459: Chapter 448: The Nature of Good and Evil 459: Chapter 448: The Nature of Good and Evil “This sentiment expresses that when children are young, they love their parents deeply, and as they grow up and go out into the world, they are very respectful towards their older siblings,” said Song Yun.
“Indeed, do you think this statement makes sense?” asked the old professor with a smile, his face blooming like a chrysanthemum.
“I find a flaw in what Mengzi said here.” Since all eyes were on him, Song Yun did not intend to bluff.
“Mengzi said that every child knows to love their parents.
Here, we could conduct an interesting experiment, which is to call a mother over to have her feed her biological child.”
“This experiment does not actually need to be specifically conducted, as we can observe it normally.
Most children tend to mess around in their mother’s arms while being fed, and even knock over the bowl.
I wonder if this phenomenon can be called love?”
“If that is not clear enough, we can also say this: a mother holds an apple, and the child, upon seeing it, will definitely reach out for it.
Even if the mother eats the apple, the child will pry her mouth open to take the apple out and eat it himself.
I wonder if this represents love?”
“As for showing respect to an elder brother, that is even less credible.
Let’s use the same scenario: while a child is enjoying delicious food in his mother’s arms, if his elder brother wants to share some, he will push his elder brother away, and may even hit him.
I wonder if this behavior is showing respect?”
“Therefore, the theory and statement itself have their flaws.
We can just laugh it off and not take it seriously.”
“You make a valid point.
Now let me ask you this, since the idea of innate goodness has been considered sensible since ancient times, why do you so firmly refute it?
Remember, what you just described is merely hypothetical,” the old professor said, smiling and stroking his beard.
“Actually, these thoughts are conclusions drawn by the Sect Hierarch, Master Li Zongwu, which I am simply elaborating on,” Song Yun humbly said.
“The Sect Hierarch has studied this issue deeply, and the principle is quite simple.”
“Human nature centers on oneself.
No matter how you look at it, people always consider themselves first.
I want to eat that apple, and so does my mother, so my mother and I are in conflict.
That’s why I pry open her mouth to take the apple.”
“My mother is the one who nurtures me—she feeds me daily and changes my diapers.
However, my brother tries to take my mother’s love away from me, so at that moment, my mother and brother are in opposition, which is why I try everything to make my brother leave.”
“When I grow up, my brother and I go out for fun.
When we meet a neighbor, because I share a blood relationship with my brother but not with the neighbor, I naturally choose my brother, thereby showing him respect.”
“Later on, when I leave my own area and go somewhere else, I come across neighbors who are opposed to those foreigners.
I then find the neighbors more likable.”
“Later on, when I go out to work in other provinces, I meet people from my province.
At that time, the people from my province are opposed to those from other provinces, so I feel better about my provincial people.
All these ideas serve only to confirm one truth—that everything is centered around myself.”
“Hehe, it turns out you’ve also studied Master Li Zongwu’s theories.
Good job,” the old professor, thoroughly satisfied, nodded in approval.
“In that case, I’ll continue based on this student’s discussion.”
“Here, we can create a distribution chart involving everyone.
I am at the center, slightly further away are my parents, further than my parents are my elder brothers, further than my elder brothers are the neighbors, further than the neighbors are the provincial people, and so forth.”
“From this, we can deduce a principle: the closer people are to me, the stronger the love and kinship, hence love and kinship are inversely proportional to distance.”
“Mengzi is looking outwards from ‘my’ position, so he sees that I love other people, thus naturally concluding that human nature is fundamentally good.
However, Xunzi sees it differently—he looks from the furthest layer inwards, thus he views ‘myself’ as selfish, caring only about my own feelings, and hence concludes that human nature is essentially bad.”
“Student, tell me what you think—is human nature fundamentally good or bad?”
After pondering the old professor’s question, Song Yun said, “I believe human nature is both evil and good.
We can blend good and evil together.
That is the true nature of humans; no one is born utterly pure.
Those good people may have done bad things when they were young, and those bad people may have been good when they were young.”
“Ultimately deciphering these distinctions rests upon ourselves.
Thus, we can only try to restrain ourselves to become good people.”
“Good, your thoughts match mine,” the old professor chuckled and nodded.
“Let’s conclude today’s class here.
There’s no point in continuing any further.
Student, come with me for a moment.”
“Wow, showing off your ‘Divine Skills’ in class again, huh?” Li Yueyue said teasingly to Song Yun, “Just arrived, and so many pretty girls are chasing you.
Now even this professor has taken a liking to you.
You’re really popular, huh?”
“I can’t help it.
I’m knowledgeable in both astronomy and geography,” Song Yun shrugged and said.
“Actually, I’m also very tired of always having to look good.”
“Go drop dead, always so narcissistic,” Li Yueyue said, rolling her eyes at Song Yun.
Song Yun left the classroom and followed the old professor to an office—a private one set up specifically for professors.
The old professor poured Song Yun a glass of water and said, “Take a seat.”
Song Yun sat upright on the sofa, staring straight ahead.
The old professor, seeing this, approved even more.
He pulled out a flat tin box from a drawer, opened it, and took out two cigarettes.
“Care for one?”
“I shall respectfully follow your lead,” Song Yun hadn’t had a cigarette all day and was feeling the itch.
Now was a good opportunity to enjoy one.
The old professor did not mind Song Yun accepting the cigarette; on the contrary, he found Song Yun to be genuine.
Smoking when you smoke, and not smoking when you don’t—none of that false pretense.
Claiming to be a non-smoker when you are a chain-smoker is the most deceitful.
“Huh, getting older now, the doctor tells me I need to quit smoking—what a joke, right?
I’ve been smoking all my life, how can I just quit?” The old professor squinted his eyes and deeply inhaled.
“But my wife keeps a tight rein at home, and I can’t just openly buy cigarettes.
I can only ask friends to bring some tobacco scraps, and then I roll my own.”