The Research Of Guo Zizhang And His Lao Jie

This paper is mainly about Guo Zizhang, the scholar of Ming Dynasty and his Lao Jie in the method of ideology history and hermeneutics. The study focuses on the ideological content and features of Lao Jie. In the same time,it also talks about the relationship between the philosophy of Wang Yangming in the late of Ming Dynasty and the philosophy of Taoism, and the philosophy of Taoism affecting the literati’s mentality will be included. The paper includes the following five chapters:In the first chapter, it introduces thesocial and ideologicalbackground of Lao Jie. Guo Zhang lived in time of Longqing and Wanli, which has changed tremendously. This chapter focuses on the flowing three aspects to discuss this change:political corruption resulted in the gradual demise of the Ming Dynasty; the development of commodity economy makes the social atmosphere transformed and the philosophy of Wang Yangmingfiourished and developed deeply.The second chapter is mainly on Guo Zizhang himself and his works. This chapter focuses on his personal experiences, works and the thoughts. The experiences of Guo Zizhang made great influence on the formation of his ideas, which is the basic premise to continue the study.From his works, we can see Guo Zizhang’s thoughts, which proved his wide academic area. Ideologically, it mainly explores the source of Guo Zizhang’s academic ideas.In conclusion, he inherited the essence of the philosophy of Wang Yangming and owed thecultivation of Jiang You’ideology. He also has his own academic specialties.The third chapter is about the main content of Lao Jie. It focuses on the philosophy of Laozi, especially on its ontology. However, italso probes how to achieve self-cultivation and how to make the state better. Firstly, the chapter starts from "Tao". In LaoJie, "Tao" that Guo Zizhang interpreted is not out the original meaning. In the second part, it discusses "Wu", which is Lao Jie’s main idea or the ideological line. The third part is on benevolence and righteousness of Lao Tzu. In Guo Zizhang’s opinion, Lao Tzu’s benevolence and righteousness are wisest and what he object is the normal benevolence and righteousness, not the wise one. And in the fourth part, it’s the necessary part. It’s mainly on how to manage state affairs and how to cultivate one’s moral character in Laozi, and this part focuses on the cultivation of one’s moral character.The fourth Chapter is on the feature of Lao Jie. This chapter takes the syncretism of the Ming Dynasty as the academic background of Lao Jie. Theinterpretation method of Lao Jie is divided into Taoism, Confucianism, Buddha and history to explain Laozi. Respectively, the purpose of using Taoism to interpret Laozi is to achieve its internal thinking as the one. The second purpose of the methods which include using Confucianism and Buddha to interpret Laozi is to make Confucianism become the dominant ideology above others. The third purpose is to reflect Lao Jie with strong characteristics of the times, because it implies a lot of the philosophy of the mind. Tthe fourth purpose is to pay attention to elaborating the real value of understand the reason of the world.Chapter fifth is mainly on the relationship between the thoughts of Guo Zizhang about Laozi and mentality of the literati in late Ming dynasty. This chapter includes the prosperous reasons of Laozi; the mental change of literati and the characteristics of it after the change happened, then this mentalities’ change affects the idea of Guo Zizhang about Laozi and their relationship. So we can conclude that the change of literati’s mentality also constitute the reasons of the prosperity of interpret Laozi in the late Ming Dynasty.