Harbinger Of Modern Concept

There were four important stages in the historical evolution of the senses of public and private,that were Pre-Qin、two Song dynasties、between Ming and Qing Dynasties and during the late Qing dynasty and the early Republic period.The senses of public and private of enlightment thinkers between Ming and Qing dynasties could be seen as an important link in the history of Chinese thought and philosophy,and its status should not be neglected. To some extent,a provoking thing of Utilitarian School in two Song dynasties was the affirmation to the private concept.This affirmation was finite,because Utilitarian School still contacted a derogative tincture with the private concept.The effort made by Utilitarian School provided enlightment thinkers between Ming and Qing dynasties with new breakthroughs in senses of public and private.The senses of public and private during the late Qing dynasty were based on the Ming-Qing transition,in addition to the concepts of Right、Freedom and Sovereignty. in particular,the opinion of“the combination of hundreds of millions private turn out to be the public”and“nation cumulatived with masses”presented by the scholars of Yan Fu、Liang Qichao was born out of the theory of gathering private for public between Ming and Qing dynastie.In summary,public and private values in this period at least made new breakthroughs in following three respects than previous generations:First of all,affirmation of private concept was unprecedented.Before Ming and Qing dynasties,identity for private concept was confined to a few scholars;During Ming and Qing dynasties,affirmation of the private concept was formed in a share common trend in intelligentsia,which was in concert with the prosperity of merchandise eonomy and the rising of citizen class.Secondly,there were introspection and criticism on the idea that the world is for all.Enlightenment thinkers have noted that the world for all without private for individual must move toward the world for monarchy under the absolute monarchy.In the real world,the beautiful ideal of the world for all has get into an awkward situation of the world for monarchy.More inportantly,when enlightenment thinkers designed an political and economic system for managing society,they have successfully added the criticism to the world for monarchy and the right of selfishness for all the men.As a result, the political and economic systems they designed such as the definition of feudal and county、theory of lands belong to masses,seemed to be more impracticable.Thirdly, enlightenment thinkers put forward an opinion of gathering private for public.As a result of enlightenment thinkers’affirmation of the private concept,criticism on the theory of setting up public concept and putting down private was caused.Moreover,enlightenment thinkers had alse presented a new relation between public and private,such is the theory of gathering private for public which could substitute for the theory of setting up public and putting down private.It was a great innovation and contribution for enlightenment thinkers during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties.In the traditional mode of setting up public and putting down private,public concept had occupied the dominant position and language power.On the other hand,private concept has been extremely degraded and placed under the immoral position.When private concept could not fing a suit space,the relation between public and private would be in highly tense and opposition.In the theory of gathering private for public,however,there was no question of swallowing up either part between public and private value.The relation between public and private could be summed up in the point that one indicated unmerous and vice versa.because there was the road from one to the other,it became possible for public and private value to develop harmoniously each other.From a practical point of view,the new breakthroughs of enlightment thinkers in the ralm of public and private concepts were a necessay result of the economic and social development at the end of Ming dynasty.The development of commercial ecnomy could increase especially ordinary people’s awareness of right and equality. In theory,this new breakthroughs mostly got help from Pre-Qin Confucians,and had no direct connection with western politics.Because this new breakthroughs were initated from the traditional Chinese society,spontaneous characteristic has benn evident. Restricted by realistic and historical conditions,the new breakthroughs could not evolve into a far―reaching social trend,and exert a great influence on the political and economic sysytms in realistic society.Even in today we should prize this new breakthroughs,not only because the senses of public and private with spontaneous characteristic were hardly emerged in Chinese history which was always ruled by the principle of might is right,but alse provided a gradual and agreed way which was based on tradition in reforming society.