Being Like Powell and Comey, Rather Than Being Thanked
“At birth, people are fundamentally good. In nature we are similar; through habit we grow apart.“
Cammy says, “If they had been born into different families (such as not wealthy), they would have been lovely.” Her dad nods in comprehension.
But how could I be seeing at the age of 56 my first two cases now? Think Trump against Powell, Comey. “I want to get rid of you” because of your work versus “I thank you” for your work. Think teachers in the United States.
And if I were a conscientious business owner with a homeless person sleeping near my store’s doorway, my frustrations would be different and more serious.
Q: My dad said that, in Taiwan 70-80 years ago, all students learned that Confucius said that all people are born good. There were 3 things that Confucius said?
Your dad is almost certainly remembering the opening lines of the 三字經 (Sānzìjīng, Three Character Classic), which every schoolchild in Taiwan memorized:
人之初，性本善。性相近，習相遠。 "At birth, people are fundamentally good. In nature we are similar; through habit we grow apart."
The first three precepts are:
人之初，性本善 — All people are born good
性相近 — Our natures are similar
習相遠 — Our habits/environments make us different
The Three Character Classic is traditionally attributed to the Confucian tradition, which is why your dad would associate it with Confucius — but it was actually written during the Song Dynasty (traditionally attributed to Wang Yinglin, 13th century). It was the standard first text for schoolchildren across China and Taiwan for centuries, so your dad's memory of it as foundational childhood learning makes perfect sense.
Q: Is there anything else particularly interesting about the Three Character Classic that I should know?
A few things worth knowing:
Structure: Every line is three characters — designed to be memorized by young children. It covers ethics, history, astronomy, and classic texts all in one compact poem. Think of it as a Confucian civilization-in-miniature.
Scope: It moves from human nature → family relationships → the five classics → Chinese dynastic history. Remarkably encyclopedic for something children chanted by rote.
Longevity: Used continuously from the Song Dynasty through the Republic of China era — roughly 700 years as a standard primer. Your dad's generation in Taiwan may have been among the last to learn it as a core school text before curricula modernized.
Mao banned it: In the PRC it was suppressed as feudal. It has since been rehabilitated and is now taught again in mainland China, which is itself an interesting political arc.
The irony your dad's memory illustrates: Because it was so deeply embedded in Confucian education, generations of people naturally attributed its ideas directly to Confucius. The Three Character Classic essentially became Confucius in popular memory, even though Mencius is the actual source of 性本善, and the text itself is Song Dynasty.
That last point is probably the most interesting thing to bring back to your dad.
Q: So who wrote it, Wang Yinglin or Mencius?
Two different questions:
Wang Yinglin (13th century, Song Dynasty) is the traditional attribution for writing the Three Character Classic as a text.
Mencius (4th century BC) is the source of the idea that human nature is innately good (性本善) — Wang Yinglin drew on Mencius's philosophy when writing it.
So Wang Yinglin wrote the Classic; Mencius supplied the core idea. Think of it as Wang Yinglin curating and packaging centuries of Confucian thought — with Mencius as one of his primary sources.
Q: What is considered Confucian thought when an idea didn't come directly from Confucius?
Good question. "Confucian thought" is an umbrella term for a tradition, not just the direct teachings of Confucius himself. A few ways to think about it:
The core texts: Confucius is associated with the Analects (his actual recorded sayings). But the broader Confucian canon — the Four Books and Five Classics — includes Mencius, the Great Learning, and the Doctrine of the Mean, none of which are by Confucius directly.
Mencius as orthodox: Mencius is considered the most important interpreter of Confucius, so much so that he's called the "Second Sage." His ideas — including 性本善 — are treated as canonical Confucianism even though Confucius never said them.
The tradition vs. the man: "Confucian" works similarly to how we use "Aristotelian" or "Marxist" — it names an intellectual lineage and set of values, not just one person's output. Scholars who built on, systematized, or debated Confucius's ideas over centuries are all considered part of the tradition.
Neo-Confucianism: Song Dynasty thinkers (exactly when the Three Character Classic was written) actually significantly reshaped Confucian thought by incorporating Buddhist and Daoist influences — yet it's still called Confucianism.
So the honest answer is that "Confucian" is partly a historical brand. Useful, but loose.
Q: Please check for accuracy and bold claims.
Going through it claim by claim:
