"Heaven" and "man" are the core categories of traditional Chinese philosophy, and "harmony between man and nature" is the basic model of the relationship between man and nature. In a sense, ancient Chinese philosophy was born and developed around the "defense between man and nature". For example, Mr. Tang Yijie believed that the core status of heaven (the way) and man (the way) is in line with ancient Chinese philosophy, and this is the philosophy of the pre-Qin and Han dynasties. The issue of "original" discussion of the metaphysics of Wei and Jin Dynasties is still the relationship between "nature" (the way of heaven) and "famous religion" (human way) in terms of its content. The "nature law" and "human desire" mentioned by Song Confucianism is still the relationship between "nature" (the way of heaven) and "human desires".

"The problem is still the relationship between heaven and man. Until Wang Fuzhi still took this issue as the focus of his discussion. Therefore, traditional Chinese philosophy began with the discussion of the relationship between the categories of "heaven (the way)" and "human (the way)". [Tang Yijie "On the Issues of the Category System of Traditional Chinese Philosophy", "Chinese Social Sciences" Issue 5, 1981] Not only traditional philosophy is like this, but ancient Chinese religious views, political views, ethics views, historical views, and literature and art are all dominated and dominated by the concept of unity of man and nature. Shao Yong said that "it is not enough to be called "the study of heaven and man without learning is not enough to be called "

Learning. It can be seen that the debate between heaven and man and the cosmology constructed from this, the theory of life is a major feature of Chinese philosophy and even Chinese culture. Over the past few decades, the academic community has conducted extensive research on the theory of heaven and man in ancient China. In the research, most scholars follow this idea to observe man from heaven and to determine the content and nature of the relationship between heaven and man with the nature of heaven. I believe that the philosophy of heaven and man should be regarded as the theory of ancient Chinese human studies on the existence (certainty confirmation) and development (value pursuit). As the theory of mankind for himself in a specific historical stage

In this theory, heaven (nature and deification, personification) is the object of human beings and intermediaries that transcend oneself. Only by grasping the relationship between heaven and man can we deeply understand the philosophical purpose of ancient celestial and man theory. This is a top dimension in which this book analyzes Xunzi and traditional celestial and man philosophy.

Section 1 The evolution of the concept of pre-Qintian people

The concept of heaven and man sprouted from the religious consciousness of ancient ancestors. In the religious consciousness of primitive ancestors, nature is a mysterious force that is alien to oneself, and there are gods behind various natural phenomena. Human beings not only rely on nature, but also must obey the will of natural gods.

Entering the civilization era, with the formation of the unified royal power on earth, the supreme god also appeared in heaven. In the Yin Dynasty, God was the supreme god who dominated the changes of wind and rain, achieved prosperity and abundance, war victory and defeat, and acted well and badly. It was the sect leader of the sun, moon, mountains and river gods, also known as the "Emperor", and the gods of the sun, moon, mountains and rivers were for their envoys, called "Emperor's envoy' or "Emperor'". God was not only the master of nature, but also the master of human society. The supreme ruler of the Shang Dynasty was the representative of God on earth, also known as the "Lower Emperor". He had only communicated with the Emperor God during his lifetime, and after his death, he ascended to the imperial court. In the minds of the Yin people, the God of the Supreme God was the representative of the mysterious blind external inevitable power. It had the highest power to rule nature and society, but had no rational character and moral attributes. Humans could only blindly worship and obey it.

The Zhou people changed their minds, and the concept of heaven and man has undergone major changes. The Zhou people replaced the "God" of the Yin people with "Heaven". Although "Heaven" is still the highest personality god, it is no longer a moody and unpredictable tyrant, but a highest lord with moral rationality that can reward good and punish evil. The Zhou people established a bloodline relationship between heaven and the monarch. The emperor on earth is the eldest son of heaven, so it is called "Son of Heaven". The emperor is subject to "destiny" to rule the people of the territory. Morality is the basis for the gains and losses of heaven. Heaven has the rationality of "selecting virtue and surrendering fate" and the wisdom of distinguishing right and wrong. The so-called "the emperor has no relatives,"

Only virtue is the auxiliary." Because the Yin people "only disrespect for the virtues, they would lose their destiny early" (Shangshu. Zhao Gao) King Wen of Zhou was able to be cautious in virtue and punishment, diligent and respectful, so he was obeyed the decree of heaven, destroyed the Shang Dynasty, and had a world. Since the Emperor and Heaven were the legislator and guardian of the politics and morality of human society, the ruler could only "pray to the destiny of heaven with virtue". In this way, the gods transformed from the original blind and mysterious natural power into a personality god with human rationality and morality. In this pattern of human-god relationship, broad space was left for human subjective efforts.

In addition, although in the relationship between heaven and man in the Western Zhou Dynasty, heaven still had absolute authority as the ultimate god, the concept of "nature destiny" and "nature cannot be trusted" that appeared in the early Zhou Dynasty objectively belittled the authority and role of heaven, emphasizing and highlighting the autonomy and status of man. With the further development of this concept, by the Spring and Autumn Period, atheistic thoughts that doubted the power of heaven and divine power appeared generally. Shi Xiao believed that the rise and fall of a country depended on the people rather than the gods, and the will of the gods was through the hundreds of times.

The surname came to realize it. He said: "A country is about to prosper, listen to the people; it is about to perish, listen to the gods. God is smart, upright and single, and acts according to people." (Zuo Zhuan Gong 32nd year) Zichan of Zheng denied that the way of heaven has an inherent relationship with human affairs. He believed that "the way of heaven is far, the way of man is near, and it is not within reach" (Zuo Zhuan Gong 18th year) The way of heaven is slim and difficult to know, and people cannot be bound and dominated by it. These thoughts seriously shake the absolute status of the "emperor" and "heaven" supreme god since the Shang and Zhou dynasties.

In the process of disintegrating the traditional concept of heaven and man, a new theory of heaven and man was formed, and the most influential one was the theory of heaven and man of Confucianism and Taoism. Confucianism is a group of intellectuals that grew up under the nourishment of traditional culture. In the consciousness of this group, it has obvious internal contradictions that transcend traditions, thus showing the ideological characteristics of reformism. As for the relationship between heaven and man, Confucius respected the supreme authority of heaven and destiny; on the other hand, he also gave philosophical transformation to the "Heaven" of the gods, making it have an external necessity. On this basis, Confucius advocated that knowing heaven will be young, following heaven and being active and active. People assumed the mission of talent through profound moral cultivation, and understood the true meaning of destiny in the process of trying their best to complete their own mission.

Mencius further developed Confucius' thoughts of heaven and man. In him, there was a clear distinction between the natural heaven, the righteousness of heaven and the dominant heaven, but his focus was on the righteousness of heaven related to human affairs. What was particularly prominent is that Mencius combined the transcendental nature of heaven with metaphysical mind and nature, so heaven, as the psychology and reason, became an existence belonging to man. Therefore, the establishment of the peaceful rule of the world and the universal moral order in the direct sense depends on whether the connotation of the mind and nature given to people by nature has been fully developed. In this way, the decisive meaning of the dominant heaven was diluted, and the active role of man's subject was unprecedentedly strengthened. Based on the mind and nature, Mencius established a complete ideological system of unity between man and nature, that is, from the heart, knowledge of heaven, and service to heaven, and finally reaching the spiritual realm of man and heaven and earth flowing together.

Taoism represented by Laozi and Zhuangzi is completely different from Confucianism. They completely deny the divine nature and status of heaven, and restore all things in the universe to a natural existence. Laozi regards Tao as the category of the essence to explain the origin of all things in the world, including human society, and the laws of movement and change. In essence, the "Tao" of natural inaction constitutes the foundation and fundamental principle of nature and human society. Following this principle, they go from returning to simplicity to the realism of nature, and because of letting nature go to the wrong path of erasing people's active role, and are classified into the quagmire of natural fatalism. Zhuangzi further opposes the nature, order and function of nature with the moral attributes, laws and functions of human society, advocates that "no man can destroy heaven", abandons any human effort, breaks free from all cultural constraints, completely follow the sway of nature, and restores man to natural existence, thereby achieving the state of being one with heaven and being me.

The above-mentioned theories of the heavenly beings of Confucianism and Taoism had a great influence on Xunzi. On the one hand, Xunzi accepted the Taoist view of natural and natural laws and abandoned the remaining concept of supreme gods in Confucianism; on the other hand, Xunzi inherited the Confucian idea of ​​vigorous and active in heaven, and surpassed the Taoist theory of negative and inaction. On this basis, Xunzi constructed a distinctive philosophy of heavenly beings.

Section 2 New Theory of Xunzi's Heaven and Man

Ancient Greek philosophers took natural phenomena as the basic goal of thinking, and almost every philosopher wrote works on natural philosophy. Ancient Chinese sages were different. In their eyes, nature has no independent speculative value. It can only enter the perspective of human rational vision in its correlation with man. This correlation is manifested as material dependence and spiritual dependence. Because of this, Xunzi's "Theory of Heaven" is very precious as a philosophical work that specifically explores natural phenomena, essence and laws and their relationship with human society. In "Theory of Heaven", Xunzi proposed and discussed the glorious thoughts of mutual opposition and mutual connection between heaven and man. These ideas occupy an important position in Chinese philosophy and Chinese culture and have had a profound impact.

One, the difference between heaven and man

Proposing and clarifying the "division between heaven and man" is Xunzi's most important contribution to the Chinese philosophy of heaven and man. The distinction between heaven and man means that man is essentially an existence that is different from natural objects, and thus determines that heaven and man have different functions and functions. In "Theory of Heaven", "Heaven" has faded away the spiritual light of the Supreme God and has become an objective natural existence opposite to human society. Xunzi said:

The stars are rotated, the sun and the moon are summoned, the four eras are controlled, the yin and yang are transformed, the wind and rain are given, all things are harmonious and born, each obtains their nourishment to achieve, and do not see their achievements but see their achievements. This is called the god; everyone knows why it is accomplished, but no one knows its invisibleness. This is called heaven. (The Theory of Heaven)

The sky refers to the sun, moon, stars, wind, rain, yin and yang and its movement changes. Xunzi believes that the existence and changes of all things in nature have their own laws. It is not dominated by external mysterious forces, nor is it influenced by people's subjective wishes. "The sky does not hate cold, stop winter; the earth does not hate distant, stop wide." (Synopsis) The movement and changes of heaven and earth are a natural process, and no will penetrate into it. Even some rare and strange phenomena, such as meteors, meteorites, solar eclipses, lunar eclipses, etc., are just special cases of natural changes, or variations in the normal way of nature. It is neither rewarding, punishment, and criticizing people, nor predicting the country.

The rise and fall of family. In short, all things in the world are objective natural material existences. On the contrary, humans and human society are different from all things in nature. Although humans have the natural ability and desire to "no need to be done", this is not the foundation of human beings. Only the etiquette and morality that distinguishes the relatives of father and son and the difference between men and women are the characteristics of human beings. The etiquette system formed in the material activities of maintaining their own lives, human ethics norms and moral concepts internalized into psychological emotions, enables people to get rid of their natural state, transcend natural things such as water, fire, plants, animals, etc., and become an active subject existence opposite to objective nature.

When a human society opposite to nature is formed, it is not nature that determines the rise and fall of society, but human beings themselves. Xunzi wrote:

The evil of the heavens is governed by the sun, moon, stars, and auspicious calendar, which is the same as Yu Jie. Yu governed by the rule, Jie governed by the chaos, which is not the heaven. Time evil? Day: the multi-opening, the foreigners grow in spring and summer, accumulate in the accumulation, and collect in autumn and winter, which is also the same as Yu Jie. Yu governed by the rule, Jie governed by the chaos, which is not the time. Is the earth? Day: if you get the land, you will live; if you lose the land, you will die. This is also Yu, which is the same as Jie. Yu governed by the rule, Jie governed by the chaos, which is not the earth. ("The Theory of Heaven")

In fact, although heaven and earth have a certain impact on human beings, they cannot play a decisive role. What is more important is that the role of heaven and earth in human society depends on how people manage and develop society itself, and on this basis, understanding, adapting to and controlling nature. "When the top is clear and the government is peaceful, then (disasters) will arise in the world, and the sky will be damaged; if the top is dark and the government is dangerous, then even if there is no one that comes, it will be useless." (Issue 1) For natural disasters and dissatisfaction, "If it is dealt with, it will be good, and if it is dealt with, it will be bad." (Issue 1) Only people are the real masters of social governance and chaos.

Xunzi's distinction between heaven and man distinguishes humans from the form of existence, human society and all things in nature, but Xunzi does not deny the connection between man and nature. We mentioned earlier that Xunzi highlights the dominant position and active role of man on the basis of the natural view of heaven. In fact, only by placing humans on the stage of cosmic nature can humans be fully demonstrated.

The role of man in nature can be examined from two perspectives: the role of man as an individual and the role of the whole. Xunzi believes that from the perspective of individual life, nature is the basis of human survival. As one of the natural things, man can only act on the external and internal conditions provided by nature. Therefore, man's role is nothing more than the continuation and completion of natural functions. In "Theory of Heaven", Xunzi proposed that the responsibilities and functions of heaven are mysterious and unexpected but naturally generate and nurture all things. It is the combination and changes of heaven and earth that produce the human form, and the spirit is produced from the form. Human five senses and hearts are both natural organs, so they are called heavenly officials and heavenly kings. Joy, anger, sorrow, sorrow, and happiness are the natural qualities of man, so they are called heavenly emotions. The nature provides material living materials called "Heaven"

"Health" is called "Heavenly Government". Human subjectivity is manifested in "clearing the heavenly king, correcting the heavenly officials, preparing the heavenly officials, following the heavenly government, nourishing the heavenly emotions, and fulfilling the heavenly merits" ("The Theory of Heaven") For example, the length of a human life is determined by external natural forces, "life and death are life and death." ("Yu Se") "Man's destiny is in heaven", ("Strong Country") But as long as a person plays the role of man on the basis of talent and follows the laws of nature, he can prolong his life, "being flat with goodness; using qi to cure qi and maintain health, he will be the ancestor behind him." ("Cultivating Self") In short, people should have a clear understanding of the role of heaven and man, "know what they do, what they do not do" ("The Theory of Heaven") Do not forget the active role of man, nor do they exaggerate the role of man.

As for the relationship between human society and nature, it should also be the same. The essence of the "division between heaven and man" is to define the scope of function for man and heaven. "The way to play a role is to be as good as the sky. Covering the surface of the earth, thorning grass and growing valleys, and more manure and fertilizer fields are the affairs of farmers and common people, and keeping financial resources for the people, advancing the elderly and young, and coordinating the people, making people not steal, which is the matter of the general. The high ones do not drought, the lower ones do not have water, the cold and heat are harmonious, and the five grains are the affairs of heaven. If a man covers it, accepts it, and controls it, even if the year is bad, the water and drought, and the people are not in trouble, it is the affairs of sages and ministers." ("Fuguo") Xunzi's "division" is to affirm the differences between heaven and man, and on the other hand, it emphasizes the duties of heaven and man, that is, the role. The composition of human society is based on the differences between man, and the prosperity of human society is conditional on the full play of the role of man. Naturally, it cannot be intervened.

Manipulating the chaos in the world, humans cannot affect the changing of the laws of nature. Heaven has its functions, and humans should not compete with heaven for their duties. The role of humans and humans, and the natural environment can also be controlled and eliminated through human efforts. For example, when controlling floods during the Yu period and saving drought during the soup period, they cannot shirk responsibility for the chaos to the silent nature. Only humans are the masters of human society. For Zhuangzi, "blind from the sky but do not know people."

Xunzi emphasized the active role of human beings, pointing out: "When thinking about the sky, who can control the animals and control them! When chanting them from the sky, who can control the destiny of heaven! When looking for the times and waiting for them, who can adapt to the times and make them! When it comes to many things, who can transform them! When thinking about things and doing things, who can control them and not lose them! I hope that things are born and what is the reason why things are accomplished! Therefore, when people think about the sky, they will lose the feelings of all things." ("The Theory of Heaven")

Historically, Xunzi's idea was called the theory of "suppressing the sky". Recently, some people have suspected that the theory of "controlling the destiny of heaven and using it" would lead to infinite grabbing of nature and damage the ecological balance, which has modernized Xunzi. In fact, just as he emphasized hierarchical differences in the internal relationship of human society, and achieved harmony and unity of the entire society by everyone performing their own duties and following their positions (so-called "monarch, minister, minister, father, son, brother, brother, brother" and "nong, scholar, worker, businessman") and "farmers, men and women, workers, businessmen") in the relationship between man and nature, he advocated the establishment of a harmonious and unified cosmic order through the full play of the role of heaven and man within their respective scopes.

This order is not based on the limited development of nature or the understanding and compliance of natural laws, he said:

Heaven has its time, earth has its wealth, and man has its governance. This is what it means to be able to follow. ("The Theory of Heaven")

Heaven and earth combine, and all things are born, yin and yang connect and change, nature combines falsely and the world governs, and heaven can live, but cannot distinguish things; the earth can carry people, but cannot cure people; all things in the universe belong to people, and wait for the saints to divide them ("Lectures")

Heaven and earth are the beginning of birth; etiquette and righteousness are the beginning of governance; gentlemen are the beginning of etiquette and righteousness. To do it, to carry it over, accumulate it, and to like it, is the beginning of a gentleman. Therefore, heaven and earth give birth to gentlemen, and gentlemen govern heaven and earth; gentlemen are the synonyms of heaven and earth, the general of all things, and the parents of the people. Without a gentleman, the heaven and earth will not be governed, there will be no rule of courtesy and righteousness, no superiors, and no father and son below. This is what is called the most chaotic. ("King System")

The internal basis for the combination of heaven and man is "sincere". He believes that if heaven and earth want to play their role in "birth", it must be sincere. If not sincere, it cannot cultivate all things. The sincerity of heaven refers to the constant movement of the four seasons of heaven and earth. Similarly, if man wants to play his role in governance, he must be sincere. Sincerity is the foundation of political affairs, and human sincerity refers to adhering to moral norms. "Only benevolence is the preservation of righteousness," ("Perfect") Sincerity can achieve "health virtue". From this point, the following conclusion can be drawn: Sincerity as the way of heaven is the foundation of humanity.

2. The relationship between heaven and man

The analysis of "sincerity" shows that there is a metaphysical connection between heaven and man. In fact, Xunzi emphasized the differences and oppositions between heaven and man in his view of nature and society and history, but advocated the interaction and harmony between heaven and man in his view of morality and life, thus embarking on the road to return to the theory of heaven and man in his theory of heaven and man.

By carefully dividing Xunzi's thoughts of heaven and man, we can find that what communicates between man and heaven is precisely the etiquette and righteousness that once separates man from nature. Xunzi affirms that man is essentially a non-natural thing. He believes that physical characteristics and natural instincts do not constitute the essential provisions of man. The essential provisions of man as a man are "etiquette and righteousness", that is, the etiquette and laws formed by man in material activities to maintain his own life, human ethics norms and moral concepts internalized into psychological emotions. Therefore, man is a social moral animal. He said: "If a man is rude, he will not be born" ("Cultivation of Self"), which means that people's blood, will, knowledge, residence, movement and stillness, appearance, attitude, advance and retreat, etc. will be contrary to evil and eccentric, and cannot be distinguished from animals, and cannot become human existence.

Of course, Xunzi was not the first thinker to be the essence of morality. Mencius had already had this idea before him. Mencius believed that the difference between human beings and animals lies in human morality. Therefore, without compassion, shame, or giving in, right and wrong, the heart of right and wrong cannot be considered a human being. However, Mencius also believed that moral concepts "not from the outside, I am inherent in it", which not only caused him to fall into the quagmire of idealism, but also logically fell into self-contradictory. Xunzi's excellence is that he not only affirmed that man is a product of nature, but also recognized that man is first of all the existence of nature. The fundamental (morality) of man being human beings is based on nature (nature). The emergence of propriety, morality and morality is the need and result of the development of human natural instinct. This idea not only confirms the special status of man being "the most noble in the world", but also does not separate the connection between man and nature, laying the foundation for the development of his theory of heaven and man.

In Xunzi's thought, morality, etiquette and morality elevates man from all things in nature, making him a special race in the world of all things, but man and nature do not become completely opposite poles. On the contrary, the two are unified, and the basis of unity is precisely the etiquette and morality as the essence of human beings. He believes that nature and human beings are the common origin of etiquette, "Etiquette has three books: heaven and earth are the foundation of birth; ancestors are the foundation of species; kings and teachers are the foundation of governance. There is no world, earth, hate birth? No ancestors, evil emergence?

Master, do you hate to be punished?" ("Lecture") Etiquette not only originates from nature, but is contained in the movement and changes of nature, but also is the order and law of nature. The so-called "righteousness is the one who is in harmony with people and outside with all things." ("Strong Kingdom") "Heaven and earth are united, the sun and the moon are bright, the four seasons are sequenced, the stars are moving, the rivers are flowing, and all things are prosperous; likes and dislikes are calm, joys and anger are at the right time, thinking that it is lower, and then it is clear, and all changes are not chaotic, and then it is lost. Isn't the etiquette coming!" ("Lecture")

What is the relationship between rituals as natural order and rituals as human nature and social principles? Xunzi believes that the two are consistent, or that the two are different manifestations of the same principle. He said, "The king and minister, father and son, brothers, husband and wife, start from the beginning, end from the beginning, the same principle as heaven and earth, and last forever. This is what is called the foundation." ("King System") Human ethics and morality are the same as heaven and earth, that is, the same "ritual" as heaven and earth, because "rituals are the principles that cannot be changed." ("Music Theory") This shows what Xunzi understands

However, it is not a pure nature that has nothing to do with man. He gives nature social content from the standpoint of man, in other words, nature has been transformed. As the essence of man and the etiquette and righteousness of social norms beyond the scope of society, it becomes an objectized natural order and becomes a universal law of the entire universe (man and nature). In this sense, Xunzi not only regards morality as the essential provision of man, but also as the essential provision of heaven, the existence of the entire world is placed above morality. Therefore, the philosophy of heaven and man is first and foremost a moral worldview.

What is connected to the essence of humans is the issue of human values. Logically speaking, morality is the human nature of humans; but in reality, individuals are not born as moral subjects. Therefore, everyone needs to transcend themselves and identify with the nature of human nature. This not only constitutes the unique content of human life activities, but also gives individual life social value.

In Confucianism, morality as the essence of human beings is the most important value goal of life. Confucius advocated the destruction of one's life to achieve righteousness, Mencius promoted the sacrifice of one's life for righteousness, and Xunzi also wrote, "What people want to live is too much, and what people hate to die is too much. However, people have those who die from birth, which are not to want to live and die, and cannot live and die. Therefore, if you want to go beyond it and fail to get too far, you are the right mind" ("Xunzi. A brief introduction") They believe that the purpose of life is not the satisfaction of physical desires, the acquisition of social honor and status, or even the preservation and continuation of life, but the enlightenment and impulse of morality. For people, morality is more valuable than life. The most important responsibility in life is to control individual desires and fulfill the moral obligations entrusted by society.

The existence of human beings has dual nature: on the one hand, the original existence is the existence of nature; on the other hand, the "created existence" is the existence of society. In the final analysis, the creation activity of man is a given object produced by self-creation, Marx believes that it is labor, while Xunzi believes that it is learning. He regards learning and not learning as the watershed between man and beast. "Therefore, learning has an end, and if its meaning is true, it cannot be given up for a moment. For this, it is human; giving up it is beast." ("Encouragement") The ontology of human existence here is not an understanding of the "principle of things" or a grasp of the objective world. He believes that no matter how much knowledge of the external nature is, it is also a fool.

The reason why a delusional person "only the saints do not seek to know the heaven." What he calls learning has specific content and goals. "Does learning evil begin? Evil end? Say: The number begins by reciting scriptures, and ends by reading etiquette; the meaning begins by being a scholar, and ends by being a saint." ("Encouragement") In his opinion, the essence of learning is to be a human being, internalize external social norms into conscious subjective consciousness. "Reading etiquette" actually regulates oneself with etiquette. "Encouragement is the reason for correcting oneself." ("Encouragement") Thus, "accumulating good deeds to achieve virtue. The gods are satisfied and the holy heart is prepared." ("Encouragement") Therefore, learning becomes the creation activity of the essence of human beings and the realization process of human value.

His ultimate goal is to become a saint. To become a saint, one must enter the state of unity between man, nature, man and man. He said, "Now, let the people who are in charge of art, concentrate on one's mind, think about who to observe, and increase the county for a long time, accumulate good deeds without stopping, then they will be connected to the gods and participate in the heaven and earth." ("Nature Evil") "Who knows the extreme! The testicles and testicles are wide and wide, who knows their virtues! The yin and yin are numerous, who knows their form! The sun and the moon are bright, and the eight extremes are great. This is called a great man!" ("Xiebi")

Xunzi believed that ordinary people can become saints after long-term moral cultivation. Saints use their moral character to shine with the sun and the moon, and to be vast with the young place, which is consistent with the Si Meng School and the Yi Zhuan of the State of unity between man and nature.

However, the academic community not only has differences in Xunzi's advocate of the separation of heaven and man and the unity of heaven and man, but also has different views on the content and nature of Xunzi's unity of heaven and man. I think Xunzi not only affirmed the separation of heaven and man and man, but also advocated the unity of young man and man; division is the premise, and unity is the destination. Xunzi's unity of heaven and man is neither Mozi nor Dong Zhongshu's induction type of heaven and man, nor is it a modern type that follows the laws of nature. Generally speaking, it belongs to the combination of young man and man of Si Meng School, but it is different.

Indeed, Xunzi once clearly proposed the "dividing between heaven and man", which corresponds to this is the "dividing between nature and false nature". He said: "The reason why birth is called nature. The harmony of nature is born, and the essence is combined and induces, and it is naturally called nature. ... The heart is weak and can move it, and it is called falsehood. It is called falsehood. It is possible to learn and accomplish it after it can be practiced. " ("Jing Ming") "All nature is the result of heaven, and cannot be learned or done. Proficiency and righteousness are the birth of sages, what people learn and can be learned and can be done and accomplished. Those who cannot learn and cannot be done but are in heaven are called nature; those who can learn and can be done but can be done but are in man are called falsehood; these are false natures

"("Evil Nature") Nature refers to human natural instincts and falsely refers to human social morality. He believes that human natural attributes are mainly the innate instincts and physiological needs to maintain and continue life, such as hunger and desire to eat, cold and want to wear clothes, labor and want to rest, etc. There is no moral factor here, so it is said that human nature is evil; human social attributes are propriety, righteousness, laws, moral ethics, which are created by saints and learned after birth. Everyone is in opposition to natural instincts and human morality, things belonging to heaven and human things belonging to humans. Therefore, the difference between false nature is the distinction between heaven and man reflected in individuals.

Xunzi's purpose is not to just reveal the opposition of sexual falsehood, but to eliminate this opposition, and to achieve "nature falsehood" through "changing nature and falsehood". From the individual perspective, this is to transform human natural instincts to make it completely a social existence. Through continuous learning and accumulating goodness, gradually get rid of the control of natural instincts, obey the dominance of social norms, and achieve self-improvement of personality; from the society, it is to shape each member according to the established moral standards, so that the social behavioral norms become an internal moral law of the individual, thereby eliminating individual and social contradictions and achieving unity. But unlike Mencius's "few desires" and especially the Song Confucianism's "preserving the laws of nature and destroying human desires", Xunzi's "

The transformation of nature and false nature is not about eliminating human nature with morality, but a proper combination of the two. "Therefore, it is said: nature is the original material and simple; false nature is the prosperity of literature and theory, and there is no nature, and false nature cannot be added. Without falsehood, nature cannot beautify itself, and then become the name of a saint, and then the achievements of the whole world will be accomplished." ("The Lunar New Year") also said, "The so-called good nature should not be separated from its simplicity and beautify it, and do not leave its resources and benefit it." ("The Evil") Nature is the foundation, and man is the development of nature on nature. Nature cannot be separated from moral norms, and morality cannot lose its natural support. In the complete combination of nature and morality, that is, human nature and social attributes, one can become a saint.

If we compare Mencius and Xunzi's theory of heaven and man, we can see that Mencius's heaven refers to the meaning injected by man in nature (people in nature), and Xunzi's heaven refers to the natural nature of man (natural in man); Mencius took heaven as the origin of morality, and Xunzi took man as moral basis; Mencius used man as the unity of heaven, while Xunzi used heaven as the unity of man and man. But they came to the same end, and the unity of man and nature - the unity of individuals and social morality - was the common ideal of both.

Xunzi's idea of ​​unity between man and nature did not stay at the level of internal human beings. He once said this, "Nature is what I cannot do, but it can be transformed; accumulation is not my own, but it can be done. The point of wrong customs is to transform nature; unity is one but not two, so it can be accumulated. Customs change their will, and long-term changes in quality. If one but not two, it will be connected to gods and participate in heaven and earth." ("Religious Religion") This shows that his idea of ​​unity between man and nature has two levels. First, the unity between man and nature is the so-called "fake nature" and "unity but not two" refer to the relationship between man and nature and social attributes.

By uniting, you can become a saint when you achieve this step; if you achieve "unity but not two", you can "interpret the gods and participate in heaven and earth", that is, if a man completes the inner unity of heaven and man, you can achieve unity with the external unity of heaven and earth, and you can understand the gods with goodness, and reach the heaven and earth. This is consistent with the idea of ​​virtue matching with heaven and earth in the Si Meng School, that is, people are united with morality and virtue of heaven and earth, rather than the same as Zhuangzi as natural existence objects and material nature. Therefore, Xunzi's theory of heaven and man is ultimately the Confucian theory of heaven and man, which is different from Taoism. In short, Xunzi's unity of heaven and man is still a life view with morality as a transcendent goal.

Section 3 The historical influence of Xunzi's theory of heaven and man

Among the pre-Qin thinkers, Xunzi's theory of heaven and man was the richest and systematic. On the basis of the natural view of heaven, he clearly distinguished the different existences and functions of man and nature, fully affirmed the active role of man, advocated understanding, utilizing and controlling nature, and "controlling the destiny of heaven and using it". These ideas constitute the essence of the pre-Qin theory of heaven and man, and had a profound impact on later thinkers.

Xunzi's student Han Fei inherited the idea of ​​"controlling the destiny and using it". He advocated that people's subjective initiative should be actively exerted on the basis of natural laws. As long as they follow the "necessary ways" such as the right time and place, and make full use of natural conditions, they can create wealth and increase income. He said: "Be careful about the harmony of yin and yang when doing things, and the appropriateness of the four seasons of planting the tree festival, and there is no loss of morning and evening, and the disasters of cold and warmth will lead to more. Do not use small achievements to hinder major tasks, and do not harm human affairs with selfish desires. The husband is devoted to farming and women are good at weaving fibers, so they will lead to more. Pay attention to the principle of raising animals, observe the appropriateness of the land, and the six animals are ready and the five grains are growing, so they will lead to more." (Han Feizi. Difficult II)

Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, the theory of the induction of the celestial man represented by Dong Zhongshu is the theory of induction of the celestial man represented by Dong Zhongshu. Although Wang Chong of the Eastern Han Dynasty strongly criticized the idea of ​​induction of the celestial man, he fell into the conclusion of nature and could not extricate himself. It was not until Liu Zongyuan and Liu Yuxi of the Tang Dynasty that they completely cleared the theory of induction of the natural view of the celestial qi and carried forward Xunzi's induction of the celestial man.

Liu Zongyuan believed that the essence of the universe is the origin of the universe. It automatically and rejuvenates itself. This is a natural process and does not rely on any external power and will. The heaven, earth and all things that exist naturally have different properties and functions from human society. The two are incompatible. "Reproduction and famine are all heaven; legal system and chaos are all human beings. It is just two, and their affairs are not prepared for each other." ("Answer Liu Yuxi (The Book of Heaven)") Natural disasters do not mean that God rewards and punishes people. The blessings and misfortunes in the world are caused by oneself, "the merit is natural", "the misfortunes are caused by disasters", and "it is not the heaven that predicts people."

While criticizing the "theory of Yin and Heroes" of the response of heaven and man, Liu Yuxi developed the "theory of nature" that is different from heaven and man, and put forward the glorious idea of ​​"the mutual victory between heaven and man". He believed that vital energy is the foundation of the existence of the universe, and all things in the world evolved from the movement of vital energy, "being born with the qi, groupings gather, plantings are called life. Moving animals are called insects, and the strength of insects is the greatest wisdom, being able to adhere to human principles, be able to compete with heaven, use the benefits of heaven to establish the law of man." ("Liu Binke Collection. Theory of Heaven" 2") [This passage is likely to be from Xunzi's "Water and fire have qi but not birth. Plants and trees are born but ignorant, and animals have knowledge.

There is no righteousness, people have energy, life and knowledge, and also have righteousness, so they are the most precious thing in the world." (Xunzi. King System) is born] In fact, only the emergence of man can truly divide the unified world into two different existences: man and heaven (nature), each of which has different natures and functions. "Heaven is the greatness of tangibleness; man is the best of animals. The ability of heaven is not impossible; man is the ability of heaven, and heaven is also unable to do anything. Therefore, I say: Heaven and man are in harmony with man. It says: The way of heaven is in reproduction, its use is in strength and weakness; the way of man is in law, and its use is in right and wrong." (Liu Binke Collection

. . . . 《（》）) "Therefore, it is said: What heaven can produce all things; what man can control all things" (same as above) The instinct of nature lies in growing and reproduction of all things, which is reflected through the strength and weakness of all things; the essential attribute of human society is the rule of law, which is reflected by judging right and wrong, good and evil. The instincts and laws of nature, such as "yang is born with a strong and yin is killed; water and fire damage things, wood is strong and metal is profitable", etc. It is impossible for humans to change. In this sense, people can only succumb to heaven, so it is said that heaven is superior to man. However, humans, as "the most important animals", have the wisdom to understand the nature and laws of nature,

He also established a human society through etiquette, righteousness and legal system. When facing nature, people use their benefits to avoid their harm; when facing society, people advocate virtuousness and prevent evil. In this way, people have a transcendent natural side, so it is said that man overcomes heaven. Liu Yuxi further pointed out: "Heaven does not seek to overcome man. Why? If man does not seek to obey man, he will return to heaven. What? Heaven is selfless, so people can seek to overcome victory" (similar to above) That is to say, heaven defeats man is not aimed and conscious, while man overcomes heaven is man's conscious pursuit. In this relationship between heaven and man, man, as the active subjective force, actually dominates the object nature.

Wang Tingxiang, a thinker in the Ming Dynasty, also affirmed the idea that heaven and man win each other. He believed that all things in the world are born in one qi, and everything is uneven, and the principles are also different. "The sky has the principles of heaven, the earth has the principles of earth, the people have the principles of people, and things have the principles of things" ("Ya Shu" first chapter) All things in the world compete for victory based on their principles. He said: "Yao has water, Tang has drought, and the way of heaven and earth is just right. Yao, what can Tang do? Heaven defeats people? This is what Yao has done to control water. Although the waves in nine years have passed, the people are distracted from fish and sows; Tang cultivates the policy of saving wasteland.

Even if it is too hot for seven years and there is no hunger in the wild. People can overcome nature. This is why water and drought are the ones? Therefore, if there is a disaster in the country (atom is: to diagnose Zuo Shui), the monarch and ministers are virtuous and political, which is better than the superiors." ("Be careful of the word of the word") The occurrence of natural disasters is inevitable in the way of heaven and earth, which cannot be changed by man; but people can overcome natural disasters through their own efforts. This idea is consistent with Xunzi's "control of the destiny of heaven and man" and Liu Yuxi's idea of ​​"the mutual victory between heaven and man" is in line with it.

In ancient Chinese agricultural society, the natural economy dominated, and the small production and operation methods of households made people very low in their ability to resist natural disasters, thus forming a general social psychology of relying on the heavens to make a living, respect and relying on nature. In this context, Xunzi, Liu Yuxi and others were not afraid of the will of heaven, advocated actively playing the active role of human beings, understanding the laws of nature, using, controlling and conquering nature. These brilliant ideas have positive significance for both social production activities in ancient China and the political activities of the country.

Section 4: and ancient Chinese philosophy

It is generally recognized that the category of heaven and man is the core category of Chinese philosophy. However, the essence of the study of heaven and man is still a question worth further discussion. A representative view in the academic community believes that the relationship between heaven and man is a special manifestation of ancient Chinese philosophy on the basic issues of philosophy, and the struggle between materialism and idealism revolves around the debate between heaven and man. [Han Qiang: "The Evolution of Pre-Qin Philosophical Thinking Mode and Basic Category", "Journal of Xiujing" No. 5, 1983, included in the book "Collection of Chinese Philosophical Categories"] Some scholars also proposed that the basic meaning of "harmony between man and man" is to affirm the unity of nature and spirit. [Zhang Dainian: "Analysis of the Thought of "harmony between man and man" in Chinese Philosophy", "Journal of Peking University" No. 1, 1985] I think there is still room for consideration for these views.

1. The category of heaven and man does not equal the category of nature and spirit

Whether in terms of the meaning of the category of heaven and man or the relationship between the two, it is difficult to establish the view that the relationship between heaven and man is a basic issue of Chinese philosophy.

Engels clearly stipulates the relationship between thinking and existence, spirit and nature as the basic philosophical issue. Here, existence, nature, like the concept of matter, refers to the objective reality independent of our feelings and reflected by our feelings. Some scholars use nature and spirit to correspond to the concept of heaven and man, which is very inaccurate. Mr. Feng Youlan once summarized the five meanings of "heaven": "The heaven of matter is the heaven that is opposite to the earth. The heaven that dominates the heaven, that is, the so-called heaven, God,

The heaven of human nature, the emperor. It refers to the heaven of destiny, which refers to what is helpless in life, as Mencius said, "If you succeed, you will be heaven." It refers to the operation of nature, which refers to the operation of nature, as Xunzi said in the "Theory of Heaven" chapter. It refers to the heaven of righteousness, which refers to the highest principle of the universe, as the "Doing of the Mean" says, "The destiny of heaven is nature"" [Feng Youlan: "History of Ancient Chinese Philosophy", Zhonghua Book Company, 1961 edition] Of course, other meanings of heaven can also be mentioned,

As recorded in "Shuoyuan": "Duke Huan of Qi asked Guan Zhong, "Why are the kings of the lower kings?" replied: "Respecting heaven." Duke Huan looked up at the sky. Guan Zhong said: "The so-called heaven is not the vast sky. The king and man regard the people as the heaven." It should be pointed out that the various meanings of heaven are often not explanations of various material or spiritual entities, but a description of one entity from different aspects. The second Cheng said: "In terms of form, it is called heaven, the master is called emperor, and in terms of function, it is called ghost.

God is called God by wonderful use, and Qian by nature and temperament." (Volume 22 of the "Submission of Cheng Family in Henan") In different philosophers (even the same philosopher), heaven is both the master and can be nature, such as Dong Zhongshu; it is both fate and law, such as Wang Chong; for man, heaven is both external nature and internal nature, such as Xunzi. The rich and complex content contained in heaven, the concept of "nature" cannot be summarized no matter what.

Can the concept of man, especially in Chinese philosophy, be equivalent to spirit? I don't think. Replacing the thinking as the subject is an important cornerstone of Feuerbach's creation of the new philosophy. He believes that whether the Christian God or Hegel's "absolute spirit" is essentially just a human. Human nature, human beings are the "organic intermediary" of sensibility (referring to nature) and thinking. [Selected Works of Feuerbach's Philosophical Works" Volume 2, page 857, Commercial Press, 1984 Edition] The subject of thinking does not equal the thinking of the subject. Spirit, thinking is only the function of the human brain and is the attribute of human beings. Engels wrote that if consciousness and thinking are regarded as something ready-made, as something that is opposite to existence and nature from the beginning, it will lead to Hegel and Dulin

The conclusion, "What exactly is thinking and consciousness? Where do they come from? Then you will find that they are all products of the human brain, and man itself is the product of nature." [Selected Works of Marx and Engels, Volume 3, Page 74, People's Publishing House, 1972 edition] Here, Engels clarified the relationship between nature, man, and thinking, revealed the intermediate links of the transition from nature to thinking, and at the same time, also implied the difference between the three. As Lenin pointed out: "There are indeed three objectives here: (1) nature; (2) the human understanding of a human brain (that is the highest product of the same nature; (3) the reflection form of nature in human cognition, this form is concept, law, category, etc.." [Lenin: Philosophical Notes, page 194, People's Publishing House, 1

974 edition] Obviously, the human brain cannot be directly equated with the thinking of the human brain, the ability to recognize directly with the knowledge of humans, and the spirit of humans. What is meaningful is that materialism never equates humans with spirit, and "when speculative philosophers talk about humans on all other occasions, they do not refer to concrete things, but abstract things, that is, ideas, spirit, etc.". [The Complete Works of Marx and Engels, Volume 2, page 49. People's Publishing House, 1965 edition] Chinese philosophy is very different from Western philosophy. Thinkers never talk about the relationship between heaven and man in the sense of spirit opposite to nature. On the contrary, people all regard people as part of nature, and both human bodies and human spirits are attached to nature. Zhuangzi wrote, "The number of things is called

Ten thousand people are in one place;" (Zhuangzi. Qiushui) Xunzi first regards man as a natural existence object, and the material energy is the basis of man's existence. Wang Chong said with certainty that "man is a thing," (Lunheng. On Death) also said, "The reason why the wife is born is yin and yang energy. Yin energy is the main body of bones and flesh, and yang energy is the main body of spirit. The birth of man is yin and yang energy, so the bones and flesh are strong and the essence is strong." (Lunheng. On Guizi) In their opinion, man is like plants, trees, animals and animals, and is one of all things. Not only is the body composed of matter, but even the spirit is composed of material energy. In short, in Chinese philosophy, the concept of man is not a spiritual entity opposite to nature. Abstractly describes the concept of heaven and man as nature and spirit, and encounters insurmountable difficulties in both theory and reality.

Is the origin of the world spirit or nature? Is the world created by God or it has always existed? This is what must be answered by the basic philosophical questions. However, this issue is not involved in the theory of heaven and man. In other words, which is the origin of heaven and man, and which is derived is an unquestionable question in the relationship between heaven and man: Chinese philosophers have never regarded man as the spirit that produces the universe. For man, the origin of heaven (whether spiritual or natural) has never been doubted.

The earliest discussion of the emergence of human beings was Zhuangzi, "Man's life is the gathering of energy. If it gathers, it will be life, and if it disperses, it will be death." (Zhuangzi. Zhibeiyou) He believed that human body and life were given by nature. Later, the author of "Yi Zhuan" said, "If there is heaven and earth, then there will be all things, and if there are all things, then there will be men and women." (Xu Gua) Xunzi believed that heaven and earth are the foundation of life, and the movement and changes of heaven and earth produce all things, and man is one of them. "After the heavenly duty is established, the heavenly power is accomplished, and the body is born; likes, dislikes, joys, anger, sorrow and happiness are all included, which is called heavenly emotions." ("Theory of Heaven") After the Qin and Han Dynasties, Tai was formed

The world of yin and yang - five elements - man, the pattern of all things happening in this world. It shows that during the entire cosmic atmosphere, people are only creatures that appear at a certain stage. Thinkers generally believe that human production cannot be separated from the movement of qi. Dong Zhongshu said, "Therefore, nothing is more refined than qi, nothing is rich in the earth, and nothing is more spiritual than heaven. The essence of heaven and earth is more valuable than man, and man is given the commandment of heaven." ("Spring and Autumn Blossom Dew. Human Related Numbers") Wang Chong believes that "the heaven and earth are combined with qi, and the dolls are born by themselves." ("Lunheng. Object Power") Zhu Xi wrote when discussing the biochemical process of the universe: "And it is like the world between heaven and earth.

, People, plants, trees, animals, and animals are all planted, and they will definitely not have seeds. A thing will be born from the earth, and this is all qi" (Volume 1 of Zhu Zi Yulei) Even if the subjective idealist Lu Jiuyuan is born in heaven and earth, it is not the opposite. "Therefore, Tai Chi has to be judged as two yin and earth. When the two yin is divided, when the heaven and earth are in position, people will be in it." (Volume 21 of Lu Jiuyuan Collection) The two yin refers to Yin and Yang, which is reflected in heaven and earth. It is also said that in life, the harmony of Yin and Yang is the harmony of the five elements. Who can add it? " (Volume 30 of Lu Jiuyuan Collection) The harmony of Yin and Yang is the harmony of Yin and Yang

. From the materials cited above, it can be seen that heaven is the creator of man. No matter what the nature of heaven is, human beings cannot be separated from material energy. In short, the analysis of heaven and man proves the unity of heaven and man, the way of heaven and human, nature and human nature, rather than which of the two is the fundamental or which is derived. Since "harmony of man and man" has its own concerns and its own way of solving problems, we can only judge its nature based on the problems it raises and solves, and cannot equate it with the basic problems of modern Western philosophy just because it is the highest problem of ancient Chinese philosophy.
To be continued...