? However, to understand the meaning of this concept, we should not rely on our understanding of it, but should turn to the ancients' own remarks. See what this concept really means in the ancient people's concept. The key to understanding the meaning of "harmony between man and nature" is to understand the meaning of "heaven" in "harmony between man and nature".
? There are more than 200 kinds of materials in Sikuquanshu that clearly express the "harmony between man and nature". It is found that the "heaven" in the "harmony between man and nature" contains the following contents:
1, heaven is the existence that can have an inductive relationship with people.
2. Heaven is the existence that endows people with good fortune and bad fortune.
Heaven is the object that people fear and serve.
4. Heaven dominates human existence, especially the fate of the dynasty (the day of destiny).
5. Heaven is the existence that endows people with benevolence, righteousness, courtesy and wisdom.
Today, many people understand "heaven" as nature, so they think that "harmony between man and nature" is the content of "harmony between man and nature", but they have not found it.
It should also be noted that the concept of "harmony between man and nature" was first used, and the source that can be found now is Zhang Zai's True Dream. But Cheng Yi, who was contemporary with Zhang Zai, did not agree. He said: "Heaven and man are inseparable, so there is no need to combine words." . According to my understanding, Zhang's "unity" and Cheng's "no two" refer to the harmony between man and nature, or the same way, and the humanity of benevolence, righteousness, courtesy and wisdom is endowed by heaven. In their works, this day gives people a kind nature, and it is also a day when people must respect things, a day when they can empathize with others, and a day when they can bring good or bad luck.
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Dong Zhongshu clearly put forward the concept of harmony between man and nature.
1, Dong Zhongshu's first attempt in the Western Han Dynasty-? Dong Zhongshu's famous saying is: "Heaven also has joys and sorrows, which are in harmony with people. By analogy, heaven and man are one. " (Spring and Autumn Stories)? In Dong Zhongshu's view, the sky is a day of joys and sorrows. Of course, it is also a day to dominate the world, to be able to relate to people and to give people good or bad luck.
"Heaven and man are one", "Heaven and man are one".
"Heaven and earth often, a Yin and a Yang. Yang is heaven's virtue and Yin is heaven's punishment. ..... Heaven is also a pair of people, and it is the unity of heaven and man. "
"Everything is consistent with the name, and the name is consistent with the sky. Heaven and man are one, rational, dynamic and beneficial, and mutually acceptable. "
Dong Zhongshu's method and conclusion of constructing the relationship between heaven and man is "the same kind is consistent". Dong Zhongshu's theory that "man is the vice of nature" in Han Dynasty comprehensively expounded the relationship between heaven and man for the first time. However, from the later development of Confucian classics to the trend of divination, Confucianism became superstitious about Confucian classics, became a naked tool for seizing political power, and soon declined.
In Dong Zhongshu's view, the "one" of "harmony between man and nature" is "one kind". Because in Dong Zhongshu's time, due to the new discoveries of natural science, people knew that things could be sensed without contact. For example, magnets can attract iron, strings can vibrate and so on. It is believed that the induction is mediated by qi. At the same time, people also found that gas-mediated induction is conditional. For example, magnets can absorb iron, but not copper; The * * * vibration of the strings is also the * * * vibration of Gong Xian and Gong Xian, and the * * * vibration of Shang Xian and Shang Xian. Just like Niu Ming, Niu Ying and A?vagho?a Ma Ying. So it is concluded that only similar things can induce each other. In order to demonstrate that heaven and man can sense, Dong Zhongshu first needs to demonstrate that heaven and man are the same. This is the realistic background of the unity of man and nature.
Dong Zhongshu's method of demonstrating the similarity between man and nature is "the unity of man and nature". That is, man is a copy of the sky, "copy". For example, the sky is round, so people's heads are round; The ground is square, so people's feet are square. Why do people have two eyes? Because there are sun and moon in the sky; Why do people have limbs? Because there are four seasons in the sky; Why do people have emotions? Because it is cloudy and sunny. There are 360 days in the sky, and human bones have 360 joints. And so on.
In the Ming Dynasty, Cheng Hao further elaborated the meaning of "harmony between man and nature", emphasizing "? There is no distinction between man and nature, and the relationship between man and nature is called "man in a day" Thinkers and philosophers of later generations have talked about the proposition of "the unity of man and nature". Although the terms are different, their thinking on the relationship between heaven and man is basically the same.
2. In Song Dynasty, Zhang Zai and Cheng Hao emphasized the unity of heaven and man.
"Confucianism is sincere because of Ming, sincere because of Ming, and the harmony between man and nature."
"the unity of heaven and man" means "the unity of inside and outside"
The relationship between man and nature is called "man in one day" (Cheng Yu)
"It must be a way of combining inside and outside. One day, it will be combined up and down." (Cheng Yu)
"Everything in the universe is one"
3. Zhu made a comment on what Mencius said: "The heart is a god, so those who are reasonable should do everything; Sex is the cause of the heart; And the sky is reasonable. " ? Starting from the fact that conscience is the noumenon of the universe, Wang Shouren has formed a holistic view of "the unity of all things", "the world is one" and "the China family" in the relationship between people, people and society, people and heaven, and people and everything, which has developed the concept of "the unity of man and nature" since the pre-Qin period to a new height.
? On the relationship between heaven and man, both Zhu and Wang Yangming advocate "the unity of heaven and man", but there are great differences in specific paths, which are embodied in their reinterpretation of "university"-"university articles" and "university questions". Zhu's "Heaven" and "Man" are combined with the external "Heaven", taking a road of Kung Fu from the external (poor reason) to the internal (reason) and then to the external (reason), while Yangming's "Heaven" and "Man" are combined with man's "conscience", and his Kung Fu theory is based on the unity of knowledge and action. Zhu's harmony between man and nature is "harmony between man and nature", while Yang Ming's harmony between man and nature is "harmony between man and nature". This is the fundamental difference between the two on this issue.
4. Since then, the idea of harmony between man and nature has become the basic idea of interpreting the Book of Changes. The concept of "harmony between man and nature" has been added to the Book of Changes. The unity of heaven and man has also become the basic concept to interpret other ancient classics. In the interpretation of other classics, the concept of harmony between man and nature has also increased. Today, the harmony between man and nature seems to have become the core of all China's ancient thoughts, and it has been endowed with unprecedented significance such as harmony between man and nature, environmental protection and sustainable development.
Dong Zhongshu's "Unity of Heaven and Man"
The main characteristics of Dong Shi's "harmony between man and nature" are: the similarity between man and nature-mutual similarity-the feeling between man and nature-the divine right of monarch-the reward and punishment in heaven-the providence can be sustained.
? 1, "heaven" is the highest will, which is not only a "natural" day, but also a "physical" god with "body" and operation, and a god with will and perception. Dong Zhongshu endowed Heaven with moral attributes and made it ethical. Dong Zhongshu absorbed the thought of Yin-Yang and Five Elements and established a cosmic schema based on Yin-Yang and Five Elements. So as to make its theoretical system more complete; He explained the induction between man and nature on the basis of "Yin and Yang". But it also brought the mystery of the theory of Yin-Yang and Five Elements into his own theory. The "physiological" structure of human beings has the same pattern as the "material" structure of heaven; The relationship between heaven and earth, Jin Mu, fire, water and earth is completely consistent with the relationship between controlling social chaos. Therefore, heaven and man are "the same kind". And similar things can "call each other by class" and induce each other. Therefore, "Heaven" can not only grasp the chaos of the world, the good and evil of people, but also convey its will to the world through auspicious signs, disasters and changes in dynasties. This is the main feature of Dong Zhongshu's theory of heaven-man induction.
2. Dong Shi's theory of harmony between man and nature had a great influence on feudal politics, and Confucianism became feudal orthodoxy.
Dong Zhongshu's theory emphasizes the domination of destiny on the one hand, and benevolence and morality on the other; On the one hand, it strengthened feudal autocracy, on the other hand, it caused political turmoil; On the one hand, it consolidates centralization, on the other hand, it restricts the arbitrariness of imperial power; It has a positive and progressive side and a backward and superstitious side;
The mysterious color of Dong Shi's theory was eventually developed into Confucian theology by divination, and even Confucius became a "god". In the end, Chen Wei's Confucian classics became a superstition, which was used as a political tool in the process of power struggle or regime change and peasant uprising within the rulers, such as Wang Mang's usurpation of the Han Dynasty and Liu Xiu's claim to the throne, and the peasant uprising in the early years of the Eastern Han Dynasty. The Eastern Han Dynasty reached its climax, which remained unchanged during the Three Kingdoms period and was abandoned by history.
Then, the divination of Confucian classics is related to the theory of induction between man and nature, but the theory of induction between man and nature itself is not divination of Confucian classics and should be treated differently. In the long feudal society, Dong Shi's thoughts of "divine right of monarch" and "divine punishment" put forward in the induction between heaven and man have always had a positive or negative impact on politics. It is generally believed that "it is related to the negligent behavior of the monarch (emperor) through the phenomenon of natural disasters, trying to control the emperor's behavior by relying on heaven to govern people, so as to achieve the purpose of ensuring peace and governing the country." It is the result of the Confucian thought of "punishment and morality" on natural disasters.
3. Three misunderstandings caused by the theory of harmony between man and nature:
? The theory of the unity of heaven and man enables some people to speak for heaven. Confucianism tries to claim that it is a "shortcut" and "a gentleman who can reach the sky" and has the power to endorse heaven. This turned himself into a witch. To make matters worse, the name "Tianzi" has been inherited by Confucianism. Lao Mo also adopted this traditional China word, but the Confucian concept of "harmony between heaven and earth" or "harmony with heaven and earth" deteriorated after being combined with "the son of heaven". The son of heaven became the spokesman of heaven. After the communication between heaven and man, it is natural that the most powerful person becomes the biggest spokesperson, no doubt. But the original "destiny" only allowed the son of heaven to own the country, not the people under the management of destiny. "The son of heaven has a country" is a necessary stabilizing factor of the feudal system, and expanding interpretation will lead to ideological and institutional autocracy.
? ② "Unity of Heaven and Man" or "participation with Heaven and Earth" leads to "fatal conceit" in the cultural layer. People at the cultural level have a natural sense of superiority and think they are the masters of fools. Scholars today still have this kind of plot. However, this "fatal conceit" will inevitably lead to Confucius-Mencius-style "belief ethics" and lead society to slavery.
? The unity of heaven and man is the highest archway established by Confucianism. On this archway, imperial power represents saints, and the emperor should be saints. The theory of harmony between man and nature made the emperor a real spokesman for heaven. But also makes the constitutional goal of "binding the king" appear theoretical dilemma. This is the third mistake of the theory of harmony between man and nature. Not to mention that the emperor has greater power to do justice for heaven, he said that he would restrain the king, so he should make some demands on him. For example, a king can't have free will, and he can only act honestly according to law (public law must be meticulous). For example, ask the king to be frugal, for example, ask the king to be selfless. In the case of harmony between man and nature, is it necessary to add these "heavenly ways" to the people at the same time? Otherwise, how can you ask others to believe that God is the most unfair to kings? It is with such a unified standard that Confucianism demands kings, demands itself and demands ordinary people. Confucianism wants to be a saint itself. As long as you don't engage in politics, no one will pay attention to you. The problem is that we can't ask the people like this.
The power in the king's hands enabled him to always rely on power immunity. It is impossible for Confucian scholars to cultivate "human nature is good", and they can also give up their precepts after they succeed in the imperial examination. But ordinary people have no power and influence, which is the real bound object. Today, true Confucianism still likes "selflessness". In fact, what really needs selflessness in China tradition is the son of heaven.
Zhang Zai's "Unity of Heaven and Man"
Zhang Zai's thought of "harmony between man and nature" was put forward in the criticism of Buddha and Lao, and developed on the basis of the original Confucian concept, which is a Confucian concept. Its source mainly comes from three aspects: first, the concept of harmony between man and nature in Yi Zhuan; Second, the outlook on life and honesty in The Mean; Thirdly, Mencius' views on dedication, intellectuality and heaven. The main content of Zhang Zai's thought system of harmony between man and nature can be divided into five parts:
1, Qi-based theory-the basis of the unity of man and nature
2. Nature and temperament of heaven and earth: the possibility and necessity of "the unity of heaven and man"
3. Exhaustion: the internal way of "harmony between man and nature"
4. Rites and music system: the external constraint of "harmony between man and nature"
5. Human corpse and: the ultimate destination of "harmony between man and nature"
? Among them, the theory of sex can be said to be a continuation of the theory of good nature. Zhang Zai thinks that sex is a ghost, a sky and a manifestation of the inherent goodness of qi in different aspects. This personality should be pure and kind. Since everything is the accumulation and dispersion of qi, there is pure goodness. In the process of gasification biology, due to the different temperament of characters, the acceptance of "nature" is different. The same person, because of the different thickness of his shortcomings, distinguishes wisdom from stupidity. It is difficult for the disadvantaged to open, but it is easy for the disadvantaged to open. Once opened, it reached the realm of saints.
In this way, Zhang Zai's harmony between man and nature affirmed that everyone can become a saint through their own efforts. Mode is the internal "exhaustiveness" of individuals. The external system of rites and music can help people change their temperament. Finally, the harmonious world order between man and nature serving the Confucian countries will be realized.
Zhang Zai's thought of harmony between man and nature provides upward possibility, and his goal of "aspiring to heaven and earth, cultivating people's way, continuing to study in the holy school, and opening up eternal peace" has become the standard for later scholars. In reality, it has played a revitalization role in maintaining the social order of Yang Confucianism and Yin Law. Of course, we should also see that the unity of man and nature in his theory is greater than the unity of man and nature, which will inevitably lead to people's loss.
Zhu's "Unity of Heaven and Man"
Zhu almost never explicitly talked about the harmony between man and nature, but from the perspective of his whole ideological system, Zhu's thought is the development of Zhang Zai's thought of "harmony between man and nature". On the content of "harmony between man and nature", Zhu admitted that everything in the universe is made up of qi, but his understanding of the relationship between qi and nature is different from that of Zhang Zai. Therefore, Zhu also admitted that heaven and man are one, which is the same as Zhang Zai's understanding. Zhu's development of the idea of "harmony between man and nature" lies in his proposition that man and nature should be unified. Because Zhu advocated "nature is reason", Zhang Zai's theory of "harmony between man and nature" developed into "harmony between man and nature". On the road of "harmony between man and nature", Zhu also acknowledged the difference between temperament and fate, and advocated that "one person a day" should be achieved through "grasping things and being a governor", and the ideal realm of "one person a day" should be achieved through personal efforts.
Zhu's thought of "harmony between man and nature" was amplified by the imperial examination, and people's sense of loss gradually became rigid and lost their initiative under the restriction of stereotyped writing in the imperial examination.
"Unity of Heaven and Man" and Man and Nature
? Since the 20th century, with the continuous development of modern industrial civilization, the relationship between man and nature has become increasingly tense. Population explosion, food shortage, water pollution, ozone hole, acid rain and land desertification are becoming more and more serious.
The more serious it is, all these require people to re-examine the relationship between man and nature. First of all, the west has studied shallow ecology and deep ecology. Because anthropocentrism is a tradition of western culture and deeply rooted in the west, some deep-seated ecologists believe that to break through this tradition, we must rely on external cultural authority. In the end, they found that the oriental culture emphasizes the unity of man and nature, which has the characteristics of integrity and organic, and is consistent with their eco-centrism, thus promoting the development of modern ecology from shallow to deep. Among them, Taoism is most favored by ecological ethicists. On the surface, there are some similarities between Taoism and deep ecology. For example, "Tao and Nature" is similar to the eco-centrism or natural centrism advocated by deep ecology. But these are only similar in literal sense, and it is difficult to unify them in essence. It can be seen that their interpretation of China culture is entirely wishful thinking from their own standpoint. However, in this process, the "harmony between man and nature" was given a new meaning by ecological ethics and returned to China.
The "harmony between man and nature" itself has no intention of protecting nature, but so many Chinese and foreign scholars have found the "harmony between man and nature" in the traditional culture of China, hoping to solve the problem of the relationship between man and nature. But the relationship between man and nature mentioned by modern people cannot be equated with the relationship between man and nature in ancient China. If the ancient "harmony between man and nature" mainly discussed the relationship between man and God as the master, then the modern "harmony between man and nature" mainly discussed the relationship between man and nature.
The "harmony between man and nature" in China's philosophy, even from the perspective of man and nature, means harmony between man and nature, which shows the identity of man and nature, but does not show the contradiction between them. But in the relationship between man and nature, we should not only see the unity of man and nature, but also see the opposite side. This is a dialectical view of the problem. It can be said that "harmony between man and nature" is not necessarily related to the protection of nature. It is totally a misunderstanding and a logical concept to explain the concept of natural science that "harmony between man and nature" can solve the tense relationship between man and nature faced by modern people.