Han Dynasty Filial Piety Ethics Alienation Research

The Ancient China was a society based on ethics. The ethical alienation is an uniquehistorical phenomenon in Chinese feudal society. In Han Dynasty, when the feudal ethics hadformed, the ethical governmental order with the core of filial piety was founded, meanwhile thealienation of the filial ethics appeared. It, as a necessary consequence of history progress, hadimportant influence to Han Dynasty and after that. At present, the research of the alienation offilial piety ethics in Han Dynasty by scholars at home and board, usually appears in individualpapers or one aspect of works, and related papers focus on the variation of the content of filialethics. However, systematic research of the alienation of filial piety ethics has not yet appeared.Firstly, the author defines the concept of "the alienation of filial piety ethics". Then, with theperspective and methods of historical sociology, the author makes a comprehensive andsystematic investigation to it from different aspects, like the origin and development of filialpiety, the forms, the reasons and effects of alienation. Specifically, the paper can be divided intothe following sections:Firstly, this paper discusses the origin and development of ethics of filial piety, mainly fromthe aspects of the origin of filial piety, the filial piety thought of the Pre-Qin DynastyConfucianists, the variation of filial piety during Han Dynasty. Filial piety, origined fromXi-zhou, generally included two meanings, that were the filial to ancestors which have passedaway and to parents that have lived. But the former was the main meaning of it. Filial pietytheorized in Spring and Autumn, when Confucianists in Pre-Qin Dynasty enriched anddeveloped it. The rulers administrated the country with filial piety during Han Dynasty, formingthe atmosphere of valuing filial piety in the society. At that time, however, the filial piety was notonly the family morality, but also expanded to politics and society, which became the feudaltheories of grade order.Secondly, the author makes a specific study on the forms of the alienation of filial pietyethics during Han dynasty, from these five aspects of politicization, socialization, enforcement,mystery and generalization of filial ethics. The rulers preached filial ethics with political powerand authority, and emphasized changing filial piety to loyalty, which had gradually led the filialethics to politicization. And socialization of filial ethics graduation led the filial ethics to society,expanded to outside of family from within. Meanwhile the filial ethics spread to the field of gods.The filial ethics was not only country ethics, but also the criterion to measure all actions.Thirdly, this paper discusses the reasons of the alienation of filial piety ethics in Handynasty, mainly from political, social, ideological factors, these three aspects. The alienation offilial piety ethics, in Han Dynasty, was the result of maintaining country stability and the need of political development. The social factor was the traditional social structure—the socialstructure of isomorphism of home and country. The theory of filial piety of Confucianists inPre-Qin Dynasty, the explanation for filial piety in The Classic of Filial Piety, and the ethicalideology of Dong zhongshu provided ideological foundation and theoretical support for thealienation.Finally, on the basis of the study of Han dynasty, the paper describes the effects of thealienation of filial ethics. On one hand, filial ethics expanded to the social and political life ofHan Dynasty people, and greatly influenced political system and ideology of many dynasties. Onthe other hand, the negative effects of it should also not be ignored by us.