The two Chinese philosophical doctrines propose two opposite theories with regard to human nature: Mencius believes that human nature is inherently good whereas Xunzi argues that it is inherently bad. Both philosophers base their theories on the comparison they make between human beings and animals, trying to find the conditions for the superiority of man to animals.
             Both theories on human nature are incomplete, since they both start from the premise that human nature is either good or bad, therefore viewing the problem from a strictly moral perspective. The reason for this is presumably the fact that the two Chinese philosophers can not account differently for man's superiority to the other animal species, except by showing that man has a moral sense, or in other words, a sense of differentiating between good and evil.
             Thus, according to Mencius, human nature can be defined by means of two main concepts: "jen" and "yi", which have been translated as "humanity" and "justice" respectively. Both coordinates of his theory emphasize the fact that man is seen as a social being, and the moral characteristics that best define his nature are connected with man's attitude and behavior towards the other men in his society:
             "The words jen and yi, which I have translated "Humanity" and "Justice," 1 are the key tenets of Mencius' system. Humanity (jen) is the attribute of being a man (jen) 2 as a man at his best instinctively feels both he and others should be. It is the sympathy he has "naturally" for a fellow human being in trouble. It is a quality with which a man is born, but which he must "guard in the thoughts" and cultivate. Confucius used the word jen for a very nearly unattainable human perfection -- a quality almost transcendental -- which he would only attribute to the Divine Sages of antiquity. But to Mencius, "all men can be a Yao or a Shun" and the gentleman "who is a ...