Confucius statue
Confucius founded the moral theory with benevolence as the core. He is also a kind person, compassionate, helpful, sincere and generous. "Don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you", "A gentleman is beautiful as an adult, but not evil as an adult", and "Give up who I am and do my best" are all his life principles. "I am determined to learn five out of ten, stand at thirty, not be confused at forty, know my destiny at fifty, listen to my ears at sixty, and do what I want at seventy, without exceeding the limit." This is Confucius' summary of all stages of his life.
Confucius' theory of benevolence embodies the humanistic spirit. Confucius' study of etiquette embodies the spirit of etiquette, that is, order and system in the modern sense. Humanism is the eternal theme of mankind, which is applicable to any society, any era and any government, and order and institutional society are the basic requirements for establishing a civilized human society. This humanitarianism and order spirit of Confucius is the essence of China's ancient social and political thought. [35]
Don't do to others what you don't want them to do to you —— Interpretation of "Benevolence" in Confucius' Analects of Confucius
Ji
Zan 4 1
Reading 9097
Political theory
The core content of Confucius' political thought is "courtesy" and "benevolence". In the general plan of governing the country, he advocated "governing the country by virtue", which is the noblest way to govern the country. This strategy of governing the country is also called "rule by virtue" or "rule by courtesy". This strategy applies morality and politeness to the people, strictly follows the hierarchical system, and divides nobles and civilians into rulers and ruled. Broke the original important boundary between nobles and civilians.
Confucius lived in Lu, which had a deep tradition of patriarchal clan system in the Western Zhou Dynasty. At this time, the ruling power of the Zhou Dynasty had existed in name only, and there were constant struggles among governors, resulting in the social reality of "losing the king, abolishing etiquette and righteousness, losing political power, and being at home in the world". "No monarch, no minister, no father and no son" became the characteristic of that era. The intensification of social contradictions has hindered the development of productive forces, and people's spirit and beliefs have also been destroyed as never before. These together constitute the historical origin and social conditions of Confucius' political thought, and "benevolence" and "courtesy" are the basic spirits of his political thought.
Confucius' highest political ideal is to establish a "world for the public" Datong society. The basic characteristics of "Datong" society are: the road is smooth, and "the world is public", so people can "choose their talents, talk about faith and friendship", and "people are not only close to their relatives, but also children, so that they can be provided for in the old age, be strong and useful, have their own strengths, be lonely and sick, and be provided for in the old age."
In the world of great harmony, people in the world love each other and all the people in the world, not only their families, but also their parents and children. Children can get warmth and care, lonely people and disabled people can rely on them, men have their own things, and women have a satisfactory home. Conspiracy and fraud are not prosperous, theft can not be provoked, roads can not be connected, households can not be closed at night, everyone stresses faith and practice, and talents can be selected. This is an idealized and legendary primitive social scene in the Yao and Shun era, and it is also the highest ideal society that Confucius yearned for.
The lower political goal advocated by Confucius is a well-off society. The basic characteristics of a well-off society are: the avenue is hidden, "the world is home", "each family, each son is for himself, and the goods are for himself". In line with this inequality between the rich and the poor, a series of laws, regulations and ethics have emerged, which are "sincere to the monarch, sincere to the father and son, harmonious to your brothers, and wise to be brave". Therefore, "the use is the work, and the soldiers start from this." This kind of society is obviously not as perfect as the "Great Harmony" world, but it has normal order, courtesy, benevolence, credibility and righteousness, so it is called a well-off society.