The Philosophy of Xunzi sheds light on the teachings of a disciplined thinker who contradicted conventional schools of Confucian thought. Living in a time of great instability and discord, Xunzi came to believe that man’s desires, if left unchecked, would lead to ruin, and so advocated a system of strict societal controls. His best-known disciple took a more extreme stance, likely coloring history’s view of Xunzi. This new examination of his complex, sometimes harsh ideas, uncovers a deeper humanity and a restrained optimism in his writings, giving them new relevance for present-day Confucians and Western thinkers.
Philosophers of the Warring States is an anthology of new translations of essential readings from the classic texts of early Chinese philosophy. It includes the Analects of Confucius, Meng Zi (Mencius
