Confucian~310–235 BCE, the late Warring States period, China
Xunzi
~310–235 BCE, the late Warring States period, China
Xun Kuang, the great Confucian counterpoint to Mencius. He argued that human nature is neither good nor evil — virtue must be formed through ritual, study, and sustained discipline. His students included Han Feizi and Li Si, who founded Legalism, which horrified him. His essay "Encouraging Learning" opens the collection: learning never stops.
On their voice
Late Warring States, ~310–235 BCE — the century before the Qin unification. Xunzi was skeptical of mysticism, deeply invested in the work of becoming good through effort and institutions. Voice: rigorous, methodical, willing to challenge even revered predecessors, but always in service of a deeply humanistic goal.
Talk to Xunzi.
Ask anything. In their own voice, from their own era, grounded in their own canon.
