On Hsun Tzu and Human Nature
On Hsun Tzu and Human Nature
Hsun Tzu asserts that men in their natural state are chaotic, but that each of them is capable of learning disciplines to become orderly through conscious activity. Man in his natural state is ruled by desire, emotion and unrestrained action and cannot control his desires unless he is taught to do so. Those negative tendencies to disorder, according to Hsun Tzu, are man’s nature and are therefore organic behavior. Restrained, conscious conduct must be taught and is therefore artificial behavior-not natural to man. Hsun Tzu also mentions, to further prove his argument, that even as an individual does virtuous deeds he is still able to do them out of selfishness-in order to feed himself or for gain of profit-and this, to Hsun Tzu, is an example of the discord of man’s natural state of being. Hsun Tzu tells us that every person is capable of learning the most orderly conduct so that he might fit into his place; that each individual is only needed as much as he or she is able to conform to the status and role into which he or she has been set. Lastly, Hsun Tzu connects man’s environment with the individual’s behavior. He explains that an individual’s surroundings and peers have great impact on his conscious activity and on his life. To Hsun Tzu, human nature is inherently chaotic, yet despite this, he points out, every person is also able to sustain order and become virtuous through the ritual of conscious activity. Every man has tendencies toward this nature, but is able to restrain them for the good of his community.
Because of man’s chaotic nature, he must live in the construct of a community or state, so that he may practice the laws of that society in order for him to learn to become a virtuous man. However, for there to be law, there must be, beforehand, conscious activity and ritual. According to Hsun Tzu, there cannot be a set construct of society if the rituals-set by the society-are not adhered to. Man in his first nature, we are told, would cheat his neighbor and countrymen; there would be murder for profit, disorder and war. If man follows his society’s set rules, however, he would become virtuous by controlling his natural desires and creating order for the good of his country, rather than following his own notions of pleasure for selfish gain. Similarly, without the construct of community and order, man would be unable to learn virtuous conscious activity, and he would spend his life greedily in unrestrained behavior.
Once man has learned to control himself through conscious activity, however, he will-though that virtue, consciously against his selfish nature-maintain order in his place in the world, where his neighbors, superiors, community and country hold more value than his own life and his needs. This is because man’s natural desires and emotions tempt him to serve himself as he sees fit, with disregard for the respect, position or need of others. When man resists the temptations through conscious activity, he begins to serve others first-his neighbors, the state, and even people the man does not know. When the selfish, negative nature of man is controlled and restrained through conscious activity, man is able to create laws-for himself or for the community or state-so that order might be maintained. Order, to Hsun Tzu, is the most important thing to consider for the good of one’s country; the restraint of one’s desires keeps the chaos and disorder within all men from damaging the world around him.
Man’s natural behavior-outside of learned restraint-at its very base is grounded in chaos, selfishness, lack of virtue, and disorder. These things are man’s instinct, are natural to him, and are therefore his organic behavior. Even when man attempts to do virtuous acts toward others, his motives may still be selfish. He is caused by his emotions to follow his desires through greed. However, all conscious activity-rituals, restraints and adherence to the rules by which one has been set-is learned, according to Hsun Tzu’s argument. This reveals that these behaviors are artificial. Therefore restraint, because it must be learned, is not a natural instinct to man. In this, because all men are selfish and unrestrained in nature, every individual is capable of learning to control that nature.
Learning conscious activity, according to this line of thinking, is therefore a privilege not granted from a so-called divine source; that is, from the lowest status to the highest, each individual comes from the same chaotic nature and is also able to learn to restrain it. In this way, conscious activity is not reserved to a few who have a ‘divine revelation,' nor is it reserved for any special enlightened elite. Each person can learn and devote himself the rituals of restraint so as to uphold the order of the society or state in which he lives. Selfish desire, emotion and disorder are natural to man, but every individual is capable of learning and acting on conscious behavior to restrain them. He should, accordingly, live by those rituals to maintain order with himself, and as a whole, with the state. The values the man lives by are central to keeping order.
These moral values to be sought after may be learned by any person, and consistent righteousness by maintaining an orderly lifestyle can also be achieved by any individual. However, not every person may find maintaining that righteousness as something possible to do. Although every person has the capability to learn to be respectful, patient and gracious, many people lack the actual will or dedication to carry these virtues out. Some people may even find it impossible to do unwholesome acts out of the lack of willingness to do them. This does not take away man’s ability to change if he does not; it simply means that if a person simply does not change his or her ways, then he or she lacks an initiative to carry it out and chooses to stay the same. This may be caused by how the individual was raised, or by the situation in which the individual lives.
The environment of the individual has a heavy impact on the individual’s life. In order for a man to learn steadfast ways and keep them, he must surround himself with the right people. Says Hsun Tzu, “A man, no matter how fine his nature or how keen his mind, must seek a worthy teacher to study under and… companions to associate with.” (Hsun Tzu 32) A person’s habits will mirror the doings of those around him; if a man associates himself with people who tend to be just, patient and hard-working, that man will most likely find himself growing into doing much the same. However, if someone finds himself in company that is unwholesome, careless and deceitful, he or she may come to realize that his or her lifestyle will become like that of his or her companions. According to Hsun Tzu, they will “hear only deceit and lies and will see only conduct that is marked by wantonness, evil, and greed.” (Hsun Tzu 32) An individual will cause himself or herself to rise or fall to meet with his or her companions, due to man’s negative nature. Therefore, a person’s environment is key to maintaining righteousness and valor as a human being. Even with his chaotic nature, the individual may find himself more willing to improve if he surrounds himself with those that are also virtuous.
Hsun Tzu gives us the idea that man is inherently lacking in virtuous moral value, but is capable of restraining himself through conscious means. Human beings, in this idea, are ruled by desires and emotions in their natural state and must be taught self-control. The disorderly conduct, being man’s instinct, is therefore a natural thing in itself. The conscious activities that lead man to become righteous against his nature are things to be learned, and therefore artificial. Since restraint is something that can be taught and learned by any person, each individual is capable of learning, following and practicing a more benevolent, respectful and open lifestyle. However, if a person does not change, it does not mean that he or she is unable to-he or she lacks the will to change and therefore, by choice, finds change toward either more benign or more unworthy habits impossible. A person’s environment is key to how they live and who they become. Their company can swing the balance between virtuous acts or a dishonest lifestyle. A man may change for the better against his nature, but this all depends upon where he is, who he is with and how willing he is to dedicate himself to a more virtuous life. The nature of human beings is a nature of chaos, greed and selfishness, but these can be overcome through conscious choice and dedication.
Michael, Austin. Reading the World: Ideas That Matter. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2007.