The Study On The Theory Of "Nature Is True" For Taoists In Pre-Qin Dynasty

Human nature is an eternal topic in philosophy,especially in Chinese philosophy,the dispute between true and false,good and evil of human nature has been going on for a long time.At present,the academic circles have already elaborated on the Confucian theory of human nature,but Taoism,which is also a large part of Chinese ideology and culture,is often ignored by people for its criticism of the social situation at that time and its profound thinking on human nature.Pre-Qin Taoists in the same era as the pre-Qin Confucianists had faced the same acute social problems,the disputes of principalities led to frequent regime changes and social unrest.At the same time,the desire of the few who held power expands constantly,ceremonial rites and music collapsed gradually highlights,and human nature inevitably changes.In view of this phenomenon,Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu as the representative of the pre-Qin Taoist began to reflect on human nature.Unlike Confucianism,which harbors profound salvation ideals,Taoism does not view human nature in a secular way.Throughout Lao and Chuang’s works,it is difficult to find a simple qualitative sentence of "Good and Evil" to human nature,but the concepts of "Truth" and "Nature" run through all the time.Taoism’s observation of human nature is based on the view of "Nature",Lao’s "doing nothing or creating nothing" regards artificial norms of conduct as virtue’s lowest grade.Chuang also pointed out the nature’s differences of all things with the fable of "Crane has long legs and Duck has short legs ",and did not need to change by force.Taoism summed up through observation of the supreme realm of human nature as "Xuan",it is not a stagnant end,but a moving ultimate which is congenital and infinitely continuous.In addition,it is also the mother of all things,including human nature,and the beginning of human world.In other words,it is the synonym of Tao.As human civilization continues to advance,the loss of the original Tao has become a foregone conclusion.In this case,Lao first proposed that "influence others without preaching" can correct the human nature that presents a changing trend,and then Chuang criticized Confucianism for "stabbing people with Benevolence and Righteousness",and put forward "use heart’s sobriety","remove the name of good" and other methods to deal with it.This is precisely an argument between personal "True" and common "Good and Evil".For people who exist as independent individuals,nature lies in "Truth" rather than "Good and Evil"."True" is the most consistent form with "Tao ",so,in "True",that is,in "Tao"."Tao" endows all things with "Form",and after all things receive it,"Situation" has born.The so-called "Situation",popularly speaking,is the "Feeling" showing after a person in contact with things.Tao and Form are born of all things and can not be changed,but the Situation is changeable.However,the variety of Situation will not affect "True",the foundation of human nature.How to make "Feeling" remove hypocrisy,return to the "natural" state like a baby,and make the brilliance of human innocence bloom,this is the tireless exploration of Taoist school since the pre-Qin Dynasty,and it is also a subject worth thinking about in our modern society.By discussing the important aspects of "Heart","Nature" and "Feeling" from different angles,we will see that why the understanding of human nature resonates widely among human society--human nature moves us with its “True”.