The problems of Confucianism in the late warring states period and Xunzi's reconstruction of Confucianism

Abstract

This thesis aims to examine the problems Confucianism encountered in the late Warring States period and how Xunzi solved these problems and reconstructed Confucianism by incorporating other non-Confucian schools' teachings. This thesis examines the problems Confucianism encountered in terms of knowledge, human nature and politics. In the aspect of knowledge, Confucius' broad learning became unbalanced and incomplete in Mencius' teachings. In contrast, Xunzi argued for a broad learning and borrowed some terms from Zhuangzi to reconstruct the Confucian teachings about knowledge. In the aspect of human nature, Mencius' view that human xing is good is not plausible. Xunzi argued for the view that human xing is bad and pointed out the way of cultivating bad human xing to be good. In the aspect of politics, Mencius could not provide an effective approach for achieving good government. Xunzi argued for li associated with fa as the way for achieving good government.