There is a saying that France, the founder of the physiocratic school? Quesnay has never been to China, how can he know the Analects so thoroughly? Quesnay hasn't been to China, which is a fact, but it can't be the reason why Quesnay doesn't understand China. Many scholars have written about Quesnay's understanding of China in two ways: one is to send students to China for investigation, and the other is to learn from and introduce a large number of translated works by China.
It is also said that "one treatise can overthrow the seven sages of Greece", which is a modest statement. The author thinks that Quesnay's words show his true feelings, not humility.
The seven Greek sages refer to Thales, Solon, Chilon, Pias, Cleobulus, Pittacus and Periander. They are all great philosophers and thinkers.
Thales (about 625 ~ 547 BC) was born in Miletus on the southwest coast of Asia Minor. He was a businessman in his early years and traveled to Babylon, Egypt and other places. He was an ancient Greek philosopher and natural scientist. He believes that life and movement are everywhere, and water is the source of all things. When I was in Egypt, I calculated the height of the pyramid with the sun shadow and the proportional relationship.
Solon (638-559 BC), born in Athens, was a politician, legislator and poet in ancient Athens. In 594, he became the first consul of Athens city-state, making laws and carrying out reforms, which is known as Solon Reform in history. He has made great achievements in poetry, and his poems focus on praising Athens city-state and law.
Born in Sparta, Chilon was the first person to suggest appointing an inspector to assist the king. He held this position in 556 BC. For the first time, the Ombudsman supervised government affairs with the king, which greatly improved the power of this position. He brought great rigor to Sparta's training.
Buys from Prijena is a famous lawyer. He always uses his speech skills to achieve good goals. In his view, the growth of manpower is natural, but defending national interests with language is the talent of soul and reason. Bierce acknowledged the existence of God and advocated that people's good behavior should be attributed to God.
Pittacus, an Italian, is a politician and strategist. With the help of the Al Caius brothers, he overthrew Melanie Cruz, a tyrant in Lesburg, and became a legislator there, ruling for ten years. As a moderate democratic politician, Pittacus encouraged people to win without bloodshed, but he also prevented exiled aristocrats from returning home.
Periander was born in Corinth and later became a tyrant. During his reign, the city-state he ruled gained great prosperity. He reformed commerce and industry in Corinth, built roads and dug canals. He is a great politician who is passionate about science and art.
Born in Ulundu, Cleobulus became a calling tyrant. It is said that his ancestor was Hercules. He is strong and handsome and familiar with Egyptian philosophy. He is very concerned about education and advocates that women should be educated like men.
Matteo Ricci conveyed a conclusion to the west after his field trip in China: Confucius is by no means inferior to western philosophers, "many western philosophers can't compare with him. Therefore, there is no one in China who does not regard speaking or not writing as the golden rule. " The Analects of Confucius is a record of the language and words and deeds that Confucius answered with his disciples before his death, and it is the most classic work of Confucianism. Confucius is listed as one of the top ten thinkers in ancient times. Confucianism, founded by Confucius, has lasted for more than 2,500 years and has a far-reaching influence on China and even the world. The Analects of Confucius covers teaching, politics, culture, benevolence, morality, rites and music, the doctrine of the mean and so on. There are 10 volumes, 20 articles and 5 12 articles. Confucianism is an important part of China's traditional culture, which covers a wide range of issues, mostly involving human social life. Can govern a country with great power and a family with little power. It has had a great influence on the psychological quality and moral behavior of the Chinese nation.
Quesnay's thought comes from his understanding of The Analects of Confucius and his comparison with the seven Greek sages. Quesnay himself thinks that Greek philosophy is inferior to China's philosophy. No thinker's works can surpass the Analects. An Analects of Confucius can overthrow the seven sages of Greece. This is Quesnay's real sigh. Although he didn't specify the limitations of the seven sages of Greece, he learned more or less the shortcomings of the seven sages from the aphorisms summarized by later generations. Thales' motto is "Being too persistent and steady will only bring disaster", Solon's motto is "Avoid going to extremes", Chilon's motto is "Keep your promise", Pias's motto is "Too many hands and feet", Pittacus's motto is "Seize the opportunity", Periander's motto is "Think twice before you act" and Cleobulus's motto is "The golden mean". It should be said that the philosophical thoughts of the seven sages are great, but compared with the Analects, they are much inferior. The Analects of Confucius is a collection of words and deeds recorded by the disciples of Confucius, an ancient thinker in China, with profound philosophy and rich humanistic thoughts. In contrast, it will be very short, and the Seven Sages of Greece have their limitations and biases. Therefore, it is logical for Quesnay to think that Greek philosophy is not as good as China's, which is one of them.
Second, Confucianism has a great influence on Europe. At the beginning of the philosophical enlightenment from 17 to 18, Confucius had become a celebrity in Europe and had a great influence on French enlightenment scholars. In the book Confucius and the Way of China, Herrlee Glessner Creel, an American sinologist, made such a wonderful and detailed description of the formation of the history of European philosophical thought: "As we all know, Confucius became a famous figure in Europe at the beginning of the philosophical enlightenment. A large number of philosophers, including Leibniz, Wolff, Voltaire, and some politicians and literati all used Confucius' name and thoughts to publicize their thoughts, and in the process they themselves were educated and influenced. " "In Europe, Confucius philosophy has played a very important role in the development of democratic ideals with the French Revolution as the background. "
That's true. During the period from 16 to 18, European intellectuals became interested in China's philosophy and culture as western missionaries shuttled between China and the West. A large number of philosophers and politicians use Confucius' name and thoughts to publicize their thoughts. During this period, Confucianism, as the main body of China's traditional culture, had a very important influence on the European Enlightenment. Missionaries translated China's cultural classics into many European languages and introduced China's culture to the West. At that time, a large number of missionaries were sent to China by the Pope, which also spread the ancient Chinese civilization to Europe objectively. The famous missionaries in China are Matteo Ricci, Tang Ruowang, ferdinand verbiest, Genig and Bai Jin. Matteo Ricci, a former leader of the Jesuits in China, went to Beijing in the 29th year of Wanli (160 1) to present rare treasures such as chimes, make friends with literati and get to know Chinese civilization. He wrote a diary-style manuscript, which was later compiled into a book by Kinnige, entitled Notes of Matteo Ricci China. The book "explains a new world, a new nation, a state of etiquette and a rich country" to the west with a large number of materials, and has become an important document for the western world to understand the "mysterious East". Matteo Ricci also translated these four books into Latin and sent them back to Italy. By the end of 17, dozens of China classics had been popular in Europe. French King Louis XIV also specially ordered the Royal Printing House to print a large number of translations of four books brought back by missionaries from China.
Therefore, "China culture craze" and "Confucius craze" appeared in Europe. Voltaire, the standard-bearer of the French Enlightenment, praised China's history and philosophy and thought that China was "second to none in ethics and governance". He appreciated what Confucius said, "Don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you", and specially hung a portrait of Confucius in his chapel, offering it day and night. Why do you worship so much? Voltaire made an incisive answer in On National Customs: "All European aristocrats and businessmen found in the East only knew the pursuit of wealth, and philosophers found a new moral and material world there." Voltaire pointed out that "morally speaking, Europeans should be apprentices of China" and "it's unfortunate that we can't live like China people!" Voltaire also said: "No matter how Western nations adopt proverbs and doctrines, there is no pure morality. Confucius often said that benevolence and righteousness, if people practice this morality, there will be no war on the ground. " Therefore, he shouted: France should be "completely China!" Every Frenchman should take "don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you" as his motto. Of course, Voltaire's praise of Confucius was exaggerated, but this high praise of China culture played a powerful role in promoting the French Enlightenment.
Third, Quesnay worships Confucianism. Although Quesnay himself has never been to China, he knows China culture, especially Confucianism. As mentioned earlier, he learned about China and became familiar with Confucianism through 16 and the investigation reports of European missionaries on China's documents and disciples in the 7th century. At the same time, it is also related to the subtle influence of his environment. Quesnay has lived in Paris for a long time and has a strong interest in China culture. Both Quesnay and Voltaire were born in 1694. At the age of 55, he entered the court as a doctor of the French king. At that time, Parisian society was keen on China culture, and Voltaire's voice of "total China" was heard. Quesnay began to study China's history, politics and economic system with great concentration, wrote many articles, and gradually formed his physiocratic economic theory.
He seldom quoted the Greek and Roman philosophers in his works, but he praised Confucius' theory and quoted a lot. He once wrote A Brief History of Confucius, and spoke highly of Confucius and his knowledge. He thinks that the moral motto of The Analects of Confucius is far superior to the philosophy of ancient Greek sages, and he really feels "dwarfed". His research on China was later compiled into Authoritarianism of Chinese Empire, which had a far-reaching impact. In the book, Quesnay brilliantly and concisely describes the basic spirit of liberal economics, that is, the spirit of following the laws and order of nature. He wrote: "According to China's annotators, the sky is the soul that dominates the sky, and they regard the sky as the most perfect masterpiece of the master of nature. The appearance of the sky is always awe-inspiring, making people see the beauty and Excellence of the natural order; There, the unchangeable law of the creator was most clearly demonstrated. " He added, "If speculative science has not made any progress in China, then the study of natural law has reached the highest level of perfection. If speculative science has been well studied in other countries, then natural law has been completely ignored." Quesnay's understanding of Confucianism and the spirit of China's classical philosophy is relatively accurate. Although there are differences between Confucian culture and Zhuangzi's study, both of them are full of respect for the "laws of nature". Taoism's "Taoism is natural", Confucianism's "Tian Xing Jian" and China's ancient emperors' worship of heaven are all ritualized manifestations of this spirit. Quesnay accepted and expounded these "laws of nature".
From the ideological origin, Confucianism and China's classical philosophy had an important influence on Quesnay. Although the classical philosophy of Confucius and China did not inspire Quesnay, it can be regarded as strengthening and enriching his thinking on natural order, making his thoughts more substantial and systematic. In this regard, many scholars clearly pointed out that although Quesnay had never been to China, he sent students to China and brought back China's Confucian works, which had an important influence on Quesnay's theory. Fei Zhengqing's "America and China" also talked about this matter, saying that Quesnay was deeply influenced by Confucianism and reached the level of worship, and was named "Western Confucius". The book Authoritarianism of Chinese Empire and other works by Quesnay all praised China's advocacy of "the laws of nature". Quesnay pointed out that the thought of attaching importance to agriculture, ruling by courtesy and Confucianism can be said to be the treasures of China culture. He said that only agriculture is the source of all national wealth, and only farmers are the only productive class, as Confucius and emperors in China have long known. The idea of "agriculture-oriented" advocated by Quesnay comes from the Confucian thought of attaching importance to agriculture. He also said in the book "Imperial Dictatorship in China": This book is only a systematic exposition of China's theory, and China's theory is a model worthy of adoption by all countries. Because of this, Quesnay sincerely and tried his best to publicize Confucianism. Quesnay is called "Confucius in Europe" because he enthusiastically publicized Confucianism and China culture. The "agriculture-oriented" advocated by Quesnay is also the Confucian strategy for governing the country. Quesnay earnestly hoped that France could be like China. Under his influence, Madame de Pompadour, the mistress of Louis XV, persuaded Louis XV to imitate Emperor China to carry out the "ploughing ceremony", which became a reality at Versailles on June 1768.
Looking at three points, we can see that Quesnay's statement that "one ethics can overthrow the seven sages of Greece" is by no means a bad statement. At present, many scholars all over the world are studying and studying The Analects. Knowing Quesnay's praise of The Analects here will certainly give us more enlightenment.
tolstoy
"Millions of creatures on earth are suffering; Why are you all here to take care of only one lev tolstoy? "
Leo Tolstoy
I think Tolstoy's suffering is a kind of soul suffering:
"The sober people and sages in the old days have been forgotten". Tolstoy's sufferings are all kinds of contradictions and loneliness: he has status and wealth, but he is often ashamed of his rich life; He sympathizes with the lower classes and lacks confidence in them. Tolstoy was an aristocratic intellectual with a sense of justice. In the process of finding a new life, he has been accompanied by sobriety and weakness, struggle and hesitation, shouting and depression. He is tired of life and determined to break with society, but he can't get people's support. Mentally, he has always been lonely. When he tried to reform serfs, he met the numbness and indifference of serfs; When he decided to do something for the lower classes, he was laughed at and despised by the nobles; When he made up his mind to leave aristocratic life, he was puzzled and quarreled by his family. Finally, he chose to escape to find a quiet hometown. But this time, he was teased by fate and treated coldly by nature. From beginning to end, he publicized his thoughts from the perspective of progress and the height of truth. But how many people in the society at that time could understand him? Who can tolerate him? His suffering is a kind of loneliness of the soul and a kind of "loneliness in the desert".
However, this is the difference between a great man and a mortal. In the face of suffering, mortals choose to drift, give up and sink. Great men will choose to persist, insist on their own ideas and continue to work hard for their beliefs. Romain rolland said: "The hero I am talking about is not a person dominated by ideas or power; But a person with a great heart. " It is precisely because of Tolstoy's unremitting struggle against infinite suffering and his love for life that Tolstoy became a great writer. Pain manifests itself in different forms in everyone. Tolstoy's suffering comes from the heart. In the long journey of fighting against suffering, it shows the strength of giants and the courage to survive. He said: "I am the person who gives people the highest spiritual enthusiasm." His life is a tragedy, and the hero really completed his image when he reached the peak of tragic destruction. In the life of heroic struggle, what we see is not destruction, but indomitable spirit and great courage to bear pain. It is in this struggle of erin brockovich that we feel the power and significance of life.
There is a question worth thinking about. Why did Tolstoy say that "one million joys are not worth one pain"? If you understand this problem, you will understand Tolstoy. I think the answer lies in his other sentence:
Life is not a pleasure, but a very heavy job.
-Tolstoy