Desires and ritual — Social cohesion as a way of life in Xunzi

The present study examines the significance of the interplay between desires
(yu 欲) and ritual (li 禮) in achieving social cohesion as a cultivated way of
life, as proposed by Xunzi. The guiding premise is that Xunzi does not advocate
the eradication of desires and emotions (qing 情), but rather, through their
regulation and transformation via ritual and music (yue 樂), employs them as
a means of fostering social cohesion – an essential environment for human fulfilment.
Xunzi bases his programme on a candid assessment of human nature,
but, despite existing prejudice, his view of human beings is neither ethically
pessimistic nor psychologically nihilistic. Instead, he presents a naturalistic
vision in which natural instincts, which, if left unchecked, lead to competition
and disorder, are not to be eradicated but properly managed through ritual and
moral education. Thus, Xunzi’s philosophy offers a pragmatic Confucianism,
uniting a realistic anthropology with the normative goal of social cohesion.