Confucius (55 BC1-479 BC)
Confucius is a great philosopher in China, a master of China's cultural thoughts and the founder of Confucianism. His philosophical thoughts advocate "benevolence and righteousness", "rites and music", "rule by virtue and education" and "taking the people as the body" In the past two thousand years, Confucianism has penetrated into people's life and culture in China, and influenced a large part of people in other parts of the world.
Confucius' famous mountain, the word Zhong Ni. At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, Lu Yi (Qufu, Shandong Province) was born in a declining aristocratic family in the Song Dynasty and studied hard. He used to be a Confucian scholar (the aristocrat lost his son) and opened a private school in middle age. He was once appointed as the commander-in-chief, commander-in-chief of Lu. Four years later, he was assassinated by the villains and abandoned his post. Thirteen years later, he returned to Shandong in his later years to continue giving lectures and sorting out ancient books. The Analects of Confucius (twenty chapters) is a record of Confucius' words and deeds by his disciples and his re-disciples.
Confucius is often regarded as the founder of a religion, but this is not true. Confucius seldom talked about God, refused to discuss the afterlife and avoided any form of metaphysics. He has a profound understanding of the relationship between life, and his theory was not founded by him. Strictly speaking, he is just a master of China's cultural thoughts. He is a contemporary philosopher who attaches importance to personal morality and behavior.
Confucius regards "benevolence" and "righteousness" as the highest principles of morality, and he regulates the behavior of noble people. "Benevolence" can sometimes be understood as "love", but we'd better understand it as caring for human beings. "Rite" is the sum of morality, etiquette, rules and traditions.
Confucius lived in the Spring and Autumn Period, which was an era of talented people. Although the rulers at that time did not adopt Confucius' theory, after his death, Confucianism became a prominent school. However, during the reign of Qin Shihuang, Confucianism was degraded. In 22 1 year BC, Qin Shihuang unified China. He took the advice of Legalists and ordered "burning books to bury Confucianism". I thought I could tidy up my studies and unify my thoughts. However, Qin Shihuang's efforts were not successful. On the eve of the demise of the Qin Dynasty, Confucian scholars began to preach Confucianism again. In the era of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty, Confucianism gained a dominant position.
The Chinese imperial examination system of selecting officials through the imperial examination began in the Han Dynasty. The main content of the exam is students' understanding of Confucian ethics. Since the imperial examination system is the only way to enter the official career, from the Han Dynasty until the19th century, almost all the intellectuals in China were circling in the Four Books and Five Classics of Confucius. Intellectuals have been studying his theory all their lives and can't jump out of this circle all their lives. It has greatly influenced the diversified development of China culture.
The history of China is the history influenced by Confucius' thoughts. The Four Books and Five Classics have become school textbooks, and every student must memorize them. The dogma of ancient philosophers is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Under the influence of Confucianism, China has gradually formed a harmonious social life, a fanaticism of pursuing knowledge and advocating wisdom, and a stable culture. Although China has been invaded repeatedly, its culture can not only survive, but also assimilate other nationalities. However, Confucianism is not omnipotent. He is an effective panacea for rulers, which can make his dynasty avoid chaos and decline as much as possible. However, under the oppression of international change and innovation competition, it is an obstacle to a country's development. Those ethical codes that maintain personal and social order almost make people unable to move, resulting in a set of unchangeable patterns. Confucius' theory. It completely limits the natural and abundant motivation of human beings. Confucius' ethics is so perfect that it seems too serious. Under the guidance of Confucius, there is no boldness and adventure at all, and love and friendship are too bound. He degraded himself by making women blindly obey.
The famous slogan "Down with Kongjiadian" in the May 4th New Culture Movement gives people the impression that the representatives of the May 4th Movement totally denied Confucianism and traditional culture. There is also a view that there has been an extremely radical "Left" tendency in the cultural field since the May 4th Movement. It seems that the rampant "Left" trend of thought and even the "Cultural Revolution" after liberation can be traced back to the May 4th Movement, which makes me somewhat puzzled.
The May 4th New Culture Movement is different from many enlightenment movements in the history of China and foreign countries, which appeared in the form of respecting the ancient and restoring the ancient ways. It appeared in a distinctive anti-traditional form. Because from the old ideas, morality and culture, it is not only difficult to find the basis or banner of reform, but also the obstacles are becoming more and more serious. Choosing "Kongjiadian" as a breakthrough will undoubtedly help to break the old cultural pattern centered on feudal politics and ethical order. On the other hand, however, those representatives are not "completely anti-traditional". It can be seen from Hu Shi's works that he respects both Confucius and Zhu. Another example is Qian, who made a fierce criticism of the old culture at that time. He once advocated the abolition of Chinese characters, but when he resolutely opposed the absolutism in academic and cultural fields, he yearned for the vast free world of "all things coexist without harming each other, and the Tao runs parallel without contradicting each other" as imagined by the ancient people in China. For Confucius himself or Confucianism represented by Confucius, their criticism mainly points to using Confucian classics to restrain people's thoughts and personality. Therefore, the basic spirit of the May 4th New Culture Movement is to demand freedom of thought, spiritual independence and individual liberation. The May 4th Movement did not cause any "cultural break" or "ideological crisis", but it played an important role in the historical process of China's modernization.
As for the "Left" trend of thought, which intensified after liberation and eventually led to the "Ten-year turmoil", it is precisely manifested in cultural absolutism, which runs counter to the basic spirit of the May 4th New Culture Movement and has other social and ideological roots at home and abroad.