requestId:684c3e44670c06.91909307.
About the “filial piety theory” and “benevolence theory” in pre-Qin Confucianism
Author: Zeng Zhenyu (Professored by Shandong Confucian Advanced Research Institute, Doctoral Supervisor)
Source: “Philosophy Research” Issue 11, 2019; Reprinting data “Chinese Philosophy” 2020 Issue 2
Abstract: After Confucius’ past life, the relationship between benevolence and filial piety within Confucianism had a difference between the “filial piety theory” and the “benevolence theory”. From the height of national legislation, the author of “Filial Piety” certifies filial piety as “the passage of heaven”, “the meaning of earth” and “the approach of people”. Filial piety spans the bloody and affectional boundaries of father and son, and expands into an infinity of unfamiliar society, and turns into a big law for people, people, society, and people and nature. In the social and political field, filial piety is regarded as political ethics, which has given rise to the concepts of “governing the whole country with filial piety” and “transforming filial piety to be loyal”. However, the political management concept based on the “filial piety theory” has the ideological form that can make Confucianism a ideology that protects the “family and the whole country”. The preliminary structure of Mencius’s “Benevolence-based Discussion” can be regarded as criticism and opposition to the “Benevolence-based Discussion” of “Filial Piety”. Mencius proved from the perspective of the mind and nature that benevolence lies in humanity, which is the moral sentiment of human beings. Benevolence is the body, and filial piety is the use. In the three realms of “faith”, “benevolence and admiration” and “love things”, filial piety is only the manifestation of benevolence in family ethics. In the field of social politics, “unbearing others’ heart” is the moral foundation and inner energy of “unbearing others’ politics”. With Mencius’ “Benefits and Beliefs” in mind, the “Benefits and Beliefs and Beliefs” have been gradually faded. Since the Han and Tang dynasties, all the scholars of the times believed that they respected the “benevolence theory” and made a statement from the perspective of different philosophical studies. Mencius’s “Benevolence and Being Preface” has a very important meaning for the establishment of mainstream Confucian thought.
Keywords: filial piety; benevolence; “Filial piety”; Mencius
After Confucius’ past life, there were a variety of factions within Confucianism. The relationship between benevolence and filial piety has created a distinction between advocating benevolence and filial piety. The author of “Filial Piety” Zeng Zi and his student① From the height of national legislation, they regard filial piety as “the passage of heaven”, “the meaning of earth” and “the journey of approach”. In the social and political field, filial piety is regarded as political ethics, and has the concepts of “governing the whole country with filial piety”, “transforming filial piety to be loyal”, and “integrating loyalty and filial piety”. In the social and political thinking level, the essence of “filial piety theory” is “filial piety king”. The social and political purpose of “Filial Piety” in “Filial Piety” has caused the internal thoughts of Confucianism to be inconsistent. The establishment of Mencius’s “Four Terms” and “Four Hearts” discussions and the preliminary establishment of “Benevolence” can be regarded as criticism and opposition to the “Filial Piety” “Filial Piety” at a certain level.
1. Tianyuandi and Earthly Issue: The theory of “filial piety theory” in “Filial piety”There is a problem worth pondering in the text of “Filial Piety”: whether it is the “Filial Piety” in the current text or the ancient text “Filial Piety”, the word “Ren” does not appear. According to statistics, “Ren” appears 109 times in “Theory”, 158 times in “Mencius”, and 134 times in “Xunzi”. In the bamboo simplified Chinese tombs of the Guodian Chu, which was discovered in the 90th century, the word “Ren” appears about 70 times. However, “benevolence” as the focus of Confucianism cannot be seen in the ancient and modern texts of “Filial Piety”. This civilization phenomenon is intriguing, and it must be hidden from the author’s unique philosophical thinking and social and political interests.
“Filial piety is the foundation of virtue and the origin of teaching.” (“Filial piety Chapter of the Mingyi of the Zong”) In the ideological system of Confucius and Mencius, benevolence is the whole virtue, and its position is higher than other virtues. However, in the “Filial Piety” system, filial piety has replaced benevolence and has risen to the root of virtue, such as filial piety being called “the most important way of virtue” (sigma). Not only this, the most important feature of the book “Filial Piety” is that Zeng Zi and his door’s vitality map are metaphysical, and the filial piety certificate is the main body. “Filial piety is the meaning of heaven, the meaning of earth, and the behavior of approach. The meaning of Liuhe is the meaning of Liuhe, and the meaning of ordinary people is the way.” (“Filial piety chapter”) The meaning of “未” here refers to the laws and regulations that are natural, constant and unchanging. “The Great Bible Notes: Zengzi’s Great Filial Piety” also has a similar statement: “Filial piety is the great world.” The name of filial piety is a heavenly and earthly meaning, and filial piety is the essence of the universe. In fact, it is to understand the essence based on virtue.
What we need to ask further is: filial piety is the “travel of heaven”, “the meaning of earth” and “the approach of people”? If the author fails to prove the price of philosophical evidence, this discussion is just a separate discussion of circular evidence. Unfortunately, the author of “Filial Piety” cannot explain how this is discussed in the existing data. These two paragraphs in “Filial Piety: The Chapter of the Holy Governance” may be related to why filial piety is an “accessible behavior”: “The way of father and son is the nature”, “The nature of the six-harmony is precious. No one’s actions are greater than filial piety.” Discussing people in the thinking framework of “Filial Piety and All Things” is a form of thinking in Confucianism, from Confucius to Mencius, the second Cheng, Zhu Xi, and Wang Yangming, there is no other way. To explore the way of father and son from “nature” means that it is no longer limited to stating morality from the moral field, but to stating morality from the perspective of morality. Filial piety is no longer the concept of moral theory, but the model of the ethics theory, and has even become the energy body of the universe. Confucius said, “The benevolent is at ease” (“Speech Liren”), and taking benevolence as peace means taking benevolence as joy. Behind the feelings are the light of humanity. The author of “Filial Piety” also highly demonstrated the legitimacy of filial piety, and is somewhat close to Confucius’ thoughts in logic.. Why “no one’s actions are greater than filial piety”? In the Ming Dynasty, Wu Qi made some comments on this: “The heaven is a constant basis for the covering of living things, so it is called “The earth is a good idea. It is a good idea to inherit the benefits of things, so it is called “Yi”. Getting the nature of heaven is kind, and getting the nature of earth is respectful. This is filial piety, which is what is easy to approach, so it is called “Easy to approach.” (Volume 7 of “Filial Piety”) The nature of the six combinations comes from the same source as the nature of human beings, and they are in harmony with each other. The virtue of heaven is “compassion”, the virtue of earth is “respect and resolute”, and the nature of six combinations is combined in the reality of humanity, and it is manifested as “filial piety”. Since filial piety has been raised to the body and upgraded to the energy of the universe, morality, gifts, wisdom, trustworthiness, friendship, etc. have become specific virtues under the system of filial piety. “Filial Piety·Zhang of the Shuhou” says: “If you are not appreciative, you are high but not dangerous; if you are restrained, you are full but not overflowing. If you are high but not dangerous, you are long-term and you are expensive; if you are full but not overflowing, you are long-term and rich.” The filial piety that Shuhou should adhere to includes pride, ritual, guarding and honesty. The filial piety that you should adhere to is “You dare not obey the laws of the previous kings, you dare not speak the laws of the previous kings, and you dare
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