Xunzi cover

Xunzi

by Xunzi

"Xunzi (c. 312 B.C. - ?) asserted that the original nature of man is evil, thus differing from Mencius, his famous predecessor in the Confucian school. However, Xunzi was optimistic that man's evil could be counteracted through study and moral training led by the example of virtuous rulers. Although he respected the military and economic accomplishments of the state of Qin, he condemned the harsh and terroristic methods that would later be championed by his student Han Feizi." "The Xunzi is written with a precision and elegance that was unrivaled in the ancient period, and was the most complete, well-ordered philosophical system of his day. Today's reader will find its ideas on leadership, education, and moral training surprisingly close to concerns of our own age."--BOOK JACKET.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?