| Lao Zi is the founder of China's Taoist School, and also one of the most important political philosophers in our history. His masterpiece Lao Zi is an earlier political philosophy works of China's political thought, which has the profound thinking and unique features. The political philosophy theory elucidated in Lao Zi is rich in content and superb in wisdom. Lao Zi can also be said that it is a philosophy works with strong political color which is made by Lao Zi in a long term social political observation. This article attempts to start from Lao Zi's political philosophy to analyze his thought.Spring and Autumn and Warring Stage Period is not only an endless turmoil and war times, but also a social change and rapid transformation age. From an economic point of view, owing to the widespread use of iron tools and the popularized spread of cattle farming technology, the development of social productivity is greatly promoted, a large number of wasteland has been reclaimed and occupied, the private field was gradually turned into private ownership of land, and the new landlord class was appeared. From political point of view, the decline of Zhou's kingship and the increase of dukes'power lead to the severe damage of ceremony system. The situation that conquest of ceremony from the emperor is changed to from the dukes is appeared. And spotted by the culture, the contending situation is appeared, and the philosophers have put forward their own political theory and basic program for governing the country, which is used to govern the world. Confucius advocated using benevolent government to control the country; the legalist advocated using the binding of law, techniques and power to govern the country; and Mohist proposed universal love, non-offensive, harmonious coexistence and etc.Lao Zi lived in Spring and Autumn and Warring Stage Period, the economy, politics and culture systems of the whole society had met the unprecedented challenges and changes, the old ceremony system can no longer play a role, and the new social order has not yet been established, which caused the common people in an chaos caused by the war, and the world without Tao. Faced with the destructions of ceremony, through the positive history reflection and-realistic calm observation, Lao Zi proposed the larruping even the opposite governance theory, that is the political opinion of' to govern by doing nothing that is against nature'.The political view' to govern by doing nothing that is against nature' proposed by Lao Zi is very different from other philosophers. His proposed way of thinking is both the easy conceptual analysis and the direct visible examples, and the purely metaphysical argument and profound philosophical dialectical analysis. For instance, by analyzing the concepts of good and evil, with and without, easy and difficult, length, heights, voice, pre and post and etc, Lao Zi refined the dialectic thought that things are interdependent and mutually transformed; by analyzing Tao, Lao Zi extracted 'the valuing softness and keeping modesty in daoism,' by analyzing the philosophy of 'do not fight but good wins' and 'with noting to win the world' in military, Lao Zi proposed 'Doing Nothing'. The characteristic of Lao Zi is that it upgrades the social political theory into the political philosophy of metaphysical nature.Lao Zi's 'to govern by doing nothing that is against nature' is not only a methodology system, but also a strategy of ruling.'To take things let their own course' proposed by Lao Zi is not doing nothing, but comply to nature, excludes the unnecessary indulging, and not reluctantly using people's power to interfere the natural or social laws own development. If the rulers can follow the development of things, no indulging and no interference, they can use the attitude of 'to take things let their own course' to do, and use the quiet way to do, the inevitable result of 'to govern by doing nothing that is against nature' is naturally obtained.The ultimate direction of political practice and inevitable end of Lao Zi's 'to govern by doing nothing that is against nature' political opinion is 'small country with few people'. A small country with few people embodies the fundamental principles of Lao Zi's political philosophy, such as respect for nature, to govern by doing nothing that is against nature, anti-war and no soldiers, no intelligence and no desire and etc, which are the overall program to solve all social problems of Spring and Autumn and Warring Stage Period. Lao Zi tried this program to remove the war and provide a pure nature, safe and quiet life. This kind of ideal life assumed by Lao Zi is conformed to the demands and aspiration of the people at that time. In the society of 'small country with few people', the social productivity has developed a lot; common people can be self-sufficient, without hunger, without fear, without the battle of intrigues, no wars among countries, and the harmonious coexistence appeared in society. It is no doubt that Lao Zi's 'small country with few people' is returning to the ancient in form, and many thoughts are worth discussing, but we should look dialectically and cannot be blindly negative. |
