Research On Wan Sitong's Philosophical Thought

Van Sitong was born in the turn of the Ming and Qing Dynasties,when Alien race came to dominate the nation,and Van Sitong ’s clan was originally the Ningbo’s good family in the Ming Dynasty.Yuan Zhongche had predicted that the Van Sitong ’s family was "superior to the literary generation" in the Early Ming Dynasty.However,the replacement of the Dynasty broke the rising path of the young Van Sitong who was "learning from the best,then being an official".The Van clan had sunk in Mind system.Wan Biao who is Van Sitong ’s great-great-father was been affected from Wang Yangming.He is the representative of Wangmen in the center of Zhejiang Province.His father,Wan Tai,is a student of Liu Zongzhou who is the top of Mind system.In the extremely difficulty,Van Sitong had inherited the family culture(Jishan school).After his father’s death,according to his father’s arrangement before his death,Van Sitong had learned from Huang Zongxi who is the pupile of Liu Zongzhou.In the course of it,Van Sitong had met with Pan pinger and was convinced by Pan’theory.After more than 20 years,Van Sitong had met with Li Gong again,and their thoughts agreed with each other.Van Sitong had gone through three changes during his life.the paper makes a detailed analysis of the changes of the three changes of the philosophy in the section of the making friends and the three changes of Van Sitong’s philosophy.Van Sitong’s philosophy at maturity roughly includes seven parts,that is,the Ontology,the Epistemology,the Confucian Orthodoxy,the historical philosophy,the political philosophy,the philosophy of life and Utopia,etc.Van Sitong thinks that the Noumenon of philosophy is Tao.and Tao is the general law.the relationship of the category"tao"and another category"li"is“一本万殊”in the Van Sitong’s philosophical system.Van Sitong had put forward the proposition of"太极判而两仪形,阴阳运而万物生","律吕天地自然之数".Among of them,"太极判而两仪形,阴阳运而万物生",which insisted on the viewpoint of"Qi generates everything"."律吕天地自然之数",which not only reveals the way of quality and quantity existence in the world,that is,the law of quality mutual change,and the law of"three beginning and nine ending"of the dynasty,but also provides people with ideological resources to pursue a better future life because of the deeper aesthetic meaning of music intervention.Van Sitong made the important judgment"体而任之,措而施之,存乎其人".The thinking mode of the subject-object dichotomy is prominent,and the meaning of human being as thinking subject and practice subject is revealed.The relationship between subject and object is defined as the relationship of recognition,measure,cognition and practice.Van Sitong’s view on"the six classics and the tao"profoundly reveals the inner relationship between"tao",the six classics and education(indoctrination),and reveals the important role of the"six classics"in shaping the spiritual outlook of the Chinese nation over thousands of years.The function of sage and Tao is combined.At the same time,the tradion of体用、理一分殊and无、有of noumenon continue to be preserved and implemented,which shows that Chinese philosophy is the result of the evolution of its own thinking characteristics under the specific conditions in China.Van Sitong consciously introduced the theory of dynamic and static mutual root into real life,which was attributed to the"profit and loss"of the world,and the"prosperity is the decline"viewpoint revealing the internal law of world development.Van Sitong’s Epistemology can be divided into three parts.At first it confirms the viewpoint of investigating things that is to learn “Six Arts”;and then it illuminates and evaluates the classic Epistemology in the past dynasties,including Doctrines of resisting external inducement(Sima Guang),Doctrines of Investigating the Principles according to Hermeneutics(Zhu Xi)、Doctrines of putting things right(Wang Yangming)、Doctrines of coordination between people and me(Pan Pingge),refutes and corrects them one by one;In the end it reveals Van Sitong’s transformation from Doctrines of coordination between people and me to studying San Wu.Through analysis,Van’s final viewpoint is to treat self,home,country and the world as the objects of Epistemology and see“Six Arts” as thing through the “catlog”.So,Epistemology is to learn “Six Arts”,then know the world and guide practice,which reveals the feature that Van Sitong’s Epistemology places much emphasis on theoretical knowledge.Van Sitong puts forward new Confucian Orthodoxy and restores the true features of the humanity and the practical learning,and strips off the philosophical components of Zhu Xi’s Yi-ology philosohical system one by one,critictising it.and pulled the Yongkang and Yongjia Schools excluded by Zhu Xi into the new system.In addition,Van Sitong also supports the doctrine of Confucius and Mencius,revealing its long-term harm to Chinese society brought by Buddhism from the Ontology,the theory of human nature and the causality theory.he proposes that the advocacy of the doctrine of Confucius and Mencius was the most powerful weapon to prevent the spread of Buddhism and explains the economic reasons for the masses believing in Buddhism,reflecting that Van Sitong’s concern to the mass’ existence.Van Sitong’s historical philosophy treats history as the historical process of reality,and a process of"profit and loss".Van Sitong thinks there are two determinants,that is,destiny and human action.Van Sitong analysised the reason of leading to the demise of the Danasity which is of economy,politics and military.And the core of“human action”is morality,morality is the basis for a dynasty lasting for a long time.Van Sitong emphasizes that the Emperors should follow the principle that“heaven walks strong,gentlemen constantly strive for self-improvement;the terrain is vast,gentlemen carries goods with great virtue.”leading the country forward,which Van Sitong’s viewpoint,that is,“乾坤生六子”expands in the social history.when Van Sitong can’t explain the rise and fall of the nation according to human action,he will explain it in terms of destiny.fortune-telling is the mysteric factor,while thoughts of disasters and thoughts of star are the barometer judging the rise and fall of history.On the relationship between the ruler and his people,Van Sitong puts forward that ceremonies and etiquette should emphasized and officers should be ruled by depending on the morality and laws,He also proposes that a large number of talents should be cultivated for the country.In the admonition,Van Sitong thinks there is a long process of the formation of the Tyrant and Proud Lord.the.Van Sitong’s suggestion which is“两让”explains Ming dynasty having a sound system of admonition regualtions which exists in namely only.In the discrimination between gentleman and villain,Van Sitong holds that villain in ancient ad modern is same in the surface and heart.who is“rebelling kindheartedness and justice,trying tricks and plots,playing hardball and excluding outsiders”,etc,therefore,that no appointment of villain is in the course of adminstering a state.Otherwise,the nation’political ecology is inevitably destructed and the nation is bound to die in the end.Van Sitong didn’t shield the gentlemen and thought whether gentlemen or villain in the reality has a trend of forming cliques which has to be eradicted.The subject of Van Sitong’s philosophy of life is the formation of ways of settling down and getting on with one’s pursuit.Van Sitong thinks that the key for scholars to settle down and get on with their pursuit is the Poetry,Book,Rite and Music,combining one’s life with preaching,outstanding practice and emphasizing that getting on in the world lies in the richness of spiritual level,and treating the inheritance of Chinese culture as his historical duty.He has grasped the spirit of confucius and hui’s cheerfulness and has taken it as an important supplement and link that enjoying making friends with scholars in the world.The revealment of specific examples and lessons,such as“一招不慎声名俱裂、择术用世者戒”,should be taken warning by the later generations.Under certain historical conditions,reputation,integrity and national rights are above all things.On the premise of not being an official in Qing dynasty,Van Sitong treats the Poetry,Book,Rite and Music as his final spiritual home.Van Sitong’s Utopia,that is“一代之规模”,had inherited Kongzi’s theory of“有道之世”.And implementing the idea“arithmetic and orderly,benevolence and let in,the moral realm,kings underserved”,Adhereing to the principle of the unity of history and logic,the guiding role of theory in practice.Van Sitong had investigated the origin and development of various codes and regulations from the construction of the Three Generations of Laws and the style of Scholars,the guide of the style of Scholars avoiding the loss of Monarchy,the improvement of the system of laws and regulations and the improvement of the efficiency of the National operation.The conditions under which each plays its role were analyzed.It is determined that it is the essence of Van Sitong’s philosophy,reflecting the concern for the people and his vision for the future society and the country.Indeed,on the Utopia,originally Van Sitong didn’t have satisfied solution in certain a field,for instance“田赋之辨”,which is the theory’s flaw and plunge one’s into regret.But the efforts that Van Sitong has made in this regard cannot be wiped out,Whether his“no answer”indicates the feudal society has come to the end.Van Sitong‘s research on history and historic destination is worthy of further exploration.