Study On Wang Tangnan’s Nature-aimed Thought

Wang Tangnan,as known as an outstanding representative of Post-Yangming School,is also the epitome of the trend of quietness-oriented thought in JiangyouYangming school.The thought of Wang Tangnan is aimed at restoring the nature.And the practice of ‘Ji’ holds the key to achieveing this aim.Either the princple of the unity of substance and function,which is advoacted by Wang Yangming,or the academic road put forward by the trend of quietness-oriented thought,which is about keeping non-experienced quietness and restoring the substance by practic,is implemented in Wang Tangnan’s thought.Because of this,his theory made up for the abuse of ready intuitive knowledge as well as revised Nie Shuangjiang’s thought of ‘substance and experience are two’ and ‘rectification of affairs without pratice’.Therefore the study on Wang Tangnan’s nature-aimed thought plays an important role in understanding the quietness-oriented thought in Jiangyou-Yangming school,the development of Yangmin school and the academic transformation of Late Ming and Early Qing dynasty.Up to now,research on Wang Tangnan is still in its infancy,which is not enough.In particular,the study of Wang Tangnan thought has not been closely linked to the unique problem consciousness and academic development path of Jiangyou-Yangming school,and the positioning of Wang Tangnan’thought is still unclear.This article will present the background,theoretical framework and era significance of Wang Tangnan’s nature-aimed thought thought through four chapters.Chapter One discusses the background of his nature-aimed thought thought.The first section expound the trend of quietness-oriented thought in Jiangyou-Yangming school.Firstly,it explains its two main theoretical sources: Zhou Lianxi’s philosophy and Chen Baisha’s philosophy.Secondly,it expounds the theoretical evolution process of the trend of quietness-oriented thought from the pioneer Nie Shuangjiang to Liu Shiquan,in order to present its problem consciousness,internal contradictions and development clues.The second section combs Wang Tangnan’s academic and practical experience,focusing on several stages of his ideological change and development.Chapter Two discusses the ontological construction of Wang Tangnan’s thought.The first section focuses on the interpretation of ‘nature’,presenting the meanings and significance of this core concept in his thought from three aspects: nature as the universe noumenon,moral noumenon and the existence characteristics of nature.The second section analyzes the theoretical transformation process of replacing intuitive knowledge with‘Ji’ in his work and the positioning and functions of ‘Du’,‘Yi’ and ‘Shen’ subsumed by the concept of ‘Ji’.Chapter Three discusses the path and level of Wang Tangnan’s practice theory.Firstly,through the analysis of the three dimensions of the relationship between enlightenment and cultivation in Wang Tangnan’s thought,the principles of his practice theory were presented.Then,the three progressive levels of meditation,cultivation of ‘Ji’ and restoration of ‘Ren’ show the specific practice path.In the last chapter,the significance of Wang Tangnan’s thought in the trend of quietness-oriented thought and its influence on the ideological history of late Ming Dynasty are evaluated.