A Young Woman's Heart

Even Li Hongran, a student in Class 2, only had one or two days a week to play basketball with her classmates at noon.

—You know how much he loves basketball.

Eight desks and chairs were already placed on the spacious platform, facing each other.

Each table had signs indicating who the speaker was, from the first to the fourth.

Although I've participated in debate competitions before, I'm now in high school, and the difficulty is definitely different from before.

Moreover, the younger a person is, the more fearless and bold they are, while as they get older, they tend to become timid in various situations.

Perhaps the more you know, the more mistakes you fear you'll make.

……

(three)

"The first round of the preliminary competition consists of Class 2 of Senior Three and Class 7 of Senior Three." The referees are also sitting on the podium, while the judges are sitting on the football field below.

They didn't put on any airs, and the chairs they sat on were no different from those of the students.

The judges were the principal, vice principal, director of teaching affairs, and some older homeroom teachers.

The judge on the stage was Yao Gugu, a chemistry teacher with bright red hair and a smiling face.

“In religious stories, humans are born with original sin. When different civilizations collide and interact, wars are inevitable, and people may believe that the other side is inherently evil. Wang Yinglin summarized Mencius's thought, believing that human nature is inherently good at birth. However, as early as the Warring States period, Xunzi put forward a different view, believing that human nature is inherently evil at birth. Our debate topic today is the theory of inherent goodness versus inherent evil. Which one is correct?” Yao Gugu tossed her slightly curly long hair. “The affirmative side represents the theory of inherent goodness, and the negative side represents the theory of inherent evil. We will provide fifteen minutes of preparation time before the start of this debate. Each speech will not exceed three minutes. After each speaker finishes, the next speaker will not have more than five minutes to think before responding. One round will start with the first speaker for the affirmative side and end with the fourth speaker for both sides. If the judges unanimously vote that there is no winner, another round will be held.”

It feels like the first thing you see when you get a Chinese exam paper and see the essay requirements.

Mo Xueyao's brain started working at a rapid pace at this moment.

With little preparation time, you have to rely entirely on your knowledge and quick thinking.

There are paper and pens on the table where I can jot down my thoughts.

"Everyone can discuss with their own team and choose the order of the debate within fifteen minutes."

After saying this, Yao Gugu leisurely picked up her teacup and took a sip.

"Xiaoxue! What do you think? What should we do about the order?" Mo Xueyao felt most at ease at this moment because Mr. Xue was there.

“I’ll be the fourth speaker,” Mr. Xue said without hesitation, clearly having already made up his mind. “Xiao Yao, you’ll be the first speaker and give the opening remarks. Gao Yuan will be the second speaker, and Cha Li will be the third speaker.”

"Okay, whatever." Gao Yuan was extremely nervous, and her calves were trembling slightly.

The main problem is that he was completely unprepared and didn't seem to be good at this; he was essentially forced into it.

"Let's arrange it this way." Cha Li had no objections.

Mo Xueyao, of course, had none, so everyone sat down according to their seats.

"Xiaoxue, shouldn't we discuss how to articulate our viewpoints?"

"it is good."

After a full minute of silence, Mo Xueyao couldn't help but break the silence, asking, "Why aren't you saying anything?"

"You tell me."

"Hey, Xiaoxue, you should think of it. After all, you're the best here."

“There’s too much to explain in detail, it’s not easy to remember.” Mr. Xue smacked his lips, which were covered in lard, no, lipstick. “I’ll just improvise.”

"Tea...where is it?"

"If we believe in the inherent evil of human nature, then we should start from the evil that humans are born with."

"Humans are animals too, and the instinct of animals is to survive. Survival means plundering the resources of others..." Mo Xueyao's thoughts were racing.

Gao Yuan gave a thumbs up with admiration: "Yeah, I think ours is pretty easy to argue?"

Mo Xueyao lacked confidence: "Who knows what moves they'll make..."

Mr. Xue licked his lips again and smiled faintly: "Xunzi's theory of the evil nature of human nature does not completely overturn Mencius's statement, and in his theory of the evil nature of human nature, ** belongs to innate temperament and is not considered 'evil'."

"Huh? It's that complicated? What kind of evil is he talking about?" Mo Xueyao anxiously covered her forehead. "I always thought that inherent evil was this kind of evil..."

Simply put, Xunzi believed that humans themselves are devoid of benevolence, righteousness, and morality.

"It's not quite the same as the theory of inherent evil that we imagined." Cha Li also truly realized this view for the first time.

Most people only recognize the name, but very few have actually studied it.

Therefore, there are many who advocate the theory of inherent goodness, and few who advocate the theory of inherent evil.

Perhaps people believe that if we think human nature is inherently evil, then it means that it's perfectly acceptable for people to do bad things...

Although the reasons behind it are not so simple, people's thoughts are mostly superficial.

Mo Xueyao quickly raised her hand: "Teacher Yao!"

"Is there anything you want to ask?" Yao Gugu always had a smiling face, although that smile always gave off a slightly malicious feeling...

"Do we have to share the same views as Xunzi?"

“Explain your own theory of the inherent evil of human nature, as long as the other side can't refute it.” Yao Gugu blinked her right eye. “Debate is never about determining right or wrong, it's just about determining who wins and who loses.”

Mr. Xue agreed with her statement and nodded slightly: "Debate is never a court of justice."

“The lawyers probably think the same way…” Mo Xueyao pursed her lips.

……

Chapter 88 The Theory of Human Evil

The midday wind still carried a hint of autumn's crispness.

But those bare branches still tell the world that winter has arrived.

The flagpole's shadow was slightly slanted, and the sunlight was half-obscured by the misty clouds.

Fifteen minutes passed quickly. Class 7's discussion was intense, while Class 2 seemed rather calm.

It looked as if they had everything under control.

In reality, they probably all plan to use Mr. Xue's method of improvisation...

It was just a brief listing of their own central arguments.

"Fifteen minutes are up. Now, please let the first speaker from the affirmative side make their statement."

The first debater from Class 7 was also a girl. There was a piece of paper with many words written on it on her desk. She had just been memorizing it for a while, and her preparation was much more thorough than Mo Xueyao's.

However, there's no way around it; compared to the affirmative side taking the initiative in attacking, the negative side is usually in a defensive and counter-attacking position, and the real attack depends on the last two debaters.

The other party stood up abruptly, glanced at Mo Xueyao and her group, then quickly looked down at the words written on the paper before raising their head again and saying, "Our side represents the theory of the inherent goodness of human nature. Our argument is that human nature is inherently good. Mencius believed that it is human nature to do good, and if a person does not do good, then it is against their nature."

Mo Xueyao, the first speaker, listened intently. With her experience, she was quickly looking for loopholes in the other speaker's words.

However, in reality, the other party's skill level seemed to be much lower than she had imagined:

Mencius said that compassion, shame, respect, and the ability to distinguish right from wrong are all innate qualities of human beings. Kindness is universal; otherwise, people would not be able to help each other, and society would not be able to truly be established. Some solitary animals are inherently evil and enjoy fighting and killing. If humans are selfish, they will certainly live alone like those animals. Therefore, we believe that kindness is an innate quality that humans are born with.

After she finished speaking, she sat down with a confident air.

There were no major setbacks, only slight pauses at most, but the performance was already quite good.

Her voice, transmitted through the microphone and connected to the speakers, could reach every corner of the playground.

Many students who were too lazy to go downstairs leaned against the railing next to the playground in the corridor to watch the excitement so they could hear more clearly.

Another gust of wind blew by, and a few thin pine needles rustled down from the pine tree.

Exams are time-limited and require quick reflexes.

Mo Xueyao's thinking is actually very quick, but her knowledge may not be as broad as Mr. Xue's.

But while listening, she had already noticed the flaws in the other person's words, so she only spent a minute organizing her thoughts before standing up abruptly.

Debate is never just about refuting viewpoints; to win, you also need to psychologically damage your opponent.

Therefore, momentum is very important.

Mo Xueyao's voice was noticeably louder than the girl's from before.

"When the first speaker for the affirmative side made his opening statement, he only stated Mencius's views without providing any factual evidence. But does that mean that what Mencius said is necessarily correct? Mencius's words are not universal truths. Using his words as evidence is as unrealistic as claiming that you have a hundred dollars when you don't actually have any in your pocket."

The opposing team's first speaker looked unpleasant and wanted to retort, but Yao Gugu, who was already prepared, made a shushing gesture to her.

It is a sign of good manners not to interrupt when the other person is speaking. Also, the rules do not allow the first speaker to speak again before the end of a round.

So she could only sulk in silence.

"Of course, the opposing team's first speaker did present some evidence, but people help each other not out of kindness, but because it maximizes their own interests. If humans didn't have such high intelligence and couldn't see the long-term development of things, they would be like animals, living alone and fighting with their own kind." Mo Xueyao's speech gradually quickened, her thoughts racing, and she even felt that her speech couldn't keep up with her thoughts. "If human nature is inherently good, then there would be no evil in humans. The first person born was good, the second was good, and so on. Everyone should be good, society wouldn't need laws, and no one would oppress others to make them evil. But reality is exactly the opposite, so our side insists that human nature is inherently evil. Thank you!"

Mo Xueyao nodded and sat down. Gao Yuan gave her a thumbs-up with both hands: "Damn, awesome!"

"Don't be afraid, you can do it later."

"I'll try my best... I've never debated before..." Gao Yuan was still nervous, but with Mo Xueyao's demonstration, he became more excited.

Because the opponent isn't that difficult to defeat.

Just treat it like a casual discussion with friends.

After a brief exchange, both sides started to get into the zone.

The opposing second speaker didn't hesitate for long before standing up.

The first and second-year high school students gathered around to watch the excitement, and they themselves started arguing with their classmates. Some even had veins bulging and faces red, making it much more intense than the debate on stage.

"Human nature is inherently good, but different experiences can lead to changes in temperament. When there are many people, society becomes complex. Once it becomes complex, some people are forced by their environment to accept that the people around them are not evil, but animals are not necessarily good, and nature is not necessarily good." As he said this, he seemed to doubt himself a little, and his words sounded somewhat forced. The imposing manner that had made him so confident in arguing with Mo Xueyao vanished instantly. "The existence of laws is to prevent us from becoming evil, to help us retain our goodness. Therefore, human nature is inherently good, and all evil is acquired. Thank you."

Gao Yuan was overjoyed.

He felt that this guy wasn't even at Liu Xiaowei's level.

You know, he often argues with Liu Xiaowei, and that guy's specialty is sophistry. Even if you feel something is wrong, you just can't think of a rebuttal for a while.

But this wasn't sophistry at all; it was just a clumsy excuse.

Sophistry is so low-level!

So as soon as the other person sat down, he stood up abruptly without even thinking.