First, the pursuit of the realm of life
China's traditional philosophy's pursuit of the realm of life can also be said to be the pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty by ancient philosophers in China.
The thoughts of China's pre-Qin philosophers have always influenced the development of China's philosophy, among which the thoughts of Confucius, Laozi and Zhuangzi have the greatest influence. If we take these three great philosophers as typical examples and discuss the life realm of different types of philosophers in China's traditional philosophy through them, we can have a general understanding of the life realm of China's traditional philosophy.
( 1)
Confucius' pursuit of the realm of life
In The Analects of Confucius? A passage of Confucius was recorded in the article "The Ruler". He said: "I am determined to learn at five out of ten, stand at thirty, be puzzled at forty, know my destiny at fifty, be obedient at sixty, and be obedient at seventy." Confucius and later Confucianism believed that people's life and death and wealth can not be achieved by their own efforts, but their morality and knowledge are different because of their own efforts. From "five out of ten are determined to learn" to "forty are not confused", it can be said that it is the preparatory stage for him to become a saint, and from "knowing his destiny" to "following his heart without overstepping the bounds" can be said that it is the deepening process for him to become a saint. "Knowing destiny" can be interpreted as knowing about "heaven" (the ultimate concern of the universe and life), which may be regarded as the category of "seeking truth", because Confucius still regards "heaven" as the object of understanding at this stage, and has not yet reached the stage of "being in harmony with heaven", that is to say, it has not yet reached the realm of integration with "heaven". Although this realm is high, it cannot be "arbitrary".
"Sixty is obedient": "At the age of sixty, after listening to others' words, you can distinguish between true and false and judge right and wrong", which is a kind of transcendence.
"Seventy without overstepping the bounds" Do what you want, do what you want, be safe and not forced. This is a realm that is integrated with everything in the world, and it is a perfect realm after "knowing the truth" and "getting beauty".
Confucius' thoughts of "knowing the destiny", "listening to the ear" and "going without exceeding the moment" are all about the pursuit of the realm of life and Confucius' summary of his pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty.
(B) Lao Zi's pursuit of the realm of life
What Laozi pursues is a kind of truth, goodness and beauty that transcends the secular world, that is, the so-called "kindred spirit" realm. Laozi believes that Tao is the unity of truth, goodness and beauty. In Tao Te Ching, he said: "Man should be anywhere, the earth should follow the sky, the sky should follow the Tao, and the Tao should be natural." . This can be said to be Laozi's description of the pursuit of life realm. He believes that the highest ideal of human beings is to imitate "Tao", and "Tao" is nature. The most basic meaning of "Tao" he said should refer to the highest criterion of transcendence. Tao has many meanings in Tao Te Ching: (1) "Tao" is outside the sensory experience, and "colorless", "silent" and "invisible" are all used to explain "Tao" (2) Although "Tao" is transcendental, it is the basis for the existence of the most real things; (3) Tao, as the foundation of all things, is said to be the highest criterion of transcendence. From the above three points, it can be explained that Laozi's philosophy is to explore the origin and basis of the existence of all things in the world, thus establishing a philosophical system with "Tao" as the highest transcendence standard. Laozi's discussion of the universe itself is really to explore the scope of the ultimate "truth".
Laozi regards "Tao" as the highest category of his philosophical system. Man has mastered "Tao", that is, he has mastered "reason", which is the purpose of life. Therefore, Laozi regards "getting the Tao" as the highest pursuit of life. He said, "Those who are engaged in the Tao are also in the Tao." Laozi believes that the relationship between man and Tao is not the object of general understanding (because Tao is nameless and intangible), but the ontology of Tao, that is, the unity with Tao, so "being in harmony with Tao" is only a very high realm of life, a realm of "gaining Tao" beyond the secular. This is the highest realm that Lao Tzu pursues.
So what does Laozi think of "goodness" and "beauty"? Because the basic feature of Laozi's Tao is natural inaction, he also regards natural inaction as the standard of goodness and beauty.
(C) Zhuangzi's pursuit of the realm of life
Zhuangzi's philosophy mainly demonstrates the spiritual infinity, absoluteness and eternity of those who have learned the Tao (such as the Supreme, the God-man and the Saint).
The theme of Zhuangzi's Happy Travel is to explore how people achieve absolute spiritual freedom. The realm of Zhuangzi's "forgetting" is the realm of "no self" or "losing me".
In Zhuangzi's philosophy, the relationship between "truth" and "beauty" is also discussed. The so-called "anti-truth" in Autumn Water is to return to the original state of nature. Zhuangzi advocates that "law is more important than reason" and opposes all "man-made" that goes against nature. In Zhuangzi's philosophy, "truth" and "beauty" are consistent, and "truth" must conform to the feelings of life. Zhuangzi's "seeking truth" is also for "seeking beauty". Without beauty, there is no truth. "Seeking truth" is the spiritual realm of pursuing freedom.
Zhuangzi rarely affirmed morality; He tends to be anti-moral. Zhuangzi believes that the realization of individual personality freedom is not only "great beauty", but also the highest "virtue" and the highest "goodness". Zhuangzi's goodness is contained in his highest beauty.
In Zhuangzi's philosophy, "truth", "goodness" and "beauty" are unified in the aesthetic realm of spiritual freedom. On the issue of truth, goodness and beauty, Zhuangzi's philosophy is different from Laozi's. He regards beauty as the highest.
The three different life realms pursued by Confucius, Laozi and Zhuangzi are three different value philosophies, which show three different value orientations. Any valuable philosophical system always pursues the unity of truth, goodness and beauty, but how to achieve unity and the process of achieving unity are different. From the perspective of human development, we don't have to seek common ground. In our pre-Qin era, philosophy is rich and colorful because of its diversified value orientation. Philosophers at that time could discuss the ultimate concern of the universe from a very broad field, which made our philosophy not inferior to other places in the world at that time (Greece, India, etc. It is precisely because it is "pluralistic" rather than "unitary" that it can explore the universe from different paths. The development of China's pre-Qin philosophy is of practical significance today, one of which is its "diversity". Diversification of philosophy can fully develop philosophy, and "unification" will eventually kill the vitality of philosophy. "Diversification" is not only significant to the development of culture and philosophy, but also provides us with different types of philosophical systems and different pursuit orientations of life value. It can also explain our concern and understanding of the meanings of "truth", "goodness" and "beauty" today.
Second, Confucian philosophy.
(A) Confucian emotional philosophy
Confucian philosophy is a philosophy about human beings, and it is a knowledge to explore human existence, its significance and value. However, it is necessary to discuss the existence and significance of people without emotion, which is also the reason why Confucianism attaches importance to emotional problems. The so-called "concern" is to put emotion in the important position or even the central position of human survival problems. Without it, we can't discuss human problems. In other words, for human existence, emotion has a basic nature, and emotion is the most basic way of human existence. It is in this sense that we call Confucian philosophy emotional philosophy or emotional philosophy. This is an important tradition of Confucianism.
China's Confucian philosophy not only affirmed the important role of emotion (especially moral emotion), but also sought the unity of emotion and reason instead of opposition, thus establishing the universal virtue ethics and the theory of "concrete reason".
As the founder of Confucianism, Confucius paid special attention to people's "true feelings" and thought that this was the most authentic existence of people. The so-called "true feelings" are the most primitive and authentic natural feelings from the heart; The so-called "true feeling" is the true self-perception and feeling that comes from the existence of life itself without any illusion. This is a theory of the unity of spirit and flesh, which is different from the dualism of spirit and flesh. "True feelings" are inherent in people, unique to people, the most primitive and the most valuable, and the value and significance of people's existence come from this.
The Confucian theory of affection begins with "affection" and the most important thing is "filial piety". Filial piety is considered as a family ethics, but it is first and foremost an emotional issue. "Filial piety is the foundation of benevolence", which shows that filial piety is the basis of realizing human's highest value-benevolence.
Confucianism admits that people and animals are "very similar" in affection, which is a continuation of people and animals, but it may not harm people's dignity. For people, natural emotion is both primitive and purposeful, which determines the purpose of life. The study of "settling down and living" is to achieve "security", but it is also a very high realm.
It is very interesting to understand filial piety from the meaning of existence and its value. Confucius' theory that "the father hides for the son, and the son hides for the father, straight in it" is a good example. Confucius chose this "fact" itself to illustrate the authenticity and importance of emotion, which is the most authentic existence of human beings.
Here also leads to another problem, the relationship between emotion and law. But these are actually two problems. Love is a problem of human existence, and law is a problem of institutional society. As a social person, of course, we have to face the problem of "rule by law" or "rule by courtesy". But as an individual, there is a problem of existence mode and its value choice. When emotion conflicts with law, individuals have the freedom to choose, and Confucius' choice is responsible. This is what Zhu said, and it should be. Confucian philosophy is the study of "justice and human feelings". It is a fact that Confucianism advocates "rule by courtesy" and fails to establish democracy and the rule of law. But the problem here is a question of "free choice", and we can't simply draw the conclusion that Confucius opposes the rule of law.
If Confucius didn't directly talk about the conflict between emotion and law, then Mencius' Stealing and Escaping directly raised and clearly answered this question. Under the circumstances mentioned by Confucius, father and son can hide from each other; Take Mencius as an example, you can give up your supreme power without hesitation to realize your personal wishes and enjoy the fun of life. Mencius did not deny the rationality of the law, let alone use power to suppress the law. Of course, there is no question of "bending the law".
Filial piety means loving parents, but it doesn't stop there. Just a growing point, a "starting point". It will continue to grow and develop, and eventually it will realize benevolence. There are many references to filial piety in Guodian bamboo slips, such as "The Way of Tang Yu": "The way of filial piety is to love the world", "Five Elements": "Love your father, love others", "Love your relatives, love others" and so on. Filial piety has developed from a so-called "personal emotion" to a universal human emotion. In Confucianism's view, this is an inherent necessity, which embodies the unity of existence and value.
(B) Confucian moral hierarchy theory
Confucian ethics is profound and has a long history, and it is our precious spiritual wealth. Confucian ethical culture is the mainstream ethical culture in China for more than 2,000 years, which has exerted great influence on China and neighboring countries.
Confucianism believes that people's moral realm is also hierarchical. The meaning of life is different, and the realm of life is different. Mr. Feng Youlan divides the moral realm of life into four levels from low to high: natural realm, utilitarian realm, moral realm and heaven and earth realm. The division of fields indicates a development.
The lowest is the natural realm. This kind of person doesn't understand, or doesn't understand very well, and what he does is meaningless or of little significance to him. Upward is a practical field. This kind of person realizes the utilitarian meaning, that is, the meaning of self-interest. This kind of person only thinks of himself, and he does everything out of selfish motives. Further up is the moral field. This kind of person has the whole society in his heart, realizes the significance of morality and works for the interests of society consciously. He is a truly moral man and a saint. The highest is the realm of heaven and earth, also called the realm of philosophy. This kind of person has a bigger whole in his mind, realizes the interests of the universe and consciously works for the interests of the universe. In this way, like the universe, he has super moral value and is called a saint, reaching the highest achievement of mankind.
The first two realms are the products of nature, while the latter two realms are the creation of spirit. The natural realm and the utilitarian realm are not bad. At most, doing things is meaningless to him, or only utilitarian. The task of philosophy is to make people realize, improve their spiritual realm, help people reach the moral realm, the realm of heaven and earth, and become sages and saints. Whether it is the natural realm, the utilitarian realm or the moral realm, although there are different levels and differences, they all have one thing in common: they are all restricted and bound by external things. People in the natural realm are restricted by instinct, people in the utilitarian realm are restricted by desire to pursue their own interests, and people in the moral realm pursue interests for others and society. Although it has improved in scope and level, it is still restricted by moral utilitarianism, and the realm of heaven and earth is super-moral, so it can be concluded that the realm of heaven and earth is beyond all utilitarian constraints. The three basic questions of philosophy are: Who am I? Where is the land I come from? where am I going? Its original meaning is to explore people's inner world and ask the meaning of life. This is the realm of philosophy and the realm of heaven and earth-exploring the mysterious world inside and outside human beings. The so-called "people with moral realm and heaven and earth realm are the people who people want to be" means that we should aim at becoming sages, constantly improve our spiritual realm and become people with moral realm and heaven and earth realm. People have not only the requirements of material life, but also the requirements of spiritual life. People have the desire to surpass the world. People who live in the realm of heaven and earth have reached the highest spiritual realm, and life has the highest meaning. Life is high, he does things better than others and is more beneficial to society and the universe.
Here we can see the influence of Confucian concept of justice and benefit. The relationship between righteousness and benefit is worth studying. The core of socialist morality is to serve the people, and the principle of socialist morality is collectivism. In socialist society, national interests, collective interests and individual interests are basically the same, and collectivism is an important principle to adjust their relationship. Righteousness, in the final analysis, is the principle of correctly handling various interests. Individual interests are subordinate to collective interests, local interests are subordinate to overall interests, and current interests are subordinate to long-term interests. And this kind of obedience is the requirement when two kinds of interests conflict. It is also just to combine individual interests with national interests and collective interests when their interests are consistent.
Confucian ethics is a valuable resource for our moral construction today, which has many inspirations for us.
One of the inspirations is the reflection on moral education and ethical theory research. For example, everyone is required to go private for the sake of public interests, be "selfless", be idealistic and have high standards, break away from people's current level of consciousness and go straight to high-level ethics. Although the subjective desire is good, the objective effect is not good, which often backfires.
The second revelation is the hierarchy theory of moral norms. Confucian masters believe that moral norms have their hierarchical structure. People's ideological levels are not uniform, and there are different levels. The hierarchical structure of ethical norms helps people gradually improve their moral sentiments and moral realm. In other words, step by step, encourage people to be positive. This hierarchical system completely conforms to the internal essence of objective things, the law of human cognition and the requirements of human nature.
The third revelation, Confucian moral personality, also has different levels. Moral personality here is different from personality in psychology, that is, the sum of individual psychological and behavioral characteristics. It refers to the ideal individual moral standard designed by some ethics. The moral personality here mainly refers to villains, gentlemen, sages and saints.
This provides a step-by-step way for being a man, and has never stopped pursuing noble personality.
The fourth revelation, moral behavior, means practicing and practicing moral requirements. Moral behavior is hierarchical: "When you are filial, you will be filial and people will do small things." . Up and down, nice people. People who follow the Tao, not the monarch, the righteousness and the father are also great. "
The fifth revelation, from the perspective of personality, is, first, to be a law-abiding person. Second, be kind, that is, be moral. Third, be a virtuous person, know the general situation, take care of the overall situation and be honest. Be good at caring for others, helping others and making efforts to contribute to society.
Only one, two or three of them can inspire us to reflect on the improper moral education in the past. Learning the fine traditions and scientific methods of Confucian ethics and culture with an open mind is very important to improve our theoretical level.
Thirdly, the truth realm and "ontology" of China's philosophy,
The realm of truth pursued by China's philosophy refers to life or the "true meaning" of life, which is not obtained from the understanding of the object, but from the experience and intuitive understanding. As Confucius said, "true feelings" contain the truth of life. Zhuangzi's "true knowledge" is the truth possessed by "real people". The "truthfulness" and "truthfulness" mentioned by Zen Buddhism are the highest truths of Buddhism, but they can only be obtained by "seeing nature clearly". In a word, the "truth" in China's philosophy is neither the truth of logic nor the truth of empirical knowledge, but the truth of the existence of life.
China's philosophy also stresses "ontology", but it is quite different from western philosophy. The noumenon in western philosophy is entity. This is the last promise of philosophy. Ontology mentioned in China's philosophy is also a promise, but it is not an entity, but an original existence or a potential existence, a possibility of creation and development, and its realization depends on function. This is China's philosophy of "body and use". Talk about the relationship between ontology and function, and finally lead to the relationship between ontology and kung fu. There is no effect without ontology, and there is no ontology without effect. In other words, there is no kung fu without ontology, and there is no ontology without kung fu. The realization of ontology ultimately depends on kung fu, and its role lies in kung fu. In other words, ontology (Heaven) needs people to realize. This is a process, and its way of existence is the realm. It is necessary for people to realize the existence of ontology as a realm. The function of heaven (noumenon) needs people to replace it, which not only refers to "behavior", but also includes the realm. This is China's theory of "inner sainthood". We should not only do it, but also really work hard and practice to accomplish this mission. In this sense, the realm of ontology is the realm of kung fu.
Fourthly, China's traditional theory of the relationship between man and nature and sustainable development.
Most ancient thinkers in China took a holistic position on the relationship between man and nature, and regarded man and nature as an inseparable whole, that is, the so-called concept of "the unity of man and nature". China's dominant world outlook in ancient times was based on this concept.
The idea of harmony between man and nature originated from Confucius and developed from Mencius. Confucianism first put forward the concept of harmony between man and nature, which was intended to give universal significance to the basic moral principles of human society.
The pioneer of China's cosmology is Lao Zi. Laozi believes that Tao is the fundamental law that runs through nature and human society. In other words, although man and nature can be separated, they are fundamentally integrated.
This idea is more clearly expressed in the Confucian classic Zhouyi. Zhouyi holds that everything in the world is formed by the interaction of yin and yang and gossip, so it is unified. The Book of Changes emphasizes mastering the sixty-four hexagrams by means of no talent, no land and no one. The unity of heaven and earth is the order and law of nature, and humanity is the code of conduct of human society. In the Book of Changes, the two constitute an organic whole, and nature and human society blend with each other.
The concept of harmony between man and nature does not deny the respective provisions of nature and man, but only emphasizes the mutual connection between them, and tends to discuss their respective attributes on the premise of mutual tolerance. Under the concept of harmony between man and nature, China's philosophy has surpassed the western dichotomy of subject and object in many aspects in expounding the value of nature, man's position in the world and man's rights and obligations to nature. These aspects are the most active parts of China's traditional thought for contemporary sustainable development.
China's ancient philosophy not only affirmed the intrinsic value of nature, but also clearly recognized the important position of human beings in the world.
Laozi clearly pointed out that man has a prominent position in the world.
Affirming the intrinsic value of nature is actually affirming the rationality of the existence of nature itself; To confirm the preeminence of human beings in the world, we must also recognize the legitimacy of human beings' use and transformation of nature. How to coordinate these two aspects so as to realize the harmony between man and nature? This involves human rights and obligations to nature.
China's philosophy's thoughts on human rights and obligations to nature are embodied in two theories: doing something and doing nothing. Except Taoism, most philosophers in China advocate doing something. Xunzi first advocated the relationship between man and nature. From the viewpoint of separation between man and nature, Xunzi advocated that man should take the initiative to use and transform nature. This is the concept of "controlling the sky" In Xunzi's view, it is a human right to transform nature and make it useful, which is also the foundation of being a man. Contrary to Xunzi, Zhuangzi strongly advocated inaction in the practical relationship between man and nature. Zhuangzi said, "Don't destroy the sky with people" and "Don't help the sky with people". Humans should conform to nature, not destroy it. This is mankind's obligation to nature. In this regard, Zhuangzi is right.
Huainanzi clearly pointed out that inaction is not "feeling but not responding, attacking but not moving", but "acting according to reason and doing according to capital". It is appropriate to define the boundary between human rights and obligations to nature in this way.
On the realistic relationship between man and nature, most philosophers in ancient China advocated the harmony between man and nature as the goal. Among them, the most representative and influential is the idea of harmony between man and nature put forward in Zhouyi. The Book of Changes holds that people are transformed from yin and yang, so people have both rigid and soft temperament. Masculinity requires people to "strive for self-improvement", that is, to give full play to their positive creative spirit; Femininity requires people to "carry things with kindness", that is, to accept everything with a broad mind. In the practice of nature, "self-improvement" means actively transforming nature and participating in its evolution; And "respecting morality and carrying things" requires that the activities of transforming nature should not go beyond the boundaries of nature, and at the same time realize the harmonious interest of nature itself. Only in this way can we achieve the realm of "harmony with heaven and earth, harmony with the sun and the moon, and harmony with the four seasons". From today's point of view, this moral norm with the highest goal of harmony between man and nature should be the core of sustainable development ethics.
To sum up, the influence of China's traditional philosophy on real life has been extremely profound, huge and long-lasting. It cultivates the spirit of life, inspires the power, guides the development and promotes the realm. In contemporary society, China's traditional philosophy is still an important spiritual resource for China's spiritual civilization construction.