A radical thinker, Xunzi disagreed with Mencius on human nature. For him men are naturally evil. From this inverse assumption, he yet reached the same Mencian conclusion: moral education is paramount for society to function, and the ruler should be meritorious, protecting the people. This makes Xunzi a Confucianist, though Han Fei and Li Si, his students, were to subvert Confucian principles.


From Xunzi, Mingyuan Hu selects and translates three treatises, illustrating his argument.


This book is part of the Erstwhile Series.

Translated by: Mingyuan Hu