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Self-discipline or external discipline
—Reflecting on Mou Zongsan’s positioning of Zhu Zi’s theory of studying things and learning knowledge
Author: Gao Haibo (Associate Professor of Humanities, Qinghua University)
Source: “Myth and Civilization” Issue 3, 2021
[Abstract]In the history of mind, Lu Xiangshan, Wang Yangming, Huang Zongxi and others have criticized Zhu Zi’s theory of studying things and learning knowledge, and believe that he is suspected of being “outside the rules”. Mou Zongsan continued this understanding. From the perspective of Kant’s philosophy, he pointed out that Zhu Xi’s theory of studying things and learning knowledge is to place moral laws outside the subject, but rather an heterologous virtue. The scholar of King Shu was particularly Mou Zongsan’s misunderstanding of Zhu Zi’s theory of learning through learning. In fact, for Zhu Xi, pursuing things to gain knowledge is the process of fighting the influence of atmosphere and material desires, so that the subject can fully recognize its own nature and reason and make it appear. From this meaning, Zhu Xi’s moral form of learning through things is also a self-discipline rather than an external virtue.
〔Keywords〕Studying things leads to knowledge, nature reason, moral principles, self-discipline and other discipline
1. The criticism of Zhu Xi’s thinking of “Studying things leads to knowledge”
In Zhu Xi’s thinking, the investigation of things leads to knowledge and the main and the cooperation of taking care of the master, and the principle of action is not known. In Zhu Xi’s view, the state of “knowledge” that is finally achieved through knowledge is a kind of “true knowledge”, and “true knowledge” can naturally be transformed into action. However, influenced by his concept of investigating things, Zhu Zi’s definition of the object of knowledge is not limited to moral principles, but also includes the principles of natural things (such as the reason why Liuhe is profound, the principles of every grass and a tree, etc.). Therefore, knowledge is not limited to the personal moral examination, but also includes introverted awareness activities. This will create a problem, that is, how can we lead to moral integrity and provide power for moral integrity through the knowledge gained through the principle of non-speciality and speciality. This shows this doubt in Yangming: “The Confucian scholars explained that when they investigated things as the whole country, how could the whole country be obtained? And every grass and tree have a reasonable point, how can they go now? How can they get the plants and trees? How can they get the intention of their own mind?” Yangming’s doubts not only touch on the problems they understand about the relationship between reality (natural) and eligible (morality), but also touch on the thoughts on the origin of morality. In Yangming’s view, if moral principles need to be found in things, and then use the master’s respect to make the subject insist on complying with it, this is very problematic:
What Zhu Xi called “investigating things” is to seek to be close to things and sacrificing the principles, that is,The reasoning of things is to seek what theorems are said in everything. Therefore, my heart seeks reason in everything, and analyzes the “heart” and “reason” to make it two. Those who seek reason for everything are like seeking filial piety to their respect. The reason for seeking filial piety depends on his or her opinion. Baobao.comHowever, the reason for filial piety lies in my evil heart? What is the consequence of suppressing the body? The consequences lie in the body of the wife. But after the wife is gone, my heart will be in filial piety? …So for example, the principles of all things are the same. This is why we can know that the mind and reason are not the same. Analyzing the mind and reason to be two, this is what Gaozi said about “outside the meaning” and is deeply rooted in Mencius.
Yang Ming believed that all moral principles should be developed in our hearts, and should not look for them in their inner objects. Zhu Xi’s practice of placing the principles of things outside actually believed that there is no moral principles in our hearts, and the principles of moral principles (theorems) can only be found in our inner things. This is actually to nourish the price ptt. Yang Ming’s above criticism actually touches on the relationship between self-discipline and external discipline in modern moral philosophy: Yang Ming believes that all moral principles come from the original intention of moral principles (heart is reason), so the subject’s reality of moral principles is to abide by its own laws, so this kind of moral principles can be said to be a kind of “self-discipline morality”. Zhu Xi’s approach to seeking moral principles from inner things through the method of investigating things is to place moral standards outside the subject, so it is a kind of “external morality”. The difference between these two moral forms lies in the fact that the origin of morality comes from the inside or inside of self-sanity. If moral principles come from the inside of the three-sanity, then the subject’s reality of moral principles is that it is self-voluntary and does not need to be strong. In this process, the subject will naturally generate a practical force, naturally transforming its understanding of moral principles into actions, thereby achieving “integration of knowledge and action”. Yang Ming once said: “The Book of Religion says: ‘The person who has deep love for his son must be harmonious, and those who have harmony must be happy; those who have joy must be gentle and kind.’ It must be that he has deep love as his roots, so it is natural.” Because there is a deep love for his parents in his heart, it will naturally be expressed in his words and deeds to his parents, that is, moral cognition can be naturally transformed into moral ideology. Zhu Xi’s approach of “analyzing the mind and reason” is to place moral principles in the object rather than in the subject itself, so the subject will lack the practical power and will inevitably face the problem of how to transform moral knowledge into reality (i.e., the problem of “how to be honest with one’s own will”). In “The General of Wang Xue’s Study – From Wang Yangming to Xiong Shili”, Yang Ming’s thoughts were also reflected, and he used Kant’s philosophy to propose Zhu Zi’s theory of studying things and learning.Criticism:
On ordinary, broad moral laws can be truly transformed into useful behavioral norms as long as they are combined with the subject’s inner will. Zhu Xi concludes the principle of nature as the commandment of heaven, and emphasizes that the subject must absolutely serve the principle of heaven against the earth. This determines that he cannot defeat the disparate nature and inner nature of the principle of heaven on the subject, and thus, in contrast, cannot solve the problem of how to effectively regulate the behavior of the subject in nature. The confrontation between the principles of nature and the subject can be seen as the logical result of Zhu Xi’s dualization of the world, and it has formed another theoretical difficulty in Zhu Xi’s intellectual system.
Yang Ming’s above criticism of Zhu Zixue is not a case. In the King of the Heart, there is the Mountain of the Soul in front and Huang Zongxi behind. They all hold similar opinions:
The mind is gathered in matters, which is gathered in meaning. Water with source and wood with roots, its atmosphere is not crippled. “The meaning of the word” means that the height is different, and each thing has its own meaning, and it is simulated to find it. This is exactly what Zhu Xi said, “Everything is in line with the meaning.” … Therefore, Xiangshan said: “Reading books and seeking principles is exactly the external power of Gaozi.” He has also deeply affected his illness.
Shiru did not rely on this and clearly this was the little sister on the floor. Your little sister scored 700 points in the college entrance examination. Now she thinks that she is in the process of seeking reason between the six-dimensional and all things. This is absolutely extraordinary. However, the principle of the six-member and all things, and the understanding of my heart is the same. In the outside world, it is ultimately a sourceless water and a rootless wood. It always combines the body and has already turned around. Therefore, begging for fire along the door and seeing dark eyes, and going far away. …The meaning outside Gaozi is not contemptuous but not obsessed? It is also to seek the meaning between things and combine them, just as the Confucian scholars in the world say that it is rational.
In other words, whether it is Shuxiangshan, Wang Yangming or Huang Zongxi, they all believe that Zhu Xi’s way of exploring things to gain knowledge is the same as Gao Zi’s “outside” and is expressed in the language of modern moral philosophy, that is, the concept of “external morality”. In their opinion, since Zhu Xi’s bearingschoolers do not recognize that the principle of morality is in their hearts, and their morality
