The Analects – Chapter 17.3

The Master said, “It is only the most intelligent and the most stupid who are not susceptible to change.”

Note

This statement serves as a supplement to Confucius’ theory of human nature and is usually understood in conjunction with the previous chapter, “By nature, men are nearly alike; by practice, they get to be wide apart.”

Confucius believed that the innate nature of the vast majority of ordinary people is similar, and they can all be shaped through later education and environment (i.e., “getting wide apart by practice”). However, the “most intelligent” (those born with supreme wisdom and moral self-awareness) and the “most stupid” (those born extremely obstinate and refusing any enlightenment) possess fixed natures that do not change. The “most intelligent” do not need to be deliberately changed because they are naturally in harmony with the Great Way; the “most stupid,” due to their own closed-mindedness and stubbornness, cannot be changed even by sages.

This thought not only acknowledges the rare exceptions of extraordinary innate talent or extreme obstinacy but also further emphasizes that for the vast majority of ordinary people, later education and learning are extremely necessary and effective.

Further Reading

The Master said, “For people of middle level or above, one can discuss higher topics; for people of middle level or below, one cannot discuss higher topics.”

— The Analects, chapter 6.21

Confucius said, “Those who are born with knowledge are the highest; those who learn to know are the next; those who learn when faced with difficulties are the next; those who face difficulties without learning, the common people are of the lowest sort.”

— The Analects, chapter 16.9

The Master said, “By nature, men are nearly alike; by practice, they get to be wide apart.”

— The Analects, chapter 17.2

These chapters collectively construct a complete logical system in Confucianism regarding innate endowment and later education. They all explore the relationship between innate human aptitude and later learning. Whether emphasizing that ordinary people share a similar nature and can be changed through later efforts (“nearly alike by nature, wide apart by practice”), setting out the unchangeable extreme exceptions (“only the most intelligent and the most stupid are not susceptible to change”), or categorizing people by cognitive ability (“born with knowledge,” “learn to know,” etc.), their core focus lies in emphasizing the importance of “education.” Confucius points out that, except for the very few who are naturally perfect or completely refuse enlightenment, the moral and intellectual achievements of the vast majority of people must rely on later learning and cultivation.

子曰：「唯上知與下愚不移。」