Gongduzi said, “Gaozi said, ‘Human nature is neither good nor bad.’ Others say, ‘Human nature can be made to do good, or it can be made to do evil; therefore, when Kings Wen and Wu arose, the people loved goodness, and when Kings You and Li arose, the people loved violence.’ Still others say, ‘Some natures are good, and some natures are evil; therefore, with Yao as ruler, there was still the wicked Xiang; with Gu Sou as father, there was still the filial Shun; and with Zhou as nephew and ruler, there were still the worthy Wei Zi Qi and Prince Bi Gan.’ Now you say, ‘Human nature is good.’ Are all those other views wrong, then?”
Mencius replied, “When we look at the true feelings of human nature, we see that they can be made to do good. This is what I mean by saying that human nature is good. As for people doing what is not good, that is not the fault of their natural endowment. The feeling of commiseration is possessed by all men; the feeling of shame and dislike is possessed by all men; the feeling of modesty and complaisance is possessed by all men; the feeling of approving and disapproving is possessed by all men. The feeling of commiseration is benevolence; the feeling of shame and dislike is righteousness; the feeling of modesty and complaisance is propriety; the feeling of approving and disapproving is wisdom. Benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom are not infused into us from the outside; they are inherent in us, only we have not reflected upon them. Therefore, it is said, ‘Seek, and you will find them; neglect, and you will lose them.’ Some people differ from others by double, or five times, or an incalculable amount, simply because they cannot fully develop their natural endowment. The Book of Poetry says, ‘Heaven, in producing the masses of the people, produced everything with its principle. The people possess this constant virtue, and therefore they love this excellent virtue.’ Confucius said, ‘The author of this poem understood the Way! Because there are things, there must be principles; the people possess this constant virtue, and therefore they love this excellent virtue.’”
Note
This passage from the Gaozi I chapter of the Mencius is Mencius’ most concentrated and systematic exposition of the “Theory of Innate Goodness.” Facing three different contemporary views on human nature, Mencius not only responded to them but also constructed a complete Confucian system of mind and nature. Drawing on historical context and traditional commentaries, we can understand its philosophy through the following dimensions:
- Refuting “Neither Good Nor Bad” and “Some Good, Some Evil”: Establishing the Potential for Good
Gongduzi lists three popular views of human nature at the time: Gaozi’s “blank slate” theory, environmental determinism, and the theory of innate differences. Mencius did not completely deny the partial rationality of these views on a phenomenological level, but he pointed out that they only saw external manifestations and missed the essence of human nature. Mencius proposed that “when we look at the true feelings of human nature, we see that they can be made to do good,” emphasizing that humans are born with the innate potential and seeds for goodness. People do evil not because there is evil in their nature, but because they have lost their original heart-mind (“that is not the fault of their natural endowment”). - The Doctrine of the “Four Beginnings”: The Internal Genesis of Morality
Here, Mencius proposed the famous “Four Beginnings” (Si Duan) in the history of Chinese philosophy: the feeling of commiseration (Benevolence), the feeling of shame and dislike (Righteousness), the feeling of modesty and complaisance (Propriety), and the feeling of approving and disapproving (Wisdom). This is the psychological foundation of Mencius’ theory of innate goodness. He explicitly pointed out that these four moral emotions are not imposed by postnatal society (“not infused into us from the outside”) but are inherent in us (“they are inherent in us”). The reason people show huge moral differences is simply due to the influence of postnatal environments and personal negligence, leading to a failure to fully develop their innate endowment (“cannot fully develop their natural endowment”). - “Heaven Produced the Masses with Constant Virtue”: The Cosmological and Ontological Elevation of Morality
At the end of the argument, Mencius quoted the Book of Poetry and used Confucius’ words to elevate the theory of human nature to the height of cosmic ontology. “Heaven, in producing the masses of the people, produced everything with its principle” means that human moral nature is not merely a psychological phenomenon, but the manifestation of the universal natural law (the Way of Heaven) in human beings. People inherently possess this constant virtue, and thus naturally yearn for excellent virtue. This not only provided the ultimate metaphysical basis for the “Theory of Innate Goodness” but also endowed human morality with sacred and inviolable dignity.
公都子曰：“告子曰：‘性无善无不善也。’或曰：‘性可以为善，可以为不善；是故文武兴，则民好善；幽厉兴，则民好暴。’或曰：‘有性善，有性不善；是故以尧为君而有象，以瞽瞍为父而有舜；以纣为兄之子且以为君，而有微子启、王子比干。’今曰‘性善’，然则彼皆非与？”
孟子曰：“乃若其情，则可以为善矣，乃所谓善也。若夫为不善，非才之罪也。恻隐之心，人皆有之；羞恶之心，人皆有之；恭敬之心，人皆有之；是非之心，人皆有之。恻隐之心，仁也；羞恶之心，义也；恭敬之心，礼也；是非之心，智也。仁义礼智，非由外铄我也，我固有之也，弗思耳矣。故曰：‘求则得之，舍则失之。’或相倍蓰而无算者，不能尽其才者也。诗曰：‘天生蒸民，有物有则。民之秉彝，好是懿德。’孔子曰：‘为此诗者，其知道乎！故有物必有则，民之秉彝也，故好是懿德。’”
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