The Flame is not so bright to itself as to those on whom it shines, so too the wise man
Confucius on Moral Action and Human Nature – Part 1

Confucius on Moral Action and Human Nature – Part 1

The History of the Philosophy of Moral Action in Ancient China People often say that the great Eastern Texts; by which they generally mean, the Analects of Confucius, The Tao Te Ching and Buddhist texts, are not really philosophy but something else, such as religion...
The Confucian Philosophy of Moral Action – Part 2

The Confucian Philosophy of Moral Action – Part 2

Chinese Philosophers Mencius on Human Nature In part one I introduced you to Mencius who was a second generation Confucian and basically he says:  “Human Nature is good and the reason we become bad is that we forget our own heart.” But like all ancient Chinese texts...
Xun Zi on Moral Action and Human Nature – Part 3

Xun Zi on Moral Action and Human Nature – Part 3

Xun Zi Xun Zi – Human Nature is Evil Xun Zi said there is something wrong with Mencius’s view that Human Nature is good. He thought that view was too idealistic and didn’t believe that was really the case. Human Nature, he said, is not really good. His view was more...
Confucius on Moral Action and Human Nature – Part 1

Why Chinese Philosophy is Misunderstood in the West

Chinese Philosophy Pre Dates the Ancient Greek Philosophers Recently I was asked to write an article for the Australia China Foundation Association (ACFA) web site about Asian and particularly, Chinese Philosophy and why it has been misunderstood in the west for...