This analogy can also be vice versa, a petty man can become a gentleman and a gentleman can also become a petty man Austin, Page 106. The main reason they do not change places is because neither of them desires to become the other. This shows that although a person may desire to become something else it might not be possible for them to actually do it. According to Mencius arguments then this point does not exist at all. Considering that all human beings are born good and it is only the external forces which drive them to do evil. Then it can be misunderstood that the petty man was a gentleman, but due to external forces he became a petty man. If this was true then what is the use of sage in both their philosophies? They both acknowledge the fact that sage are required to teach people the right way, but in Mencius arguments sages serve no purpose.

Conclusion

Human nature should always be good, and that is why these philosophers are insisting that people either need to be taught, or they are naturally good and all they need is articulation of things. Teaching people the rituals they need to follow will ensure that they are obedient to their elders, they are virtuous people, and they put the needs of other before theirs. This is the how a person will be able to lead a good life. A person who is taught rituals will endeavor to live their life according to these rituals. If they had not been taught to them then the person would not know about them, and they would lead an evil life. As Plato stated, the androgynous creatures desired to be like god, and that is why it would run in circles. The creature had desire to become something that it knew nothing about. This desire was seen as a threat by the greek gods, and that was the reason they had to separate the creature. The separation resulted in two distinct life...

The desire to love each other was inherent in the people, they were not taught, but they possessed the power to love one another. This shows that human nature needs to be cultivated in order for them be good and love each other. The creatures loved each other because they felt the separation. Before the separation they did not care for each other and that is why the creature would run in circles in different directions. The separation was the god's way of teaching the people how to love and be good.
References

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