On Dai Zhen's Doctrine Of Ethics And Desire

Dai Zhen(A.D. 1724-1777) is an extraordinary ethical thinker in Chinese history. In the name of combing and arranging ancient Confucian classics, he looked as if a spokesman of Confucian Classics, ripping into the assertion that "conserving ethics and destroying desire" made by Neo-Confucian School in Song dynasty. Dai Zhen's doctrine of ethics and desire is based on the criticism to Cheng & Zhu doctrines. His thoughts can be referred to in his books of masterpieces, such as Examine Goodness and Commentary and Prove on Mencius 's Literal MeaningDai Zhen is centering the traditional view on "ethics, desire". He began with correcting the definition of desire and human desire dispraised by other Confucian school philosophers. He thinks desire is a part of natural essence, as well as a part of humanity, whereby affirms human has the properties of nature and matter. He also said "desire" is the motive and foundation of human's behavior, and desire of subsistence is the foundation of morality. He also distinguishes desire from selfishness and evil. Therefore, Dai Zhen built nature on the basis on human's perceptual desire, while Confucian school philosophers built nature on the basis of morality. He made the difference between his theory and philosophers' theory clearly.When Dai Zhen created his theory about ethics, he points out ethics is saving emotion, meaning fully satisfy human's perceptual desire. He also says ethics means the rules we all agree. On the contrary to the view of Cheng & Zhu School who hold that ethics is opposed to desire, he thinks ethics is unified to desire, and exists in between desire. He creats his theory on ethics and desire school by the interpretation to ethics and desire. First of all, we should save desire by ethics. He not only affirms the effect of ethics, but also objectively recognizes and evaluates desire. Secondly, we should...