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from Part I - Two Ancient Traditions
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 July 2022
Chinese and Western classical thought began with the challenge of Confucius and Socrates to the way most people live their lives. They neglect what is “worthy.” They “undervalue the greater, and overvalue the rest.”
When asked why any life was worthy or of value, philosophers in both traditions said that normative standards are grounded in human nature. Yet if it is so, why do people neglect what is worthy and undervalue what is good? Why should human beings have any difficulty living the life that is natural to them? All human beings have desires and fears that are obstacles to living a good life. If these desires and fears also arise from human nature, they would seem to be part of that nature as much as inclinations toward good. Why would an evil life be any less human?
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