The Study Of The Moral Value Of Pre-qin Confucianism And Its Implication For The Current World

With the rapid development of the world economy and modern science and technology, there has currently appeared the phenomenon of moral crisis to different degrees both inside and outside China. In foreign countries, including those in the western world, politicians and philosophers are also trying to find out the reason of moral crisis in order to searching for the panacea for the healthy development of human morality.Contemporarily famous American moral philosopher Allahstyles Megantal proposed: "We cannot step out of the moral dilemma, unless we restate or return to Aristotle's virtue tradition." And some others have turned their eyes to the Oriental culture, particularly the Chinese culture, which has undergone thousands of years of discipline but is still full of booming vigor. The former UNESCO director-general Dr. Taylor once said: "If people think about the meaning of Confucianism to the modern world, they may find out that a successful and thriving society still stands on the ideology of the values interpreted by Confucius." This statement can illustrate the charm of Chinese culture and the significance of studying the thoughts of pre-Qin Confucian moral values.In China, extensive and profound changes have taken place since the adoption of reform and opening up policy and its subsequent 30 years of modernization construction. Meanwhile, the orientation of Chinese moral values has presented a realisitic, diverse, active, open trend. All these changes keep in with the ethos of the whole society in transition, and the nature of the mainstream ideological orientation nature is positive and progressive. However, some negative ideas also arose in this period, such as hedonism, money worship, and self-interest, which have seriously alienated people's pursuit of moral values. As pointed out by the documents of Chinese central government, problems of varying degrees have occurred to some college students. They feel confused in political belief, vague in ideal and belief, lost in value orientation, weak in sense of integrity, lack of social responsibility, indifferent to the spirit of hard work, poor in the concept of unity and coordination, and unsound in psychological quality (On Further Strengthening and Improving Ideological and Political Education of College Students, by CPC Central Committee and State Council). The existence of these problems has some reasons including the influence of material doctrine and the idea of "uselessness of morality". Since the pre-Qin Confucian ethics values the decisive significance of setting up one's career in the society and the harmoniousness, steady state and civilized improvement of society, it can provide historical reference in re-establishing modern people's moral pursuit and value to study the values of Confucianism.Our forefathers said: "The acquisition of morality benefits both oneself and others." This statement implies that to develop or possess morality rests with whether a person's mind has experienced profound changes in his social practice. Morality entails great significance and values to the society, others as well as the possessor himself. Because the scholars of pre-Qin Confucianism gained a perception of the value and the charm of morality, they attached great value to morality, stressed the pursuit of moral values, advocated the cultivation of mind and morality, and asserted the management of a country or society via morality and the establishment of a sound moral value system.The dissertation follows the route of exploring sequentially the connotation, pursuit, and the realization of the moral value of pre-Qin Confucianism, and finally arrives at the exploration of its contemporary value. This study can help to clarify its historical background, theoretical rheology, content and historical influence. It is also of academic value and practical significance in inheritting the excellent moral tradition of our nation and constructing contemporary morality. This dissertation attempts to follow the principle with logics and history unified, putting the thoughts of the moral value of pre-Qin Confucianism into the concrete historical framework where they were formed and evolved. Then drawing on the combined methods in researching on social history and philosophical history, plus the relevant literature, it continues to explore, organize, and analyze the thoughts deeply, systematically and concretely, in order to expose the real essence of the thoughts and mirror our current world against the history.Individual cultivation is the basis of any moral construction. Only by means of the cultivation both internal and external, can he attain the state of "being moral". It was the pre-Qin Confucian scholars represented by Confucius who first elevated the moral cultivation and moral education to a theoretical height. The representative items of mortality on individual cultivation are generally considered to involve the 3 morals (intelligence, benevolence, bravery) proposed by Confucius, and the 8 criteria in The Great Learning (pursuing the principles of the universe, accumulating knowledge, keeping the purity of one's heart, being sincere, controlling oneself, managing the family, governing the country and keeping the world peaceful). The fundamental spirit of these constructs is to help a person to cultivate himself and set up his career in the society. The former refers the internal development for self-improvement, whereas the latter relates to his value to the outside world. In a word, the thoughts of pre-Qin Confucian moral value are centered on "individual perfection". A person must conduct self-cultivation to become perfect, as that he can achieve the goal of his social value, i.e. managing the family, governing the country and keeping the world peaceful.The aim of the Confucian moral value includes cultivating one's ideal personality to become an "internal saint", collecting respect from others as an "external king", maintaining the order of ethics, setting up a Datong society (an ideal society which highlights harmony, peace and order). The pursuit of the ideal personality is not only the dream of Confucian scholars, but also the pursuit of the ultimate political destination and the final concern of the world. The "Internal saint" refers to self-realization, while "the king" refers to setting up a harmonious society. The "internal saint" can regulate one's daily life and determines the direction and political idea; the king should take the responsibility for other people and the whole society. Therefore, one is born to cultivate his moral value, solve the inner personal settlement problems, and to establish a harmonious society. Confucius's famous thought"zhenming"which is brought up directed at the confused situatiion of ceremony means that if there is no position, there is no right to speak; if there is no right to speak, things can't be done; if things can't be done, ceremony can't be established; if ceremony can't be established, punishment isn't effect and people don't know how to do. Confucius stands for giving rights to people and regulating their positions to realize an order society where pepole has their responsibilitys and rights. In a word, whether the personal moral culture or the social ethical order is aimed to ideal target of harmonious society and Datong world, which is dependent on the fuction of morality. The Datong was Confucius philosophy of ruling a country, and eventually became the pursuit of an ideal society for many generations of people. No matter how conservative Confucius' thought is, and how his thought represents feudal hierarchy, it is still of great significance for the present society.The realization of moral value is dependent on three ways which is personal moral culture, social education and political guarantee. First of all, the pre-Qin Confucian brought up different aims of self cultivation. Honour is the most important for self cultivation. Knowing disgorge is essential for people, which stress the basic difference of"people are different from animal". Besides, they stand for the combination of study and action, where the anction is more important. Meanwhile, they regard the controlling oneself, managing the family, governing the country and keeping the world peaceful as the way and embodiment of self moral cultivation. Secondly, the eventual realization of morality should be through social education. Only the higher people owing noble morality can help the lower people to be noble people too and help to the society form high-minded moral vogue.At last, political measures are insititution guarantee, i.e. moral governance, policy of benevolence and ceremony governance. "If the manager is upright the other people will honest too"."Gentleman like wind and mean person like grass, the wind on the grass is victor".The pre-Qin Confucian moral ideology outlines the perfect personality, society and regime for the individual, the society and the country in the spirit of being a school. The perfection was gained because its moral thoughts either originated from life or surpassed it. Due to its source of life, the pre-Qin Confucian moral ideology has been followed by people in their daily life till today. One of the demonstrations of its transcendence over life lies in that the pre-Qin Confucian scholars always treated the society and life positively. They believed that morality played an important role in personal cultivation, social education and state governance. Meanwhile, they put up with moral life and moral state. They also held the faith that we should all the time give priority to the defense for the country and the collective in the individual, collective or social life. The modern society, while safeguarding the country and the society as its basic task, is distinct from the feudalist society that depressed the personality and fettered the principal spirit. On the contrary, it advocates the civilized trend of respecting personality and individuality, which has an epoch-making significance as well. Another demonstration consists in that they proposed the thought of building a world of justice and harmony. Stemming from the expansion and evolution of the Confucian b"enevolence, this thought enjoyed the logical development of the thoughts as "loving others, "concerning the mass, "" securing the citizens" and "all men are brothers", which becomes the social ideal that is the pursuit of the Confucian scholars. Disregarding its restraint due to the history and class, enriching its profound essence to the modern society and the future society is still the lofty ideal that the modern people are striving for. Besides, the thoughts arose from pre-Qin Confucian inspiration "Integration of Heaven and Men" exert positive ideological values to the modern society. These thoughts include the harmonious integration of man and nature, humanism, global citizenship and humanistic spirit elevated from the "loving others". After this analysis, we are more deeply faithful that the pre-Qin Confucian morality, relying on its intelligence and sense, will give a better play of its values in the modern society!All in all, the pre-Qin Confucian moral thoughts are rich and deep in essence, comprehensive and sound in their theoretical system. They not only lay the foundation for the school of Confucian morality, but also become the core of the Confucianism and the whole traditional culture of China, providing the ideological and theoretical supports, routes of practice for the formation of China's moral civilization and courtesy. Therefore, the present study of the pre-Qin Confucian values is of great practical significance and value pertaining to more better inheritting chinese excellent moral tradition, correcting the mistake of material doctrine and the idea of "uselessness of morality" in modern time, and shaping and elevating the character, temperament and spirit of chinese citizens so as to enhance the social unification and cohesion and to build a harmonious socialist society.