Liao Xiaowei | Sexual Evil, Sexual Goodness or Sexual Simplicity: A Re-Exploration of Xunzi's Theory of Human Nature

Sexual evil, sexual goodness or sexual simplicity:

Xunzi's theory of human nature is re-explored

Liao Xiaowei

School of Philosophy, Huazhong University of Science and Technology

Author authorized by Confucian Network published

Originally published in History of Chinese Philosophy, No. 6, 2020

Abstract: With the logical premise of the division of sexual hypocrisy, Xunzi believes that in the natural state without pseudo-pseudo-action and intervention, there is an inevitable correlation between human nature and evil, which can be said to be the exact meaning of Xunzi's speech of sexual evil. This theory is not only the theoretical basis for Xunzi to refute Mencius's theory of sexual goodness, but also the theoretical premise for his argument on the necessity of etiquette and the origin of the state, so it can best highlight the theoretical characteristics of Xunzi's theory of human nature. The weak good theory and the simple theory of sexual inferiority contained in Xunzi Thought belong to different theoretical levels, and there is no contradiction between them. This article believes that under the premise of clarifying the true meaning of Xunzi's theory of sexual evil, it is still the most reasonable approach to locate Xunzi's theory of human nature with the theory of sexual evil.

Keywords: Xunzi Sex Evil Sex Good Sex Simple

In recent years, new theories that have tried to reposition the Xunzi theory of human nature in addition to the theory of sexual evil have emerged in an endless stream, among which the theory of weak sexual goodness and the theory of sexual simplicity have the greatest impact. [1] On the surface, there is a clear conflict between these two claims and the theory of sexual evil, which cannot coexist, and both have a certain textual basis. In this way, Xunzi's theory of human nature seems to be very vague, rather than a mature and rigorous discourse on human nature.

However, this is not the case, and the above differences are the result of scholars confusing the theoretical divisions between Xunzi's different theories. Therefore, on the basis of re-determining the exact meaning of Xunzi's sexual evil, this paper attempts to reflect on the theoretical essence of the weak sexual good theory and the sexual simplicity theory and its ideological connection with the sexual evil theory, and then make a consistent interpretation of Xunzi's theory of human nature.

1. The distinction between sexual hypocrisy and hypocrisy: the logical premise of sexual evil theory

Skeptics of sexual evil usually presuppose without introspection the following view: Xunzi's speech of sexual evil is to judge the content of human nature as evil in terms of value. However, according to the general view of the academic community, Xunzi's human nature mainly includes sensory ability, physical desire, and psychological reaction. In addition, some scholars believe that knowing the mind is also part of Xunzi's so-called human nature. From the perspective of value, these contents of human nature are generally neutral and cannot be judged as evil, which is an important reason why many scholars believe that Xunzi is subjective and simple.

Not only that, but To a certain extent, Xunzi also admitted that human nature contains elements similar to moral emotions, such as his discussion of "auspicious and tragic" feelings in the "Treatise on Etiquette", that is, "Two lovers, life is therefore good". Some scholars believe that "sheng" in this should be read as "sex", "end" is the end of Mencius's "four ends", zhong Taiyuzhi believes: "Xunzi is not unaware of the goodness of sex." [2] In this way, the two theories of sexual simplicity and sexual goodness seem to find corresponding textual basis in the Xunzi.

Then, even if human nature contains an element of evil, Xunzi's theory of sexual evil as a full name judgment is logically incomplete. [3] However, Xun Zi is known for his rigorous reasoning, so why is it that human nature is so chaotic? One possible explanation is that Xunzi's speech of evil is not "speaking of evil", that is, it does not judge the entire content of human nature as evil from the perspective of value. So, what is the theoretical purpose of Xunzi's speech of sexual evil?

To illustrate this problem, Xunzi's "sexual pseudo-distinction" must be introduced. Scholars have done a good job of studying the problem of neutral pseudo-integration in Xunzi Thought,[4] and this article is only based on the theoretical interest of the theory of sexual evil. Xunzi has a very strict definition of the two concepts of "sex" and "pseudo". What is "sex"? "The one who is born is called sex; the sum of sex is born, the essence and induction, and the nature of nothing is called sex." ("True Name")

This definition contains two meanings: 1. All those who are born and have nature in the structure of our life can be attributed to sex, such as senses, instincts, psychological structures, etc.; 2. The role and performance of those who are born and have spontaneous and direct nature can be called sex, and the "Sexual Evil" article is described as "the eye can see, the ear can hear", "hungry and full, cold and warm, hard and restless", "lustful, good mouth, good mouth, good heart, good bone and skin", etc., in this regard. Between these two meanings of sex, there is a kind of relationship between body and use.

"Pseudo" also has two meanings: "The mind can be moved by the mind to be false; the accumulation of worry can be practiced, and then become the false." In other words, the first meaning of pseudo refers to the thoughts of the mind and the manifestation of the behavioral capacity caused by it; the second meaning of pseudo refers to the accumulation of the mind's thoughts and the attainment of the practice of the performance of the ability to act, synthesizing the relevant discourse of Xunzi, which mainly refers to the personality and institutional norms with stable behavioral tendencies, that is, etiquette, and the latter mainly refers to the hypocrisy of the saints.

From the perspective of sexual evil theory, the theoretical meaning of the distinction between sexual hypocrisy and falsity is that the performance of behavior originating from sex is innately sufficient in the structure of human life, and can be expressed "ready-made" without the need for acquired artificial action and intervention. In other words, such life activities are "unlearnable, untenable" and "unlearned, unnecessary" for man; therefore the possible basis for this can only be explained by "human nature", that is, all are "born of sex".

In contrast, another type of human behavior activity, such as various vocational skills and moral practices, that is, Xunzi's so-called "pottery and pottery for the instrument", "workers make a tool of wood", and people's knowledge of goodness and goodness, etc., must be mastered by people through acquired learning and deeds, and then manifested in real life activities. The possible basis for therefore such life activities lies in the "hypocrisy of man", that is, the "birth of hypocrisy". In essence, the above distinction is also the distinction between "born of sex" and "born of hypocrisy".

In summary, Xunzi's distinction between sexual and pseudo-sexual is an attempt to divide the whole of human behavior and activity into two categories according to their different possibilities: one is "born of sex" and the other is "born of hypocrites". As scholars have pointed out, the distinction between sexual and falsehood is a fundamental theoretical distinction that runs through the various chapters of the Xunzi. [5] So, what is the theoretical significance and necessity of Xunzi's distinction? This is the question of the theoretical interest of the so-called Xunzi speech of sexual evil in the preceding article.

For XunZi, good and evil are value judgments on the performance of human behavior: "All the so-called good people in ancient and modern times are justified and peaceful; the so-called evil ones are dangerous and chaotic: they are also the distinction between good and evil." (Sexual Evil) And the manifestation of human behavior, as far as the root cause of its emergence, is nothing more than "born of sex" and "born of hypocrisy". In XunZi's view, there is a relatively strict reciprocal relationship between the two, in other words, the two point to two areas of action of completely different natures.

Then, a reasonable assumption is that if we want to objectively judge the theoretical relationship between human nature and good and evil, we need to theoretically eliminate the heterogeneous components with those who are "born of sex" to ensure that human behavior is completely determined by human nature. In this way, the intrinsic and essential connection between human nature and good and evil can be judged by the good and evil expressed by human behavior. Otherwise, if there is a mixture of heterogeneous components, that is, those who are "born of hypocrisy", then whether human nature inevitably leads to good or evil, it is impossible to grasp the objective truth of human nature, because the good and evil expressed in human behavior at this time are likely to be the result of the joint action of "pseudo" or "sex" and "pseudo".

Therefore, the theoretical significance of the distinction between sexual and false is that this distinction is the logical premise for an objective understanding of human nature and its intrinsic connection with good and evil. The core purpose of Xunzi's speech of sexual evil is to theoretically explain that in the absence of the role and intervention of "pseudo", the inevitable correlation between human nature and evil is not based on evil. Is there sufficient documentary basis for this determination? Detailed below.

2. The inevitable correlation between sex and evil: a new interpretation of xunzi sexual evil theory

The opening chapter of "Sexual Evil" clarifies the purpose of sexual evil: "However, from the nature of man, from the feelings of people, it will be out of contention, and it will be combined with the division of chaos, and it will be attributed to violence." The word "must" here indicates a certain essential connection between sex and evil. The question is, how is the inevitable link between sex and evil established? Scholars generally believe that the premise of Xunzi's "must" is "shun is". Therefore, sexual evil is often interpreted as the nature of man, "if it goes along with it, it will be evil and chaotic." [6] The importance of the word "must" is often overlooked, and some scholars weaken the meaning of the word "must" to "possibility", that is, under the premise of "obedience", the innate disposition or desire "can" lead to evil. [7]

In order to reasonably explain the above "necessity", let's first look at another important passage of the "Sexual Evil" section:

Now try to remove the power of the king, the transformation of rudeness and righteousness, the rule of the law, the prohibition of no punishment, and the dependence on the people of the world and the people of the world, if so, then the husband and the strong will harm the weak and take it, the multitude will be violent and widowed, and the rebellion of the world will not wait for each other to die. From this point of view, however, human nature is evil, and its good is false.

"When" is the borrowed word for "taste", and when to try, try. [8] The meaning of Xunzi's expression is very clear: if we remove all the factors that guide and regulate human behavior constructed by the acquired man, that is, "hypocrisy"—the power of kings, the transformation of etiquette, the rule of law, and the prohibition of punishment, then the relationship between people will inevitably fall into a chaotic state of mutual struggle in an instant, which is what Xunzi calls "evil": partial danger and rebellion. The theoretical significance contained in this is quite rich, and it can be said that there are the following points:

1. Only by removing the role and intervention of all acquired human factors can we truly "objectively" understand and evaluate the "out-of-nature", that is, the actions determined purely by human nature, because the performance of human behavior in this state can be regarded as the most direct and authentic expression of "human nature"; 2. If it is not too much, the above-mentioned human living state without the influence of acquired human factors is actually similar to what Hobbes called the "natural state"; 3, in the state of nature, that is, in the state where all cultural and political systems have not yet emerged, The relationship between people inevitably leads to "evil", which XunZi has a more specific and delicate description in the "Rich Country" and "Etiquette" section.

The above is the strictest and clearest description of "sexual evil" in the book "Xunzi". In a nutshell, Xunzi uses the division of sexual hypocrisy into theoretical premises, trying to illustrate the true state of human nature and its inevitable consequences of sinister paradox in the absence of "pseudo" effect and intervention. It must be explained that the so-called absence of "pseudo" does not mean that in the state of nature, all human behavior is unconscious.

On the contrary, even in the state of nature, man's pursuit of natural lust and the satisfaction of various interests must be conscious; in other words, there must be the intervention of the mind's thoughts. As far as Xunzi's definition of "pseudo" is concerned, the role of the mind's thoughts belongs to the pseudo-righteousness of the first meaning. Therefore, strictly speaking, the so-called role of no "pseudo" refers to the role and influence of the absence of the specific behavioral tendencies cultivated by the acquired nature and the value norms and political systems constructed by human beings, that is, the role and influence of the pseudo-performance of the absence of the second meaning on the behavior of human beings.

In fact, if we read the "Sexual Evil" section carefully, we can find that Xunzi's interpretation of sexual evil is basically carried out under the above basic premise. For example, Xun Zi said: "If you are in favor of affection, the brothers will fight, and if you are righteous, you will let the people of the country be satisfied." The confrontation between "conformity" and "ritual righteousness" shows that the former refers to the fact that people have not yet received the indoctrination and guidance of etiquette, and their actions are completely determined by their emotions, and the result is bound to be a struggle between people.

The argument in the passage "The desires of mortals are good, and the evil of sex" ultimately boils down to "if people are rude and righteous, they are chaotic, and if they do not know etiquette, they are contradictory, but if they are born, they are rebellious." The so-called "rude righteousness" and "ignorance of etiquette" also highlight the essential relationship between human nature and evil (paradox) in the state of nature.

The second half of "Sexual Evil" divides emotion and etiquette into two, thus explaining that the necessity of sexual evil and the necessity of etiquette and righteousness are also expressed in the same meaning. It can be seen that there is an intrinsic relationship between Xunzi's verbal evil and the state of nature. In Xunzi's view, the essential relationship between human nature and good and evil can only be possible in a natural state without "pseudo". This can be said to be a logical conclusion that Xunzi strictly discerns hypocrisy and hypocrisy and speaks of evil.

Following this, it is not difficult for us to understand the true meaning of "must" in the opening chapter of "Sexual Evil". Theoretically, the theory of "shun is" also presupposes the theoretical premise of "natural state" or "no pseudo-pseudo", otherwise whether man's indulgence of his desires will lead to "dangerous and paradoxical" is not inevitable. It is very doubtful to suppose that in an orderly and relatively stable social environment, people can also give everything they can to satisfy their appetites, and whether this will inevitably lead to dangerous and paradoxical. But in the state of nature, man has not yet accepted the indoctrination of the teacher and the guidance of etiquette, has no political system, and all his actions are completely driven by natural lust, which inevitably leads to the consequences of "desire for evil and evil with things, desire for more and less, and widows will fight for it" ("Rich Country").

If you read the entire text carefully, you can find that the above explanation of "shun is" and "must" has its reasonableness: "However, from the nature of man, from the feelings of people, it will be out of contention, and it will be combined with the confusion of division and chaos and return to violence." Therefore, there will be the transformation of the teacher's law, the way of etiquette and righteousness, and then out of resignation, in accordance with the literary reason, it will be ruled. From this point of view, however, human nature is evil, and its good is false. "There must be" means that "shun is" is that in the absence of "the transformation of the teachings, the way of etiquette", that is, without the role and intervention of "pseudo", man completely obeys the requirements of natural emotion and expresses his actions, and the result will inevitably lead to struggles between people, that is, evil.

It can be added that the word "shun" in the "shun" and "shun" often mentioned in the "sexual evil" section has not been able to examine the background of its intellectual history, in fact, Xunzi's theory is aimed at Mencius's theory of sexual goodness. Mencius refuted the metaphor of the cup of the willow of the zi qi: "Can the son follow the nature of the willow and think that the cup is stupid? Will the thief willow and then think that the cup is also? If the thief is turned into a willow and thought to be a cup, then the thief will also be regarded as benevolent and righteous. Whoever leads the world and brings misfortune to the righteous, he who will speak of the Son! Mencius said that sex is good, emphasizing that walking in accordance with nature can be good, that is, the so-called "good with sex." [9] Xun zi's virtuous nature, although it does not speak of the four-ended mind, is actually aimed at Mencius's way of thinking. For Xunzi, if in theory it is proved that obedience and acting will inevitably lead to evil, then Mencius's theory of sexual goodness that speaks of goodness with sex will not be self-defeating.

Xun Zi refuted the theory of sexual goodness, and defined sexual goodness as follows: "The so-called sexual good people do not depart from their simplicity and beauty, and do not establish their assets and benefit from it." If the husband can see the wisdom without leaving the eyes, and the hearing can not be separated from the ears, so that the eyes are clear and the ears are clear. Xun Zi's meaning is very clear, in order for the theory of sexual goodness to be established, it must require that in the absence of acquired human factors, human nature itself alone can fully explain how goodness is possible, just as the eyes and ears are the nature of human nature, so that it can innately determine the behavior of people in reality.

If human nature itself is sufficient to speak of goodness, then the idea that going along with it is good is possible to be true. It can be seen that Xunzi's refutation of the theory of sexual goodness and his explanation of the theory of sexual evil follow the same principle of thought: in the absence of the action of the acquired human factor, in accordance with the pure requirements of human nature, it must lead to good or evil? Therefore, if Xunzi's criticism of the theory of sexual goodness is completely untargeted,[10] it seems that it is not objective and fair.

It must be noted that the "state of nature" described in Xunzi should not be understood as a category of time, that is, as a specific historical stage. Just as hobbes's "state of nature" is usually regarded as a concept used in "thought experiments." [11] Similarly, the "state of nature" in Xunzi's philosophy should be understood as an "experiment of thought."

Because the human society in reality must already be in a certain degree of civilization; in the same way, the behavior of people in reality is also affected by various social systems and norms to varying degrees. Therefore, we should not regard the "state of nature" or sexual evil in Xunzi's philosophy as an "objective description" of the actual human life experience. Xunzi's use of the natural state as the background to say evil is an attempt to eliminate the acquired human factor in his ideological concepts, that is, "born of hypocrites", and then to make judgments and valuations of what human nature is and the inevitable results.

In essence, the state of nature, or sexual evil, in Xunzi's thinking, is first and foremost the starting point of a theory, from which it fundamentally explains the necessity of etiquette in human society. But this does not mean that Xunzi's exposition of the state of nature is entirely subjective fiction. In fact, Xunzi's "sexual" activities are always expressed to varying degrees in our real life experience, and the so-called natural state is only a state of purification or "idealization" after the elimination of human factors.

As scholars have noticed, early texts such as Guan Zi, Mozi, and Shangjun Shu all discuss the natural state of "the difference between the original monarch and subject of mankind",[12] and the special feature of Xunzi's thinking is that it intrinsically associates the natural state with sexual evil. This also makes Xunzi's theory of the natural state more theoretically effective than that of Mozi and others.

The point that needs to be explained is that Xunzi's so-called human nature involves a lot of content, but when he expounds sexual evil, it is basically exclusively concerned with the "emotional nature" of human beings. Why does Xun Zi speak of evil nature and deliberately eliminate other contents of human nature, such as the so-called "eyes and ears", and so on? Does this make its sexual malignancy inevitable? From Xun Zi's definition of sex, emotion, and desire: "Sex, heaven is also; lover, the quality of sex is also; desire, love should also be", we know that the so-called emotional nature actually refers to man's natural passion. Xun Zi's mere malice in relation to man's natural lust shows that in the natural state, the motives of man's actions are completely determined by natural lusts. This does not mean that the other aspects of human nature have no effect on man's behavior at all, but that only the natural lustful part of human nature is the decisive cause of man's action.

Clarifying the true meaning of Xunzi's speech of sexual evil, the following should further explain the theoretical relationship between sexual evil and sexual goodness and sexual simplicity, so as to make a holistic positioning of Xunzi's theory of human nature.

3. Xunzi's theory of human nature and sexual goodness and sexual simplicity

First of all, let's look at the relationship between Xunzi's theory of human nature and the theory of sexual goodness. Here it is necessary to distinguish between two different theories of sexual goodness, one is the theory of sexual goodness defined by Xunzi and refuted by it, and the other is a theory of sexual goodness that contemporary scholars understand and believe that Xunzi thought also implies.

The former is Xunzi's strictly defined strong theory of sexual goodness based on the theoretical premise of the division of sexual hypocrisy, which has been discussed above; the latter is a more relaxed statement, that is, if human nature inherently has the possibility of knowing goodness as goodness, it can be said that human nature is good, which is a weak sexual goodness theory. In the Qing Dynasty, many people who held this theory, such as Dai Zhen, Chen Lanfu, Luo Genze, Li Jingyuan, Liang Qixiong, [13] Luo Siguang, [14] Fu Peirong, Liu Youming, Lu Debin, etc.[15] all believed to varying degrees that Xunzi Thought contained a weak theory of sexual goodness.

According to the previous analysis, the theory of strong sexual goodness means that human nature alone is enough to determine goodness innately, in other words, if human nature is good, then the simple nature without the action and intervention of human factors should be beautiful. Specifically, if the innate mental capacity of man can fully determine the good, and if the eye and the ear can decide to see and hear innately, then the theory of sexual goodness can be established. However, in Xunzi's view, the theory of sexual goodness does not correspond to empirical facts at all, and the so-called "indistinguishable conformity is consistent with the test." Without the "hypocrisy" of the acquired nature, human nature simply cannot spontaneously provide sufficient motivation for good. Theoretically, what Xunzi wants to destroy is this strong theory of sexual goodness.

Some scholars may question that Xun Zi also seems to admit that man is born with certain natural emotional tendencies, even if they are not moral feelings in themselves, but they are "congenial" with morality,[16] as Xun Zi said: "Whoever is born between heaven and earth must know that those who have flesh and blood must know, and those who have knowledge do not love them." It can be seen that Xunzi does not deny that people have the natural emotion of filial piety or even love for the same kind.

However, these emotions are not in themselves enough to be the motivation and basis for people to be good in reality. For example, Xun Zi said: "The wife has filial piety to relatives, lust and faith declines in friends, and juelu is prosperous and loyal to the king." Human affection! It's not beautiful, so why ask? ("Sexual Evil") it can be seen that compared with the psychology of profit and natural lust, natural emotions such as filial piety can be described as very fragile, and only through the "transformation of etiquette and righteousness" can these natural emotions be transformed into real moral emotions, and the so-called "great filial piety and lifelong admiration of parents" is also possible.

As mentioned above, when Xunzi discussed funerals, he specifically pointed out that people are born with "auspicious and sorrowful" feelings, and some scholars have concluded that Xunzi also advocates sexual goodness. However, with the meaning of the context, it is not difficult to see that Xunzi still has these emotions in itself: "Two lovers, life is inherently dignified." If the husband is judged to follow, the bo is shallow, the benefit is lost, the class is exhausted, the beauty of the grandeur, so that the end and the end are not in line, enough for the world, it is a courtesy, not a gentleman who is not obedient to the cultivation of the gentleman. It can be seen that in order to ensure that the expression of these natural emotions is appropriate, it is still necessary to external norms, that is, the formal provisions of etiquette or the reshaping of moral habits,[17] which is based on Yang Liang: "Although man has his own sorrows, he must advance and retreat with courtesy and moderation, and then always be appropriate." ”[18]

Therefore, on the one hand, the expression of natural emotions requires specific rituals as their external forms; on the other hand, natural emotions can only be objectified into ritual norms, that is, through the falsehood of the saints, the ritual system of righteousness, and it is possible for all to recognize these natural emotions on the basis of learning, doing, and then truly recognizing the norms of etiquette, so as to make them the motive for moral action, the so-called "mind knows, then can be tao, and then the way is observed to forbid the non-way" ("Unmasking"). In this way, the affirmation of natural emotions does not constitute any conflict with the sexual evil theory affirmed by Xunzi. Because natural emotions are transformed into moral emotions, and are sufficient to become the motivation for moral action, they are still "false" in the future, that is, learning and doing things, which can no longer be attributed to "those who are born of sex".

Look at the relationship between the weak theory of sexual goodness and the Xunzi theory of human nature. Xunzi did think that the mind was born with the possibility of knowing goodness and thus triggering the corresponding ability to think that it was good, but there was no conflict between this and Xunzi's theory of sexual evil. To illustrate this point, it is necessary to make a concrete analysis of the role that the mind plays in the structure of human behavior.

Xun Zi's words and hearts, the first thing that stands out is his ability to dominate and judge, the so-called "Heavenly King" is also: "The shape of the ears, nose, nose, and mouth can be connected without being able to do so, and the husband is called a heavenly official." The heart is in the middle, so as to rule the five senses, and the husband is the heavenly king." Behind man's cognition and action, there is a dominant force at work: "If the heart does not make it, then white and black are in front of it and invisible, and the thunder drum is on the side and deaf, and the messenger is in charge of it." "The One of the Heart, the King of Form, and the Lord of the Gods, give orders and receive nothing." ...... Therefore, the mouth can be robbed and make the ink cloud, the form can be robbed and the praise is made, the heart cannot be robbed and the intention is easy, yes is received, and what is not is said. (Unmasking)

It can be seen that for all "mentally normal people", his behavior expression must be conscious, that is, it is produced under the influence of the mind's thoughts and masters, which is also the basic meaning of "pseudo" in Xunzi's philosophy: "The heart chooses for it, it is called the worry, the mind is worried and can move, it is called false." Even in the "state of nature," human action is not merely a spontaneous manifestation of natural lust and instinct. [19] Therefore, the so-called "obedience" or "obedience to human nature and obedience to human feelings" in the sexual evil chapter does not mean that human desires are completely passive to dominate their actions, but that they are based on their own active choices to obey human desires and satisfy desires from human nature. [20]

How the mind decides an action depends on the object of its approval. In this sense, Xunzi believes that the key to healing, chaos, or good and evil lies in "what the mind can do," not lust itself. However, the object of "what the mind can do" does not have any innate certainty or necessity, and the mind has both the possibility of recognizing the reasonable object and the possibility of recognizing the irrational object: "The mind knows, then it can be tao, and then it can be tao, and then it can be kept in order to forbid the tao"; "If the mind does not know, it cannot be tao, but it can not be tao". It can be seen that in Xunzi's thinking, domination and judgment are a more "formal" ability in the "mind", and how the mind judges and decides on a specific action is determined by the content of the object it approves: "Mortals cannot take what they can and go from what they cannot." ("True Name")

As far as the relationship between the mind and sexual evil is concerned, the crux of the matter is: In the state of nature, what is the object of the mind's ability? In this regard, Xun Zi has a clear view: "Man is born a small person, and if he cannot do so without a teacher, he will be only able to see the benefits"; "If a person cannot have a teacher, his heart will be right in his mouth and belly" ("Honor and Disgrace")," "The law of man without a teacher is long and affectionate, and the law of a teacher is long and accumulated" ("Confucian Effect"). In short, in the state of nature, what the mind can do is only profit and lust. All the articles of "Honor and Disgrace", "Non-Phase", and "Sexual Evil" all mean that "good and evil" are "born of man, and those who do not wait", in other words, "good and evil" are just like the desires of the eyes and ears, mouths and noses, and they are all human nature.

Thus, in the state of nature, the mind is merely a contributing factor constituting the self-satisfaction of natural lust, i.e., the mind itself becomes an "instrumental" being. At this time, the "heart", some scholars say as "functionally reduced mind", can quite express the above meaning. The gist of it is that the mind, in this state, is concerned only with finding the most effective means for the greatest satisfaction of desires. [21] Thus the "mind" completely loses its dominant position as the "heavenly prince", as some scholars have said: "But for those who are in the state of nature or ahistorical, free will is really the same, and it is not mentioned." [22] In this regard, some scholars believe that Xunzi's theory of the main heart is good,[23] and there are obvious contradictions and conflicts with the overall context of Xunzi thought.

Further, in the state of nature, the mind is even a contributing factor to human evil. For example, Xun Zi said: "If a person who has no teacher and cannot know, he will be a thief, a brave person will be a thief, a cloud energy will be chaos, a detection will be strange, and a discernment will be a quick argument." This is the so-called "Sexual Evil" section, "If people today do not have a teacher, they are dangerous and not correct." Broadly speaking, knowledge, courage, ability, detection, and discernment can all be said to be the embodiment of the different faculties of the mind in cognition, domination, or the will, and in the state of nature these faculties can be evil by man's blind pursuit of profit or the satisfaction of lust.

There is a similar expression in the "Self-Cultivation" section: "Whoever uses flesh, will, and knowledge is ruled by etiquette, and if it is not rites, it is chaotic." "Intention and knowing are also the two sides of the heart, and flesh and blood refer to the activities of natural life, the so-called involuntary, that is, there is no guidance and norms of the teacher. This is also emphasizing that in the state of nature, not only the activities of natural life will cause evil, but the role of the mind will further prompt people to do evil.

According to Xunzi, although the mind is born with the possibility of knowing the good and arousing the corresponding ability to think that it is good, this is only a potential possibility, and in the natural state, these abilities cannot establish sufficient motivation for good. Not to mention, in the natural state, the standard of goodness or value has not really been established, and even if there is a value standard, the correct understanding and recognition of the value standard by the mind is only possible through the process of arduous study and cultivation.

This is why Xunzi said: "The nature of this human being is inherently impolite, so it is strong to learn and seek to have; sex does not know etiquette, so it is also thoughtful and seeking knowledge." This is also the reason why Xunzi regards the goodness of man as a "hypocrite". From this we can say that in the state of nature, these innate and potentially good-knowing abilities simply cannot have any substantial effect or influence on human action. That is why Xunzi would think that the mind in its natural state is nothing more than a tool for natural lust in its pursuit of self-satisfaction.

It should be pointed out that Xunzi's view of denying the strong theory of sexual goodness and affirming that the mind inherently has the possibility of knowing good and doing good was inherited and developed by Confucianism in the Han Dynasty. For example, Dong Zhongshu used the metaphor of Hemi to emphasize that "sex has good qualities but fails to be good" ("Spring and Autumn Prosperity and Solidity"), which is a good summary of Xun zizhi's theory. In addition, there is a similar saying in the Huainanzi Tai Training. Therefore, from the point of view of the history of Chinese sexuality, it is naturally possible to argue that Xunzi can also admit that sex has a good quality, or more directly, that Xunzi thought contains some kind of weakened theory of sexual goodness.[24]

In fact, no one can object to the weak doctrine of sexual goodness, because all acquired enlightenment is impossible without assuming that there are possible conditions in human nature to know the good and do good. Therefore, the weak theory of sexual goodness does not have much theoretical significance, and is almost a kind of common sense. In addition, from the analysis of the previous article, we know that even if the weak theory of sexual goodness is affirmed, it cannot change the basic judgment that human nature must lead to evil in the natural state, in other words, there is no theoretical conflict between the weak sexual good theory and Xunzi's sexual evil theory, and the two can coexist.

In recent years, some scholars have also advocated Xunzi's theory of human nature as a simple theory of sexuality, and this article should also be slightly corrected. Xun Zi did define "sex" by "simple", and after the above-mentioned discussion of the "Treatise on Etiquette" about the feelings of "auspiciousness and sorrow", Xun Zi said: "Therefore: sex, the original material Is Simple; the pseudo-person Wenli Longshengye." Asexuality is false and nothing, and non-hypocrisy cannot be self-beautiful. Sexual hypocrisy, and then become the name of a saint, a day of work, so it is also. ”

Reading the context carefully, it is not difficult for us to find that Xunzi here attributes the natural emotions that people are born with to sex, and says it as "the original material is simple", and "pseudo" refers to etiquette. The reasonable and appropriate expression of natural emotions cannot be without the norms of etiquette, so that the "beauty of righteousness" can be achieved, that is, the so-called "sexual hypocrisy". Compared with the "pseudo" of "liberal arts", the natural emotions as sex can of course be said to be simple and undefined.

In addition, the "Sexual Evil" section also uses "simplicity" and "capital" to say "sex": "The so-called sexual good, not away from its simplicity and beauty, not away from its capital and profit." Xun Zi opposed the strong theory of sexual goodness, believing that there was no possibility of "self-beauty" in innate qualifications, so the "pseudo" of the day after tomorrow was indispensable. Synthesizing the above statements, it is not difficult to see that Xunzi uses "simple" to define "sex", and the first thing to emphasize is the innate righteousness and simple meaning of human nature, that is, to highlight the meaning of "sex" as the "original face" of the role and influence of the acquired man. In essence, to speak of sex in a simple way is to reveal the formal meaning of "sex" under the theoretical premise of the distinction between sex and falsehood. In other words, under the premise of the distinction between sexual and false, the meaning of sex as "simple" can be analyzed from the innate nature of sex being born and inherent.

In fact, as some scholars have keenly observed, "park" originally has two uses, "pu", the former refers to undeveloped materials, and the latter is divided into two meanings: "unmodified" and "undeveloped" can be said to be a description of the state of things, and "neutral" and "no good and no evil" are the value evaluation of the state. Xunzi uses the word "Park" in the sense of nouns. [25]

This is actually what this article calls, Xunzi intends to emphasize the innate righteousness and simple meaning of sex with simple sex, rather than judging its value. In order to prove their own theory, the holder of sexual simplicity refutes the basic view that Xunzi is subjectively evil, in fact, he understands the word "park" in terms of evaluation. Whether this semantic transformation is legitimate or not requires more powerful analysis and argumentation.

In fact, in the two formulations of "Xunzi" in a simple way, neither of them explicitly uses the word "simple" from the perspective of the value judgment of "neutral" and "no good and no evil". As far as the use cases of the limited number of "simple" characters in "Xunzi" are concerned, there are both negative evaluation examples, such as Xunzi's words that tyrants should be "if they drive a simple horse, if they raise a naked child, if they eat people" ("The Way of The Subject"), and there are also positive evaluation examples, such as "Entering, looking at their customs, their people are simple, their vocal music is not sloppy, their obedience is not picky, they are afraid of being obedient, and the ancient people are also" ("Strong Country").

Therefore, the interpretation of Xunzi's statement as human nature is harmless and neutral is not Xunzi's original intention, at least an extension of Xunzi's theory. From the standpoint of this article, precisely because the focus of Xunzi's theory of human nature is not to make a value judgment on human nature, the value meaning of Xunzi's simplicity is not clear, and it is not so puzzling. Of course, there is no contradiction or conflict between the use of sex as simple as the judgment that human nature inevitably leads to evil in the natural state.

brief summary

In summary, XunZi's statement of sexual evil is an attempt to illustrate the inevitable correlation between human nature and evil in the "natural state" without the role and intervention of "pseudo", rather than judging that human nature is evil from the value. The theory of weak sexual goodness only emphasizes that human nature inherently has the potential possibility of knowing good and doing good, which should be recognized by Xunzi, but this almost common-sense view does not have much theoretical significance, cannot highlight the theoretical characteristics of Xunzi's theory of human nature, and has no conflict with Xunzi's theory of sexual evil.

Xunzi only indicates the formal meaning of sex in the simple theory, that is, the birth of righteousness and simple righteousness, rather than the intention to emphasize that human nature is neutral in value, in fact, the distinction between sexual hypocrisy and hypocrisy contains the meaning of sexual simplicity, so there is no contradiction between it and Xunzi's theory of sexual evil. It can be seen that as far as Xunzi Thought itself is concerned, the real theoretical significance is still the theory of sexual evil, which is not only the theoretical starting point of Xunzi's exposition on the necessity of etiquette and the origin of the state, but also the theoretical basis for refuting Mencius's theory of sexual goodness.

exegesis:

[1] Of course, a more thorough view is to deny the authenticity of the "Sexual Evil" section, such as the Japanese scholar Osamu Kanaya, the American scholar Donald Munro and Zhou Chicheng, etc. all hold this position, but this view still lacks sufficient evidence, Zhu Xiaohai, Li Zhexian, Huang Yun, etc. have made a strong rebuttal from the perspective of philology and righteousness, so this article is still old, affirming that the "Sexual Evil" section is enough to represent Xunzi's own views. For related discussions, refer to Zhu Xiaohai: "The True and False Identification of "Xunzi Sexual Evil"" in "The Collected Papers of Mr. Zhang Yiren's Seventh Rank Shouqing", Taipei: Taiwan Student Bookstore, 1999, pp. 837-858; Li Zhexian: "Xunzi Human Nature Theory Research in the United States", Journal of Chinese of National Chengchi University, No. 8 (December 2007); Huang Yun: "Xunzi Sexual Evil" Discernment, edited by Zhang Xiping: International Sinology, Vol. 26, Zhengzhou: Elephant Publishing House, 2014, pp. 270-288.

[2] Wang Tianhai: Xunzi School Interpretation, Shanghai: Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House, 2005, p. 785.

[3] Liao Mingchun, New Exploration of Xunzi, Beijing: Chinese University Press, 2013, p. 78.

[4] Deng Xiaohu, Xunzi's Learning for Himself: From Sexual Evil to Cultivating Sincerity, Beijing: Peking University Press, 2015, pp. 50-69.

[5] Yan Shi'an, "A Preliminary Discussion on the Evil Consciousness of Xunzi, Han Feizi and Zhuangzi", Journal of Nanjing University (Philosophy, Humanities and Social Sciences), No. 2, 2010.

[6] Mou Zongsan, The Famous Master and Xunzi, Taipei: A Book for Taiwanese Students, 1979, p. 223.

[7] Feng Yaoming, "A New Interpretation of Xunzi's Theory of Human Nature," Journal of Philosophy, National Chengchi University, No. 14 (June 2005); Dongfang Shuo, The Quest for Rationality: A Collection of Studies on Xunzi Thought, Shanghai: Shanghai People's Publishing House, 2016, p. 130.

[8] Wang Xianqian: Xun ZiJi, Beijing: Zhonghua Bookstore, 1988, p. 440.

[9] Liao Xiaowei, "Speaking of Goodness or Virtue of Sex: A New Interpretation of Mencius's Theory of Sexual Goodness", Journal of Wuhan University (Humanities Edition), Vol. 70, No. 3.

[10] Xu Fuguan, "The History of Chinese Sex: The Pre-Qin Chapter", Shanghai: Shanghai Sanlian Bookstore, 2001, p. 208.

[11] Juhana Lemetti, Historical Dictionary of Hobbes’s Philosophy, The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2012, P.318.

[12] Jiang Nianfeng, Text and Practice (I): Contemporary Interpretations of Confucianism, Taipei: Laurel Books Co., Ltd., 2000, pp. 285-286.

[13] Liao Mingchun: The New Detective of Xunzi, p. 78.

[14] Luo Siguang, A New History of Chinese Philosophy (I), Taipei: Sanmin Bookstore, 1987, p. 335.

[15] Xiao Zhensheng, "Xunzi Sexual Virtue Says Doubts", Journal of Eastern Wu Philosophy, No. 34 (August 2016).

[16] David B. Wong, “Xunzi on Moral Motivation”, in Virtue, Nature, and Moral Agency in the Xunzi, Edited by T. C Kline Ⅲ and Philip J. Ivanhoe, Indianapolis/Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Company, 2000, p.150.

[17] Bryan W. Van Norden, Virtue Ethics and Consequentialism in Early Chinese Philosophy, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007, p.47.

[18] Wang Xianqian, XunziJi, Beijing: Zhonghua Bookstore, 1988, p. 366.

[19] Tang Duanzheng, "Treatise on the Pre-Qin Dynasties (Continued Edition)", Taipei: Dongda Books, 2009, p. 214.

[20] Dai Hua, "Xunzi Sexual Evil Theory", ed. by Zai Lin, ed., Philosophical Analysis and Convergence of Horizons, Taipei: National Taiwan University Publishing Center, 2010, pp. 165-187.

[21] Dai Hua, On the Evil Nature of Xunzi, p. 177.

[22] Zhu Xiaohai, "Discussion and Doubt exploration of xunzi sexual evil theory argument", in Qiu Huifen, ed., Liberalism and Humanistic Tradition: Collected Essays of Mr. Lin Yusheng's Seventh Rank Birthday Celebration, Taipei: Yunchen Culture, 2005, p. 224.

[23] Liang Tao, "Xunzi's Theory of Human Nature: On Xunzi's Sexual Evil and Mental Goodness", Philosophical Studies, No. 5, 2015.

[24] Liu Youming, "Xunzi's Philosophical Model and Its Transformation in Later Generations", Journal of Sinology Studies, No. 3 (December 2006).

[25] Huang Yun, "Xunzi Sexual Evil" Discernment, p. 276.