Xunzi

It is this contrast that motivates most of Xunzi's discussions of tian, particularly in Book 17 of the Xunzi, which is largely devoted to the issue

Xunzi Robins, Dan 2007

Mohist political theory probably strongly influenced later Warring States political thinkers, such as the Confucian Xunzi and his two most famous students, the realpolitik theorist Han Fei and the statesman Li Si, political architect of China's first empire.

Mohism Fraser, Chris 2009

As Xunzi said, “Mozi was blinded by utility and did not know culture”

Mohism Fraser, Chris 2009

As this conception of communication as “connecting thoughts” suggests, the Mohists see language as enabling speakers to express their yi (thought, intention, point) (A92), a view shared by other early Chinese theories of language, including those of the Xunzi and The Annals of Lu Buwei.

Mohist Canons Fraser, Chris 2009

Xunzi, theoretical attention focuses on the issue of applying names or terms to things correctly, and not on the structure or truth of sentences.

Mohist Canons Fraser, Chris 2009

Their ideas were a crucial stimulus for Mencius, Xunzi, the Daoists, and the so-called “legalist” political thinkers, all of whom either borrowed Mohist ideas or developed their own views partly in reaction to them.

Mohism Fraser, Chris 2009

The contrast between Mencius and Xunzi exemplifies the contrast between a robust moral realism that has moral properties such as rightness existing independently of human invention and a constructivist position that makes moral properties dependent on human invention.

Chinese Ethics Wong, David 2008

Mencius and Xunzi, then, offer sophisticated theories that expand the range of possible ways of understanding moral knowledge, motivation, and the nature of morality itself.

Chinese Ethics Wong, David 2008

At times, Xunzi suggests that the intellect can override the desires arising from the natural emotions, but it remains unclear as to how self-regarding motivations can become a love of virtue and the rites simply because the intellect approves of them.

Chinese Ethics Wong, David 2008

While the Xunzi and the Daodejing both contain descriptions of the ideal sage ruler, Armstrong notes the difficulty of reconciling Laozi's spiritual ideas with political reality in China and elsewhere: "It is difficult to see how a sage who had reached this level of 'emptiness' would ever come to power, since he would be incapable of the calculation that was necessary to win office" [p. 414].

The Great Transformation by Karen Armstrong: Questions 2006