodness and Intelligence of Man

五

~What does Confucius mean by the basic goodness and intelligence of man? Why does he assume these and not something else?

~How do such assumptions determine the direction of his philosophy?

~Are his assumptions consistent with each other and can be maintained coherently?

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A child grows up indoctrinated with the distinction between what is good and what is bad. If a child does something bad, he will be automatically scolded and called as such. If a child is otherwise, he will be praised and rewarded along with the title of being good. As he continues to grow up, more and more he will experience things that will require him to stop and deliberate the actions that he is about to do. 

Further on, he will start to experience complex things that will require him a careful deliberation before proceeding and just as he was conditioned to do so, he will always make his decisions based on the distinctions of what is good and what is bad.

Analect 6:17 tells us that “man is born with uprightness…” A man is born good and it follows that the others around him are as well. Being human reflects that one is good. Being human reflects that he is naturally inclined to do good.

Chan, 1963

“This means that Confucius was not the only first one in Chinese philosophy to assume a definite position about human nature, but also the first to teach that human nature is originally good.”

If we look at Analect 7:29, it will also tell us goodness is right by our side. Mencius furthers this:

“Man’s nature is naturally good just as water naturally flows downward. There is no man without this good nature; neither is there water that does not flow downward.”

The basis of the given Analects tells us what similarities and the differences of man encompasses. There is a paradox, yes, but we must remember that every individual is unique and each one of us is complex. 

Analect 17:2

“By nature men are alike. Through practice they have become far apart.”

To show such “difference”, Confucius presented us with Analects 6:19 and 16:9 that provides the classification of man according to his capacity for knowledge. He also maintained that there should be no class distinction in education (Analect 15:38) but it is up to us on how we can cultivate our own individual capacity for knowledge. However, the Analects 6:19, 16:9, and 17:3 somehow sounds discriminative. Confucius somehow settled the score by forwarding Analect 17:2. 

In another light, Confucius provided education so that man can develop his character and broaden his knowledge. Again, another paradox- Analect 17:3. Here, society will answer for us by saying that there will always be ranks and hierarchies and that how people look at you will be determined through your wisdom. If we take a look at Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, we will see that people are divided (Alphas, Betas, Gammas, Deltas, and Epsilons) according to their intelligence as a caste system and their functions. 

Analect 16:9

“Those who are born with knowledge are the highest type of people. Those who learn through study are the next. Those who learn through hard work are still the next. Those who work hard and still do not learn are really the lowest type.”

Just like how one develops his knowledge, a man must also learn how to exercise goodness through his actions and his way of life so that he can foster this goodness in him.