The Comparison Of Political Thought Between Thomas Aquinas And Zhu Xi

Both to the Western Christianity and the Eastern Confucian Classics,the Medieval is a crossroad which both sides should have to pass.Thomas Aquinas and Zhu Xi are just stand at the central of this crossroad.Their political thoughts came from the academic traditions, the contemplation of the real social political lives,and their own yearns for the excellent politics. But due to the differences between Aquinas’and Zhu Xi’s social and historical conditions,their thoughts showed different value orientation and ways of thinking.Firstly,Aquinas and Zhu Xi were both try to state their political thoughts through the establishments of the basic universal rules,then they put forward a series of political claims on these fundamental values. Secondly,on the point of kingship,though Aquinas was behind the right of king to deal with the secular affairs,he committed to the Christian Church’s God-given rights of the management of human’s spirits.Zhu Xi advocated the highness of monarchical power,but he also suggested to limited this power for a better political life.Thirdly,Aquinas based on his theological claim,he also put forward a series of legal classification.For Zhu Xi,he insisted to use the morality and ethics as a administrative power to discipline the populace. So he failed to break the moral principle apart from the law.Aquinas and Zhu Xi are both tried to make a combination of theory and practice,as to reach their ideal purpose of excellent politics.But because of the limitations of their political thought, they could not be completely helpful to the basic theory of eastern and western modern democracy development.