A Research On Philosophy Of Family In Liji

In the past, it has been more focus on the individual, class, nation, when studying on the Confucian philosophy. But there is a culture tradition about family in ancient Chinese culture, beyond the tradition of individual, class and nation. It is necessary to re-interpret the family tradition, and re-found its features and the unique value.This thesis is mainly based on Confucian text, and on the analysis of ethics, politics and religion, in order to reveal this tradition systematically.In the level of ethics, we first analyzed the ethical order in Confucian ethics, through which we found the ethic of family was a relatively independent area. And based on the practice of the ethic of family, there formed the generalization of the ethic of family. We pointed out that this generalization mainly manifested in the appellation system and the ethical principles, and which formed the family ethics. It is an ethics which focus on the natural emotionalism, the dialogue and the demonstration in ethics.In the level of politics, we first analyzed the family ethics, which included a political demand of autonomy of family. Secondly, we analyzed the political and social structure constructed by Confucian, and we found that there was a tension between autonomy of family and "jiatianxia". Private family owning political power has constructed the privilege of the aristocracy, and make the commoner class lack right to participate in the political, which made the family’s autonomous political space was extremely limited. However, after all, the political demands of autonomy of family has also been struggle for more liberty against the existing political system, including democratizing the education system, guaranteeing the fairness of political power, the system of remonstrating to the empire, the aware union of the Confucian intellectuals and the propaganda of the sage politics, and so on. Finally, we analyzed the concept of family nation isomorphism, we pointed out two meanings of it, one was nation identifying with family, the other was to take the same structure of family in the national govemance. Due to the neglect of the commoners class’s participation in the political, home and country isomorphism is just a political imagination.In the level of religion, we first analyzed the ancestor worship and its value and function, including the upgrade of family love and reverence, making the family member close and political indoctrination. Secondly, we found that the Tian worship was endowed with some characteristics of the ancestor worship, especially when it took the structure of the faith for ancestor. Finally, we thought about the unique value of the religious form of family, and which had inspired us to re-understand the Confucian religious traditions.Over all the three levels we have discussed, regardless of family ethics, the principle of autonomy of family or the family religion, we can see a new tradition in Confucian culture history, and this of cause can provide a new perspective on the understanding of Confucian tradition.