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On Confucianism’s universalism and universal value
——Critical assessment and modern energy based on Confucian history
Author: Chen Yueyue
Source: Author Author Authorized by Confucianism Network
This article is a reprint with “On Confucianism’s universalism”—Response to ZhuBaocai WebsiteLian” is a topic published in the editor of Wang Xuedian: “The Eighth World Confucian Society’s Academic Discourse Collection”, Ming Arts and Arts Bookstore, 2017.
[Abstract] Julian believes that “universal” is the patent of Eastern civilization, and Chinese civilization will not raise the problem of “universal”. In fact, Confucian traditions have strong generalist thinking and universal values. Mencius’s “nature goodness” theory laid the foundation for the broad Confucianism, and for the first time he understood the ability of benevolence and wisdom as universal values. After Mencius, Cheng and Zhu established a broad-minded theory of “reason (nature)-nature (humanity)” and further understood the universal nature of nature and benevolence, wisdom and trustworthiness; Kings of the Sun established a broad-minded theory of “heart (confidant)-nature” and once again determined the universal value of Confucianism. The genius repeatedly confirmed that “reason” (nature law) or “confidence” or “conscience in morality, nature and conscience”, “an ancient times” and “blocking the universe”. This is a very strong and broad theory. Of course, this “reason” is naturally and rational, and its focus is benevolence, wisdom and trustworthiness. If Confucianism can provide a universal value to the contemporary world that is different from the mainstream value of the Oriental world, then it must be a set of understandable and acceptable value system based on the Confucian nature. Its basic content is benevolence and righteousness: benevolence is the connection between nature and life, righteousness is right and right, blessing is coming to civilization, wisdom is good and evil perception, faith is honest and not deceive.
[Keywords]: Confucianism, universalism, universal value, the learning of mind and nature, benevolence and wisdom
When talking about and universal value, people always think of the unrestrained, civil, rule of law, and governance that were formed in the modern East, as well as various moral principles based on sensory performance. However, in fact, “universal” is just a theoretical term, and it is value-neutral in itself. The so-called “universal value” must also develop from a certain kind of value in nature. The above values ”constructed in the modern East” also express this a little. However, these so-called “universal values” are too focused on the political or sensory domain to fail to reactThe whole picture of human life is nothing but a matter of no dispute. So, we will naturally ask, besides the above values, are there any more universal values? In this regard, Confucianism may provide a field that diverges from Oriental thinking civilization. Indeed, whether Confucianism can provide this world with universal values that are different from those derived from the East, but also reasonable, is a question that many Confucian researchers have repeatedly raised and tried in recent years. Discussers often tend to compare and analyze some of the established Confucian values with the content of the “universal value” as the East calls “universal value”, and then discover the universality of some Confucian values. This approach is naturally good, but the author thinks that can Confucianism pay some universal values for the contemporary world? This question itself needs to be recognized by Confucianism in history. If it is recognized, how can Confucianism in the past prove or clarify? What are the universal values they acknowledge? To this end, the purpose of this article is neither to prove the “universal value” of the East from the perspective of Confucianism, nor to attempt to replace the “universal value” of the East with Confucian values. The important thing is to explore the universal value concept of Confucianism itself based on the theory of Confucianism. Specifically, the author will first review the views of the “universal values” in the East, then sort out the generalized thinking and the discussion and thinking of universal values in Confucianism, and on this basis, it will provide the most basic universal values recognized by Confucianism itself, and finally combine the basic principles and energy of the modern world to reflect and comment on it to determine the basic connotation of these values.
1. Is “universal” the patent of Eastern civilization?
The book “On the Universal” by the French philosopher and Han Chinese scholar Julian is a special work among Eastern scholars to explore the “universal” problem in the intercivilization field. This book explores the “universal” oriental civilizational community of “universal”, and is the same At that time, we also followed up and explored whether other civilizations would raise “universal” questions. There are many arguments about Chinese ideological civilization. Therefore, evaluating the “universal” view of Chinese ideological traditions (this article only focuses on Confucianism), this book is naturally a good starting point and reference system.
Julian examined the Oriental Concept of “universality” and unexpectedly found that it is not unified, but a piece of paper for multiple civilization reasons: “Based on the concept of Ryugos, it is purified to adapt universally to the goal of abstract and even thinking activities; the universally popular legal power brought by the political expansion of the Roman Empire makes universally to the goal of cooperating with the purpose of the body; as for allowing all subjects to abandon thoughts and empty minds, respond to God’s call, it is compatible with universally to adapt universally to The end of the soul, the goal of human beings. ”[2] In the summary of the book, the author summarizes this general theory: “The logical layer of conceptual determination, the legal layer of marriage with Roman people, and finally the religious layer, that is, the dissolution of all human beings through the love of God in the name of salvation.”[3] In short, Greek philosophy (sensibility, abstraction, purity of concepts), Roman law, and Christian love of God, are the “universal” in the EastThe concept lays the foundation, but the actual goals of the three are quite different. On the other hand, Julian divided three concepts: “universal” (l’universe), “planning one” (l’uniform, or translation “same”) and “cooperation” (le commun). The first is to be universal, which is something that the author is extremely despised and has nothing to do with universality, so I will not discuss it much. Julian said: “Everyone is called the concept of sensibility. Since it is the concept of sensibility, it is certainly a prenatal necessity, that is, the existence of all experiencing facts.” He also said: “Social cooperation means that everyone has a part of someone who participates, and the master gives friends and people the same heart. What we share is exactly what makes us all belong to a city-state, so from the origin, this term is a political concept.” [4] Universal and cooperation are interspersed in Eastern history and form each other, just like the Roman law mentioned above, which is created by the Roman Empire.
Through Julian’s assessment of the conceptual concept of “universality”, we can try to identify the characteristics of “universality” as “universality”. Greece’s sensibility seeks universality (common aspect, essence) of all images, which is the generality of conceptualization and the generality of common characteristics. Sucrates’s radical activity on the broad definition of bravery, period, justice, and even ordinary virtues is his classic, and Sucrates believes that these virtues or ordinary virtues should be suitable for everyone. The Roman Law requires the civil rights that everyone has or enjoys in the Roman Empire, or may say laws that are suitable for all people in the Empire, regardless of their race, region and civilization. The Christian God’s love also seeks the love that everyone enjoys or applies to everyone, not only limited to the so-called “God’s choice” Israelites. It can be seen that the meaning of “universal” as “universal” can be summarized into two sentences: “Everyone has” (or enjoys, or gives it to friends) or “suitable for everyone”. These two expressions sometimes understand the fact of expressing the system from a different perspective. For example, we can say that “all the people of Rome enjoy the rights stipulated by the Roman Law” or that “the rights stipulated by the Roman Law are suitable for all people of Rome” [5]. The full judgment of “everyone” is a common pattern of universal value expressions. For example, Article 2 of the 1946 Universal Declaration of Human Rights says: “Everyone is qualified to enjoy all rights and is not restricted in this Declaration, regardless of race, skin color, gender, language, religion, political or other opinion
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