History of the Development of Chinese Political Philosophy -- From Confucianism to Marxism

Author: Liu Huishu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-12-01
Features: How to understand the role of Confucianism in the development of ancient Chinese politics and find the connection points between Confucianism and ancient Chinese society; How to recognize the role of Marxism in the political progress of modern China and find the connection points between Marxism and modern Chinese society (historical conditions under which modern China accepted Marxism); How to understand the relationship between Confucianism and Marxism in contemporary China and find the connection points between Confucianism and Marxism in contemporary Chinese society, with Marxism transforming Confucianism. This is undoubtedly an era topic that cannot be avoided in both academic research fields of Confucianism and Marxism. Professor Liu Huishu's influential work on the history of Chinese political thought, The Development of Chinese Political Philosophy—From Confucianism to Marxism, takes the connotation, extension, emergence, and transformation of the political philosophy of the state political guidance theory that has historically dominated as its main thread, tightly revolving around these three major propositions: it connects the academic research fields of Confucianism and Marxism. Although Professor Huishu's arguments are his personal views, given that there are no research monographs in China that take the political philosophy of the state's dominant management theory as the main thread to connect the academic fields of Confucianism and Marxism, and that the three major propositions proposed by Professor Huishu are era topics that cannot be avoided in the current academic research fields of Confucianism and Marxism, it is believed that the publication of The Development of Chinese Political Philosophy—From Confucianism to Marxism will attract widespread attention from academic circles both at home and abroad. As the main culture of traditional Chinese culture, Confucianism, since its emergence in the late Spring and Autumn period, has gone through preliminary development in the Warring States period, Confucianization in the Han Dynasty, mutual criticism and mutual penetration with Xuan, Buddhism, and Taoism during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Tang and Song dynasties, rationalization in the Song and Ming dynasties, and gradual decline by the late Qing Dynasty. As a thought system, it has completed its historical process of emergence, development, and decline, but its influence still exists today. After the Opium War, due to the invasion of imperialism and the introduction of Western theories and thoughts, the socio-economic structure and ideological consciousness of Chinese society underwent fundamental changes. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Revolution and the May Fourth New Culture Movement both launched critiques of traditional Chinese culture. In the process, there were activities such as Sun Yat-sen and Huang Xing praising Confucian ethics, Yuan Shikai promoting the veneration of Confucius and reading classics, and Kang Youwei organizing the Confucian Association and advocating Confucianism (Confucianism) as the state religion. However, the widespread dissemination of Western bourgeois cultural trends and Marxism in China ultimately shook the dominant position of Confucianism in the field of Chinese social thought. The founding of New China led to the replacement of Marxism by Confucianism in the dominant position of Chinese thought. Since then, Confucianism is no longer the ruling ideology of society but is primarily recognized and studied as national cultural heritage and as the historical footprint of national culture. Due to the change in the historical status of Confucianism, its role in different stages of historical development is also different. When Confucianism became the dominant ideology in feudal society, it played a dominant role in social political order and ethics. After losing its ruling ideological status, it no longer dominated social political life and ethics. Especially in New China, with Marxism as the guiding ideology of society, it views all national historical and cultural heritage, including Confucianism, from a scientific materialist historical perspective. Although Marxist theory denies the ruling status of Confucianism, it does not deny its cultural value or the historical role it should play. Confucianism is profound and extensive, and in terms of its political ethics, the early thoughts are essentially in favor of maintaining the authority of the monarch and strengthening and maintaining the feudal ruling system, serving the feudal rulers. Therefore, Confucianism has played a more or less maintaining role for the feudal rulers of all dynasties. Especially in the Han Dynasty, Confucianism absorbed relevant ideas from Taoism and Legalism and combined them with the theory of yin and yang and the five elements, creating theories such as the divine right of kings and "if heaven does not change, the way also does not change," using divine authority to justify the authority of the monarch and the way of heaven to justify the human way, making Confucianism a long-term political philosophy of the ruling class. After the Tang Dynasty, the Neo-Confucianism that emerged in the Song and Ming dynasties, on one hand, supported the centralizing theory of monarchal autocracy and the "three cardinal guides" of Han Confucianism, but on the other hand, emphasized "one principle with many particularizations" and opposed the heavenly theology of Han Confucianism. As a branch of Neo-Confucianism, the thought of Lu Wang's Mind School contained more ideas of human equality and deduced the anti-monarchial thought of Huang Zongxi and Tang Zhen in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. It should also be pointed out that although Confucianism was the pillar of political spirit in the feudal era of China, on the other hand, Confucianism's theory of benevolent governance and people-centered thought also played a certain restraining role on the cruel and tyrannical rule of the feudal ruling class. Starting from benevolent governance and people-centered thought, Confucianism advocates "the people are the most important, the state comes second, and the ruler is the least," requiring the ruling class not to violate the agricultural season, to govern the people timely, to impose light taxes and low levies, etc., which are positive for social development. Therefore, the two roles that Confucian political ethics plays in the development of Chinese society should be historically evaluated, and the positive aspects that are beneficial to social development should be summarized and inherited as precious national cultural heritage.