Self-Realization through Confucian Learning: A Contemporary Reconstruction of Xunzi’s Ethics by Siufu Tang (review)

Siufu Tang’s work highlights the contribution of one of the early Confucian philosophers, Xunzi (ca. 310–ca. 235 b.c.e., alt. ca. 314–ca. 217 b.c.e.), whose ideas tend to be overlooked in the classical canon dominated by Confucius (551–479 b.c.e.) and Mencius (372–289 b.c.e.; alt. 385–303/302 b.c.e.). The essence of Tang’s monograph argues that Xunzi’s position on moral philosophy is one whereby the goodness of one’s true nature (xing 性) is not innate—in contrast to Mencius and Confucius—and that Xunzi views xing predominantly as the “chaotic and destructive tendency of natural desires and feelings” (pp. 6–7), which would create anarchy if not educated and curtailed by human agency. That is, the true nature of humans, according to Xunzi, is not innately good, a converse view to Confucius and Mencius. As Tang argues, Xunzi claims self-cultivation (xiushen 修身)—the development of moral and human understanding, a key platform of Confucianism—is instrumental in the fundamental formation of xing toward moral development; human nature becomes good and not subject to unbridled desires. Tang focuses predominantly on this issue and expands his thesis by way of detailing Xunzi’s twofold approach to wei (偽) as human agency for self-cultivation; both aspects of wei are mutually informing. The first is reflection, evaluation, and judgment as it relates to xin (heart-and-mind 心); the second is the expression of normative behavior within the bounds of culture and tradition through ritual propriety. This twofold dynamic is played out solely in the external world.

Chapter 4 explores Xunzi’s ideas of ritual propriety (as is generally understood in Confucian thought) and its role in the development of xing toward the good by the deliberation and understanding of xin (heart-and-mind). “Neither Heaven (tian 天) nor our xing can be the source of normativity. Norms must be created through human artifice (wei 偽)” (p. 99). And human artifice—as normative behavior—informs xin, individually and collectively, therefore controlling anarchistic desires that are destructive for the person and society as a whole. According to Xunzi, this is the role of ritual propriety; normative behavior as a creation of humans (wei) informs xin, which in turn develops xing toward the good. The point being that when humans are born, their true nature (xing) has a tendency toward unbridled desires and wei inhibits and redirects these tendencies toward the moral good.

This succinct work will appeal to Chinese scholars with a primary interest in moral philosophy. The idea that xing is innately “bad” at birth with a natural disconnect to tian and to the dao (the Way 道) stands in contrast to both Confucius, Mencius, and Neo-Confucianism generally. As Xunzi says: “The Way is not the Way of Heaven nor the Way of Earth, it is the Way by which people are directed and that which the noble man [sage] is practicing” (p. 75). Tang explains that the dao—as Xunzi posits it—is solely a human creation exemplified by the sages whom others (should) emulate. The dao, in other words, appears to not be informed by tian or other mutable intangible metaphysical forces such as qi (life-force 气). In fact, tian in Xunzi’s worldview, is an immutable phenomenon: “Heaven [tian] is neutral on the rulership of the human world. Heaven might still be purposive, though it is simply not concerned with human welfare or sufferings” (p. 56). This is clearly a transcendent notion more in line with Western theology.

The major elegance (and modern relevance) of Confucianism is the fundamental seamless interrelated concepts of mutually informing inner-outer elements of human existence, namely, the mutability of intangible forces such as tian and the dao with one’s nature (xing) and heart-and-mind (xin) and, equally, humans’ collective ability...