Secularization Of Confucianism And The Spirit Of Merchants In Ming Dynasty

Enlightened by Weber’s theory that is about relationship between protestant morality and capitalist spirit, Yu Yingshi, the historian,put forward the"Weberian thesis" which also focused on the relationship between religious ethics and economic behavior. This paper considers the fact that secularization of Confucianism in the dynasty of Ming produced an effect on the spiritual life of plebeian strata ---particularly the stratum of merchants,from a new perspective, which is distinct from the old "Weberian thesis",of Protestantism shaping the life of ordinary people.This paper employs the research method of historical sociology and the analysis method of both culture and institution,makes an investigation into the collected materials of XianZhi,JiaPu, and ZuGui.This paper made detailed analysis in three aspects on the relationship,which include secularization of Confucianism,relationship between secularization of Confucianism and merchants in Ming Dynasty and the spirit of merchants in Ming Dynasty.By the analysis,reveals that secularization of Confucianism in the dynasty of Ming made the plebeian strata except the literati stratum the practitioner and carriers. By this, it also makes a response to Max Weber’s theoretical judgment that China lacked the social changes and the common people of China could not live a cultured and virtuous life.