[Don't click, this release is anti-theft. The main text is replaced before 8 o'clock in the morning. It has not been updated. Please refresh]

"Records of the Grand Historian" records that Li Si "learned the art of emperors from Xunqing". Xunzi's "art of emperors" was reflected through Li Si's later practice. Su Shi of the Northern Song Dynasty said in "Theory of Xunqing": "Xunqing understands the kingly way and tells the rituals and music, while Li Si's learning confuses the world."

Key achievements

Thoughts and views

Main points

Xunzi criticized all schools of thought, but he only praised Confucius' thoughts and believed that it was the best concept of governing the country. Xunzi regarded himself as Confucius' heir and focused on inheriting Confucius' "outside king's study". He also critically summarized and absorbed the theoretical propositions of various schools of thought from an epistemological standpoint, formed a distinctive natural view of "understanding the distinction between heaven and man", a moral view of "transforming nature into falsehood", and a social and historical view of "governing etiquette". On this basis, he summarized pre-Qin philosophy.

Naturalistic view of the way of nature "understanding the separation of heaven and man"

The issue of heaven, destiny, and destiny have always been a concern of various schools in the pre-Qin period. During the Yin, Shang and Western Zhou dynasties, "Heaven" and "Destiny" were regarded as personality gods. By Confucius, his personality and destiny were diluted. Confucius mainly used the feelings of relatives to discuss benevolence and virtue, and regarded destiny as a blind dominant power. After Confucius, his disciples and descendants tried to integrate "benevolence", "heart and nature" and "destiny" were to obtain ontological support. On the other hand, he also rationalized and valued the meaning of "Heaven", "destiny", and "destiny". Xunzi took the components of Taoism's natural view on "Heaven", "Heaven's way", and "destiny". However, its theoretical purpose was not to move towards naturalism, but to highlight the "division of heaven and man", and then based on the "division of heaven and man", he constructed his own "human" theory.

1. The idea of ​​nature

Xunzi naturally transformed "Heaven", "District of Heaven", and "Dather of Heaven" into objective and regularity, which is seen in his article "Theory of Heaven". "The stars are rotated, the sun and the moon are circulating, the four eras are controlled, the yin and yang are transformed, and the wind and rain are widely used. All things are harmonious and cultivated to achieve success. They do not see their affairs but see their achievements. This is called god; they all know why they are accomplished, but they do not know how they are invisible. This is called heaven.

In Xunzi's view, heaven is nature, without reason, will, good and evil, likes and dislikes. Heaven is natural heaven, not personality god. He calls subtle functions such as yin and yang, wind and rain, and calls the nature composed of this function the heaven. The creation of the universe is not created by God, but the result of the movement of all things themselves.

2. The idea of ​​"Heaven is always alive"

Xunzi believed that the sky was not mysterious and unpredictable, but had its own unchanging laws. This law was not the mysterious way of heaven, but the necessity of nature. It did not rely on the likes and dislikes of the world to change. People should not violate this law, but could only strictly abide by it.

Heaven is always in a constant way, not for Yao, nor for Jie to perish. It is good to govern it, and it is bad to respond to chaos. The way of heaven will not change due to human emotions or will, and it is completely indifferent to the distinction between good and evil of human beings. Xunzi was critical of traditional religious superstition, believing that natural changes have no necessary connection with the good and bad of social governance, chaos, and the various religious rituals that sacrifice and mourn the dead are merely expressing "the desire of one's will" and are in full swing "human way" rather than "ghost things". ("Rules")

3. The idea of ​​"the separation of heaven and man"

Xunzi believed that nature and human beings each have their own laws and duties. The way of heaven cannot interfere with the way of human beings. Heaven returns to heaven and man, so it is said that the separation of heaven and man does not mean that the combination of heaven and man is. The good and bad are in man but not in heaven. Moreover, heaven and man have different functions. "Heaven can be living things, cannot distinguish things, the earth can carry people, and cannot govern people" ("Luan Lun") "Heaven has its time, the earth has its talent, and man has its governance" ("Luan Lun")

4. The idea of ​​"controlling destiny and using it"

In Xunzi's view, instead of believing in the authority of heaven, thinking of it, praising it, and waiting for the gift of "Heaven", it is better to use the laws of nature to serve people. Xunzi emphasized "respecting those who are in themselves" rather than "who admired those who are in heaven". He even used his attitude towards heaven as the standard for the distinction between gentlemen and villains. He emphasized the subjective initiative of man in front of nature, advocated the idea of ​​"governing the destiny of heaven", "trialing all things", and "transforming them through abilities". Xunzi clearly declared that understanding the way of heaven is to control the natural world in order to control the way of heaven.

The theory of "changing nature and becoming false"

Xunzi is most famous for his theory of evil nature, which is directly contrary to Mencius' theory of good nature. His general argument is that everything that is good and valuable is the product of human efforts. Value comes from culture, and culture is human creation. It is at this point that humans have the same importance as heaven and earth in the universe.

1. "Man's nature is evil" - a theory of nature with natural qualifications as nature

Xunzi's main efforts were to confirm the dominant position of human beings in moral cultivation and governance of the country. In terms of moral cultivation, as the premise and starting point, it is Xunzi's theory of evil nature advocated. Xunzi started from the perspective of the separation of heaven and man, and denied the prior moral basis in human nature. In his opinion, the so-called human nature is the natural nature of human beings, which is the so-called "why is born". Its natural manifestation is "hungry and want to be full, cold and want to be warm, and labor and want to be restless" [6]. In fact, it is the abstract natural biological instinct and psychological instinct that human beings naturally have.

Xunzi believed that human nature's natural desire for material life conflicted with moral etiquette norms. He believed that human nature "was born with favorable benefits", "was born with evil", "was born with desires of ears and eyes, and lustfulness". If "following human nature and following people's feelings, it must be out of struggle, and in accordance with the violation of chaotic principles and return to violence". Therefore, human nature is "evil", not "good".

Xunzi's view of emotion and nature here is related to the thoughts of the early Confucian school of "Self-Person" in Confucianism. However, the concept of "Self-Person" as the sky leads to the survival argument of naturalism and emotion. Xunzi did not develop along this path because he believed that the natural temperament was evil. Therefore, in accordance with his development, it would cause competition between people, killing thieves, and leading to social chaos. This is the theory of evil nature.

2. The moral education theory of "transforming nature and falsehood"

Xunzi believed that anything that has not been educated will not do good. Regarding the formation of "good" in human nature, Xunzi proposed the proposition that "the evil nature of a man is false". Although Xunzi's theory of human nature is exactly the opposite of Mencius, he also agreed that everyone can become a saint. Xunzi believed that in terms of human innate nature, "Yao and Shun and Jie Zhi are one of their nature, and gentlemen and villains are one of their nature" are both natural evil nature. The difference between acquired wise and foolish and unfilial is due to "blocking the accumulation of wrong customs". The acquired environment and experience have a decisive role in the transformation of human nature. Through human subjective efforts, "the etiquette and morality, and laws" to transform human "evil" nature, then "the person who is Tu can be Yu."

Mencius said that everyone can be Yao and Shun because people are good, while Xunzi argued that people of Tu could be Yu because people are wise.

3. The significance and purpose of the theory of evil nature that "transforms nature and causes falsehood"
Chapter completed!