The Modern Significance of Confucianism

The practical significance of Confucian culture to contemporary society lies in its moral value, educational value and political value. First of all, the practical significance of Confucian culture to contemporary society lies in its moral value. As we all know, Adam? Smith's The Wealth of Nations marks the birth of economics. Market economy is both a legal economy and a moral economy. The orderly operation of market economy needs not only law but also morality. The corresponding civil society is a legal society and a moral society. Mencius said in Mencius Gao Zi Shang: "Life is what I want, and righteousness is what I want; You can't have both, and those who give up their lives are also righteous. " Confucian culture emphasizes the consistency between human nature and heaven, the rule of justice, loyalty and forgiveness, mutual trust and mutual benefit, which conforms to the basic value orientation of market economy and modern civil society, and this is the modern value embodiment of Confucian ethics and morality transcendence. In contemporary society, more precisely, in contemporary China, this concept is seriously lacking. From Sanlu's melamine, clenbuterol, preserved milk and beef sauce, food safety problems emerge one after another. For us, it is urgent to build a credit system supported by morality and guaranteed by law. It not only needs the guarantee of Confucian culture economically, but also needs Confucian culture ethically. As the saying goes, filial piety is the first of all virtues. Filial piety is one of the important contents and characteristics of China traditional culture, and it is also the basic code of conduct and an important moral category in Confucian ethics. In the Confucian moral system, filial piety is the beginning and foundation of benevolence. It is also an important factor of family harmony and an important part of our traditional culture. Filial piety is the most basic ethical principle of individuals. What does a person who is not "filial" talk about being a man, being a man, and talking about morality? Therefore, the Confucian filial piety culture is the precious spiritual wealth of the Chinese nation, which should be handed down from generation to generation in today's society and carried forward. Secondly, the practical significance of Confucian culture to contemporary society lies in its educational value. Confucius is undoubtedly the greatest educator in China. He set up private schools to promote the development of civilian education. His thought of "teaching without class" can be said to be the earliest equal education proposition. The idea of "learning from time to time" and "knowing is knowing, not knowing is not knowing" has influenced countless participants in educational activities. Throughout his life, Confucius began to study at the age of 15, and reached the goal of "doing whatever he wants without overstepping the bounds" at the age of 70. The reason why he can do this is the result of "never getting tired of learning" all his life. Confucius opened up a brand-new road for the education of later generations through his experience and theory. Later, Zhu, a Neo-Confucianism scholar in the Song Dynasty, inherited and developed the educational thought of Confucian culture, which not only emphasized the importance and lifelong nature of learning, but also put forward the viewpoint of the integration of knowledge and practice, as he said: "How can you ask questions clearly?" "To live from the source", we should not only know, but also practice. This idea is of great significance to solve the contradiction between exam-oriented education and quality education, and the disconnection between school education and social needs. Finally, the significance of Confucian culture to contemporary society lies in its political value. Confucianism is not only the philosophy of morality, education and life, but also the philosophy of politics. The important embodiment is the thought of "benevolent politics" and the people-oriented thought, which advocates "light punishment and thin tax", "listening to politics for the people" and "having fun with the people" As we all know, "harmony" is the essence of important Confucian ideology and culture, and "harmony" is not only a political means, but also a political purpose. The ideal society of Confucianism is at least a harmonious, United and peaceful society, which is very similar to the current construction of a harmonious socialist society. For today's hegemonic era headed by the United States, the Confucian ideas of "great harmony" and "harmony" can be resisted, which is also an important factor for Confucian culture to go global. Confucian political thought with "benevolence" as the core shines with the light of democracy and people's livelihood. It blended into the blood of the Chinese nation in the historical changes, and influenced the political activities of China in past dynasties. Despite its historical limitations, his thoughts of "ruling the country by virtue" and "ruling the country by courtesy" still have important reference significance for today's politics. In the long years of human history, the Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire and many other great powers have risen and fallen, and hundreds of empires have died in silence, while the Chinese nation has stood for thousands of years. There is no doubt that Confucianism has contributed to the endless development of Chinese civilization. Confucian culture has been baptized by the long river of history, and it is not clear in a few words or paragraphs. Its profoundness is the precious heritage of the Chinese nation. We should critically inherit and absorb it, and combine it with social practice to carry forward and realize the modern value of Confucian culture. As the essence and soul of China culture, abandoning it is tantamount to self-destruction. We have the responsibility to regain Confucian culture, and we have the obligation to carry it forward. This is a national event and the key for us to gain our own value and social affirmation in life.