Question 4: Explaining the East Asian Conception of Human Nature
Introduction
The problem of Human Nature has always been a point of hot discussions among the Western and Eastern philosophers. Although there are some theoretical discrepancies among members of the different philosophical schools, the majority of them concur that the idea of human nature encompasses the fusion of certain distinguishing characteristics, which a human possesses irrespective of his/her cultural background. Despite the fact that the nature of these characteristics, approaches to measuring them and understanding the components of this metaphysical phenomenon are not clearly defined in any philosophical school yet, there is a strong opinion in the both Eastern and Western academic circles that these elements include the ways of feeling, thinking and acting. By analyzing these three dimensions, the one can make certain conclusions about the conception of human nature in a specific national and cultural environment (Hwang 201).
Although the underlying questions about the conception of human nature are somewhat similar in the Eastern and Western systems of philosophy, there are several fundamental divergences in answering these questions. The ones, which deal with the idea of conceiving a human nature, are the following. Firstly, while the Western though says that an individual is a central element of the Divine, all major Eastern systems profess that a person is simple a participle of a huge cosmological system. Secondly, in Western philosophy, the ‘me’ is static, meaning that is has been given by the Divine, that it is not cognizable and that it cannot be changed. Contrary to this view, the core of the Eastern belief is that the true ‘me’ is discoverable through the process of self-liberation, and that the idea of human nature can be understood by analyzing this process of discovering the inner self (Pye & De Bary 195).
The problem of understanding human nature in the East Asian region has long been a subject of intense exploratory endeavors. The basic tenets of this human nature philosophy were developed by the outstanding Chinese philosophers Confucius and Mencius (also known as “Master Meng”), while one of the most prolific western interpreters of their philosophical wisdom is William Theodore de Bary, whose numerous works essentially contributed to the creation of Neo-Confucianism.
The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive insight into understanding of the conception of human nature in the East Asian philosophical thought. Specifically, it analyzes the main themes, which compose the idea of human nature, reveals whether human nature is inherently good or evil and describes the relationships between human nature and other metaphysical components of our reality.
In contrast to its Western counterparts, East Asian philosophers traditionally oppose making any metaphysical speculations (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). In other words, their academic and theological wisdom are mainly based on practical questions and answers to them. Analyzing its foundations requires understanding of the numerous social concerns and problems and the way the humans deal with them. In order to understand the ideas surrounding the conception of human nature in East Asia, this analysis delves into understanding what the philosophers though about the way people think, feel and act (Pye & De Bary 195).
Thinking
The main principles and frontiers of human nature were developed by Confucius, who wrote that social harmony in the society is achievable not through the different mechanisms of state oppression (i.e. by enacting and enforcing various laws), but through social harmony. The main cog of this mechanism of social harmony and balance is a noble man (also referred to as ‘Junzi’) (Hwang 201). Confucius argued that the people, who innately possess good virtues and cultivate them through constant practice, set the examples, which should be followed by other members of the society seeking to achieving moral excellence. Additionally, Confucius argued that although some people are born with such virtues, practically everyone could become a virtuous man through the process of self-development, mediation and thinking (Zagoria & De Bary 165).
Apart from these ideas, Confucius formulated the most important tenet in the labyrinth of Asian philosophical studies. Specifically, he emphasized that education and self-development are the only ways towards virtuousness and, consequently, personal and collective growth. A person, who excelled in education and training becomes focused on pursuing betterment for the entire society nor for himself only (Hwang 201).
In addition to that, Confucius underscored the fact that a truly virtuous man has balanced mindset, i.e. while he is moral; he is not moralistic, learned, but not haughty, brave, but not careless etc. Yet, the most important aspect of a man is that he seeks to act in a good way in any situation, whatever the impacts on him personally may be.
Another luminary of the Eastern philosophical thought, Mencius, thought that thoughts of the people are pre-determined by the omniscient deity – the ‘Lord of the High’. The concept of ‘Heaven’ (the ‘Tian’) is a focal point in this regard, i.e. the divine authority was viewed by Mencius as the ultimate and absolute authority in all aspects of a human life.
De Bary later wrote that in accordance with the classical Asian wisdom, it is Tian that determines whether thinking of a person is humane and rightful (Pye & De Bary 195). Furthermore, he argued that although thoughts of a human being are predetermined by the Omniscient, a person may turn off from the righteous track if he does not practice his moral virtues intensely enough. This is the reason why tyrants, killers, robbers and other depraved people exist.
Feelings
Mencius is unshakeable in defending his argument that ‘everyone is born with a good and noble heart’. Essentially, Mencius wrote that there are two main determinants guiding our feelings – experience and reason (Zagoria & De Bary 165).
Experience suggests what a person should feel in a particular life situation based on his past tribulations and happiness. To illustrate, when a soldier defeats an enemy, he is rewarded by the government and praised by his neighbors, friends and family members. Positive emotions, which emerge in his heart and mind under similar circumstances in the future, are the product of his past experience.
However, De Bary wrote that in accordance with Mencius framework, reason guides feeling in a much wider array of social situations. To be more specific, in all situations, when a person sees that other person is in a dire situation, this person will sense a strong, innate desire to rush for help. This desire emerges not because a person expects to be rewarded for his help, or because there is a legal or religious command, but because the heart of this person says to him that this type of behavior it is right. This innate reasoning is predetermined by the ‘Tian’, and cannot be changed. Even if acts of a particular person show the very opposite, e.g. when a tyrant slaughters his subjects, in his heart and soul this person understands that his acts are morally wrong, and his acts distress him emotionally.
The feelings of a person also influence his or her thoughts, also to a lesser extent than the ‘Lord of the High’ does. In the situations, which are not regulated by the religious dogmas, cognition of a person is determined by his innate feelings. In other words, when a person does not any authority to base his thoughts upon, he should trust his sentiments. Because these sentiments and feelings are always positive, whatever actions of this person may be.
Actions
The final dimension, which shapes the human nature, is the actions of a person. In East Asian philosophical thought, they are not pre-determined by the divine authorities and are the products of self-development of a human exclusively. Mencius wrote that acting in full accordance with expectations of the Divine and the people requires enormous dedication, commitment, strong will and perseverance (Pye & De Bary 195). De Bary wrote that all these characteristics are inherent to a ‘noble man’ only, who achieves them by remembering the rules of the sages and other wise man (Zagoria & De Bary 165).
In addition to that, making the right actions is not possible without guidance and mentorship from other noble and wise people. Therefore, it is strongly emphasized that achieving the situation, when everyone always does good is practically not possible, because the number of such wise sages is limited and they are incapable of sharing their wisdom with everyone. That is why there are many people, who commit crimes, defile the norms of social morale and disrespect others.
Conclusions
References
Hwang, Philip Ho. "What Is Mencius' Theory Of Human Nature?". Philosophy East and West. 29.2.201. 1979. Print
Pye, Lucian W. and Wm. Theodore De Bary. "Nobility And Civility: Asian Ideals Of Leadership And The Common Good". Foreign Affairs 84.1 195. 2005. Print.
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Mencius. Web Stanford University, 3 Dec .2014. Web. 13 July. 2016. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/mencius/
Zagoria, Donald and William Theodore De Bary. "Asian Values And Human Rights: A Confucian Communitarian Perspective". Foreign Affairs 77.6 :165. 1998 Print.
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