The development course of Confucianism

First, the Spring and Autumn Period-the emergence of Confucianism

Founder Confucius

1, the core idea is "benevolence", that is, "love", "self-denial", "don't do to others what you don't want others" and other ethical theories to coordinate interpersonal relationships; He opposed the tyranny prevailing in the society at that time and asked the rulers to "govern the people by virtue", "govern the country by virtue" and "save money and love the people", which included the people-oriented thought.

2. Put forward the "ceremony". In view of the social reality of "the ceremony collapsed and the music was bad" in the Spring and Autumn Period, he also emphasized the use of "the ceremony" to regulate and restrain his behavior, and called for "self-denial and resumption of the ceremony", that is, to restore the ideal ceremony and music system in the Western Zhou Dynasty to achieve social stability, and at the same time to coordinate the relationship between ceremony and benevolence with the golden mean and "harmony without difference".

3. Education: setting up private schools, advocating "no education for all", breaking the situation of aristocratic monopoly on cultural education and expanding the scope of educational objects; Taking "adults" and "gentlemen" as the educational goals, he put forward many important educational principles such as "teaching students in accordance with their aptitude".

4. Literature: He compiled and edited the six classics of literature (poetry, calligraphy, ceremony, Yi, Yue, Spring and Autumn), which is beneficial to the development and inheritance of cultural undertakings.

Second, the Warring States Period-Confucianism was enriched and developed.

Representative figures Mencius and Xunzi

Mencius:

1, put forward a moral standard system with benevolence, righteousness, propriety and wisdom as the basic contents and benevolence as the highest moral principle. At the same time, the human relations can be summarized into five types, namely, father and son, monarch and minister, husband and wife, orderly age and friends' trustworthiness.

2. Developed Confucius' viewpoints of "benevolence" and "ruling the people by virtue", and put forward a relatively complete theory of "benevolent government", demanding that rulers stop the merger war, reduce taxes, control people's production, respect the sages and enable them.

3. He gave full play to the thought of "people-oriented" and put forward the people-oriented theory represented by "valuing the people but neglecting the monarch", which became the most precious part of his ideological system. The most typical remark is that "the people are the most important, the country is the second, and the monarch is the light."

4. Ethically advocate "good nature", implement benevolent policies, and restore and expand people's goodness.

Xunzi:

1, the relationship between heaven and man: the sky is always there, not for survival or death; It emphasizes people's subjective initiative in front of nature and advocates the idea of "dominating fate", "cutting everything" and "turning it into things". Xunzi clearly declared that mastering fate and using it to understand heaven means dominating heaven and nature.

2. Think that the highest goal of learning is to master "courtesy"; It is believed that governing the country should be based on etiquette and emphasize the use of etiquette and law; .

3, the relationship between the monarch and the people: the theory of boat water (Zhou Junyi water). "The monarch, the boat also; Shu Ren, water also. Water can carry a boat or overturn it. "

4. Advocating the theory of evil nature.

Third, Confucianism in the Han Dynasty became an orthodox thought.

On behalf of Dong Zhongshu

1, in view of the need of centralization, put forward "spring and autumn unification" and "ousting a hundred schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone";

2. In view of the need to strengthen the monarchical power, this paper puts forward "the divine right of monarchical power", "the unity of heaven and man" and "the feeling between heaven and man";

3. In view of the serious reality of land annexation, give play to the Confucian thought of benevolent government; According to the standard of life, the author puts forward "three cardinal guides and five permanents" and filial piety.

Fourth, Confucianism rose to a new height in the Song and Ming Dynasties.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, Confucian scholars integrated Buddhism and Taoism to explain the principles of Confucianism, which promoted Confucianism to a new height, namely Neo-Confucianism.

Zhu Cheng's Neo-Confucianism (objective idealism)

1, Cheng Hao, Cheng Yi (Northern Song Dynasty): reason is the source of all things, and the core of reason is "benevolence"; Morality and hierarchy of interpersonal relationships are natural principles; Benevolence is innate.

2. Zhu (Southern Song Dynasty): He established a huge and rigorous system of Neo-Confucianism, and he was a master of Neo-Confucianism.

The main viewpoints are: the theory of regulating qi (inseparable from qi), the theory of "preserving nature and suppressing human desires" and the theory of mind (if there is nothing wrong with nature, feelings should be good).

Lu Wang's Theory of Mind and Nature (Subjective Idealism): Opposing the tedious return to the original mind of Neo-Confucianism.

Founder of Lu Jiuyuan's Psychology 1: "My heart is the universe, and the universe is my heart".

2. Wang Yangming (Ming Dynasty) epitomized the theory of mind: he preached that "mind is reason" and "there is nothing outside the heart"; Conscience; Unity of knowledge and action.

V. New Development of Confucianism in Ming and Qing Dynasties

The performance of the new development of Confucianism in Ming and Qing dynasties: anti-unification and anti-authority; Oppose absolute monarchy; Oppose emphasizing agriculture and restraining business, and advocate that industry and commerce are the foundation.

1, Li Zhi (late Ming Dynasty) denied the Confucian classics and the authority of Confucius, and believed that everyone had the right to make his own judgment; Criticize the hypocritical preaching of Taoism, affirm the normal needs of people, and think that "dressing and eating is the physics of human relations"

2. Huang Zongxi: Criticizing the autocratic monarchy, he put forward that "the world is the mainstay, and the monarch is the guest", and he put forward that the monarch and the minister are equal, limiting the autocratic monarchy and protecting the people's basic rights; Oppose the traditional emphasis on agriculture and restrain business, and think that industry and commerce are the foundation.

3. Gu: Criticized the autocratic monarchy and put forward the idea of "multi-governance". Liang Qichao summed up his thought as "every man is responsible for the rise and fall of the world". Advocate practical application and pay attention to practical learning.

4. Wang Fuzhi: "With the Public of the World" profoundly exposes the practice that emperors of past dynasties regarded the world as private property, and proposed that the tiller has his field; A materialist who respects the laws of material movement according to nature and social history.

Extended data

Confucian influence:

Confucianism is the most influential school in ancient China since Dong Zhongshu "ousted a hundred schools of thought and respected Confucianism alone". Confucianism, as the embodiment of China's inherent value system, is not an academic or school in the usual sense. Generally speaking, especially in the pre-Qin period, although Confucianism was the most influential school, it was only one of the hundred schools and had no affiliation with other hundred schools.

Confucianism has a profound influence on China culture. In the feudal society for thousands of years, China people only taught the Four Books and Five Classics from generation to generation.

In China's genes, ideas such as responsibility (taking the world as one's duty), loyalty and filial piety (benevolence, courtesy, wisdom and faith), forgiveness (don't do to others what you don't want others), and ethics (self-cultivation, keeping the family in order, governing the country and calming the world) are all the results of the combination of Confucianism and autocratic rule. Therefore, Confucianism is still the mainstream of China Thought.

Confucianism has made great contributions to China's science and technology and world civilization. According to the chronology of natural science events in the world, there were about 300 major scientific and technological inventions that affected human life before16th century, of which 175 was invented by China people.

It is these great inventions (including discoveries) that have kept China's farming, textile, metallurgy and manual manufacturing technologies at the advanced level in the world for a long time. Confucianism also left behind a large number of world-famous scientific works, such as Kao Gong Ji and Tiangong Wu Kai.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Confucianism