| Tan Sitong, one of the known"Six gentlemen of the Hundred Days'Reform", who lost his life for our country to pursue the truth, is a thinker leaving much influence in China's modern history. Although his though fails to form a complete theoretic system, it has even richer connotation than the previous ones and its contents go beyond the other reformers at that time proposed to a great degree, especially in the thought on Benevolence.In the unrest China's society of in modern times, Tan Sitong transformed the traditional Chinese thought on Benevolence while incorporating the advanced science and technology of the western countries. Firstly, he interpreted Benevolence on the base of Ether, an up-to-date concept in Physics which was popular in the late of 1800s: on one hand, Benevolence is intensively"Ether"; on the other hand,"Ether"is exposed, which is the function of the material entity"Ether". Tan Sitong regards"Ether"as both material and spirit, which makes"Thought on humanity"to convey a tendency of Pantheism. Secondly, Tan Sitong constructs a"Benevolence—Tong—Equal"logic system, in which Benevolence is the starting and declinational points of communication ("Tong")."Tong"is the adopted actions and rules in order to achieve Benevolence, and"Equality"is the expected result of communication ("Tong") realizes"Benevolence". Therefore,"Tong"is the bridge between the"Benevolence"in concept and the"Tong"in reality, because"Benevolence"will be a theoretical concept without"communication ("Tong")"; equality, the"Benevolence"in reality can not come true without"Tong". As to how to achieve communication("Tong"), Tan Sitong holds that four kinds of"Communication"("Tong"), Communication between China and the West, between the superior and the junior, between Man and Woman could be, between Other and Me, can never be achieved until four kinds of"not communication"("Tong") are broken. This kind of philosophical tendency that turns Miscommunication ("Tong") into Communication ("Tong") and looks into the internal rules of things is the philosophical reflection of the bourgeois'political tendency of"love, freedom, and equality". He also holds that the equality in reality includes the following three aspects: political equality, economic equality and social equality, the implementation of which is the precondition of turning Thought on humanity into reality.It seems that Tan Sitong fails to clear up not only traditional Chinese thought but also western science and technology, religion, and philosophy. In fact, he forms his unique thought on Benevolence by wisely combining the philosophy in ancient and modern times, and also that at home and abroad. Tan Sitong borrows the western theory"Ether", but his thought is not completely westernized. On the contrary, this way does not undermine his basis of Chinese Academy at all. His aim is to violently whip feudal autocracy in China. Of course, Tan Sitong could actively learn from the West and construct his own ideal and harmonious society in that unrest times, this still erects a very important practical significance to today's society. |
