Xunzi And Early Chinese Naturalism

Early Chinese naturalism refers to a unique Chinese philosophical orientation that seeks no math is in the realm of nature. In early China, where the notion of transcendence never occupied a central position in philosophical discourse, it was perfectly reasonable for philosophers to turn to "naturalness," or "spontaneity" of nature as a source of value of guidance for a way of life. Janghee Lee argues that the most prominent features of Xunzi's philosophy - his famous doctrine that human nature is bad and his strong emphasis as usual - can best be understood as Xunzi's critical response to the naturalism trend of his time, which can be found not only in Daoist philosophers like Zhuangzi, but also in other Confucian philosophers such as Mencius. According to the author Xunzi's concept of xin (mind heart) provides a crucial hint for understanding his ritual oriented philosophy, clearly contrasted with the naturalistic tendencies of early Chinese philosophy.

Janghee Lee is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Ethics Education at Gyeongin National University of Education.