ABSTRACT
Xunzi 荀子 (personal name Kuang 況) was a thinker living in the State of Zhao (the southern part of the present-day provinces of Hebei and Shanxi) in the Warring States Period, and probably within the years 298 to 238 BCE (Fung 1976[1948]:143). He was a Ruist; but contrary to Mengzi, who taught that humans are intrinsically good, Xunzi held the view that humans are intrinsically evil and have to learn to develop goodness, through the Way of rites (a loose translation of lĭ 禮, which includes not only rituals and ceremonies but also rules of conduct and mores). Xunzi believed that rites, including music, have a regulative effect on human behaviour, curbing what is disruptive in human desire and enabling nobles and commoners alike to find their place in society and live together as a unified, harmonious whole. The government should oversee the practice of rites, and if necessary use punishment to prevent transgression. Where there is the proper practice of rites (lì), there is morality. Xunzi's political views and his views on human nature were expressed in a number of essays that were subsequently collected in the book bearing his name — Xunzi.
