Zhu Xi’s Theory Of Ren In Ecological Ethics Perspective

This paper studies Zhu Xi’s theory of Ren from the perspective of ecological ethics,and attempts to establish a more reasonable system of the ecological ethics thought of Zhu Xi’s Ren,which is specifically analyzed from two aspects:First of all,Zhu Xi considered that Ren is the ultimate law of the universe to create nature objects and is also the ultimate virtue of Tian as well as human beings,with study starting from the Qi of the four seasons as well as Yin and Yang in nature,and ending up with the benevolent feelings on human like compassion,shamefulness,humility and conscience,which reflects Zhu Xi’s thinking of the nature,human beings and the relationship between them;Second,in Zhu Xi’s thought,Ren is also the ultimate principle of love,no matter who or what people love,which reflects Zhu Xi’s thinking of how to deal with the relationship between human beings and other natural objects,with study begins with the filial piety and ends up with the benevolent feelings on all the other nature objects.Besides,the thought about how to restrain one’s selfish desire,maintain the heart and return to the ultimate nature is to think about how to develop a sustainable direction of harmonious coexistence between human beings and nature from the perspective of self-cultivation.Finally,with the comparison between the ecological ethics thought of Zhu Xi’s Ren and the main theories of western ecological ethics,it can be concluded that Zhu Xi’s thought has its uniqueness,which can not be understood from the angle of western ecological ethics completely.At the same time,both the thoughts could be compatible in some details,which would also provide some inspirations for the development of contemporary ecological ethics.