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Wendy Swartz
The Nature of Evil

Hsun Tzu's philosophy is built from the idea that human beings are by nature inherently evil, and the good they produce will only come through their conscious activity. Hsun Tzu believes that if man follows his nature and indulges in his natural desires, without transforming himself by conscious activity he is doomed to fall victim to his evil nature. "Any man who follows his nature will inevitably become involved in wrangling and strife, will violate the forms and rules of society, and will end as a criminal." Despite the pessimistic tone of Hsun Tzu's message he does propose conscious activity as a solution to man's evil. This paper will examine Hsun Tzu's perspective in light of both Mencius and Lao Tzu, and the path it proposes for man to raise from his evil nature and become good.
Starting at the foundation of Hsun Tzu's message we accept that humans are inherently bad, incomplete, and weak. After accepting the imperfect nature of......

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Approximate Word Count: 1226
Approximate Pages: 5 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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