There is a basic difference between the Confucianism of Xun Zi and that of Confucius and Mencius. A very concrete example of this can be found in the theories of “Heaven” . Confucius and Mencius believed that “Heaven and Man are in harmony”, they believed in a mandate from heaven. “Exhaust your mind to know your nature. Knowing your nature leads to knowing heaven.” Xun Zi on the other hand believed “Heaven has its fixed motions it isn't affected by Yao's goodness nor Jie's wickedness.” From an epistemological angle, Confucius and Mencius harmonize the subject and object, considering knowledge to be an expansion of the inner self, not just the subject's pursuit of knowledge. This can be seen in the maxim “Study is not of the other, but is-a pursuit of the self.” Xun Zi is just the opposite; he recognizes both a subject and an object. The person is the subject of knowledge and beings (wu) the object of knowledge. Finally, on the subject of uman nature, Confucius and Mencius believe that it is basically good, so they propose an internal refinement. Xun Zi, conversely, contends that human nature is intrinsically evil; he thusly proposes transforming human nature from the outside through education.