On The Relationship Between Mingjiao And Ziran Of The Metaphysics In The Wei And Jin Periods

Strictly speaking, the modern research on the Metaphysics is from Tang Yongtong. He admitted the value of the Metaphysics in the modern philosophical awareness. He discussed many questions on Metaphysics in his works. But, he did not devote to discuss relationship between the Mingjiao and Ziran.After him, there are fewer scholars who do the systematic research on this question. Most of them think that the Metaphysics in Wei and Jin period reform the Mingjiao concept of Confucianism with the Ziran concept of the Taoism. And they try to confirm the truth of the Mingjiao by the Ziran of the Taoism. Then they can resolve the contradiction between the Mingjiao and Ziran. At last, they can solve the actual problems of the Mingjiao.But did the Ziran concept have the same meaning before the Qin Dynasty and in the Wei and Jin Dynasty? And whether the scholars in Wei and Jin Dynasty really reform the Mingjiao of Confucianism with the Ziran of Taoism? These are the questions which I try to answer in this article.Trough the reviewing of the generation and the development of the Mingjiao and Ziran in Qin Dynasty and Han Dynasty, we can find that they are contradictory all along.In the face of reality that the Metaphysics in Wei and Jin periods tend to be hypocritical, Wang Bi get inspiration from ancient Taoism, Grafting Ziran concept to the Mingjiao. They were understood as the ins and outs of that body, in this way, he can conform that the Mingjiao is a reasonable. Then he also proposed to eliminate the drawbacks of Mingjiao and re-establish social harmony, through the method of "by the mother to keep her son". Thus, through the superb wisdom in philosophy, Wang Bi made his own answers to the task which he faced with in that time.Face the hypocrisy and orthodox metaphysics in the society, Ruan Ji and Ji Kang represented by the"Zhulin Metaphysics"also tried to use "Ziran" to eliminate such hypocrisy. The difference is that the"Ziran"in"Zhulin Metaphysics"means a specific human nature. However, it is impossible to eliminate the hypocrisy of Mingjiao by the promotion of individual wants. It is the desires in human nature which lead to the alienation and hypocrisy of the Mingjiao. So the"Zhulin Metaphysics"turned to beyond the realm of the spirit and the pursuit of individual freedom. This pursuit is the individual's direct communication with the highest principle of the universe. In this spiritual realm, the social has been exceeded. And as the norms within the scope of social, the hypocrisy of Mingjiao is no longer a problem. Thus,"Zhulin Metaphysics"put the"Ziran"concept of Wang Bi Metaphysics into the spiritual realm, and attempting to pursue the spirit of Transcendence to cancel the hypocrisy of the Mingjiao.Guo Xiang found that the pursuit of individual freedom and beyond in"Zhulin Metaphysics"triggered the ills that people fell into the sexual recklessness. And he was also aware of Wang Bi used the abstract and empty "Ziran" as a body to prove the reasonableness of Mingjiao was unconvincing. So he demonstrated the reasonableness of Mingjiao with the special"Ziran"which was called"Du Hua"by him. He negated the existence of the noumenon outside the specific things and phenomenon. His"Ziran"means that everything exists in its own way. He placed the Mingjiao based on the natural character. And the virtue and morality showed automatically as the individual nature. In this way, he proved that the Mingjiao is reasonable with the reality of the individual human being.In summary, the early Neo-Taoism, because the Mingjiao tended to be hypocritical and alienation, attempted to reform the Mingjiao with the"Ziran"of Taoism in order to re-establish its legitimacy. However, due the innate conflict between them, this practice is not feasible. Therefore the meaning of"Ziran"turns to the nature of the individual from the meaning of the external noumenon of Taoism. At last, the"Ziran"was explained to be individual natural instincts by Guo Xiang. And the Mingjiao was placed on the basis of such natural instincts. There is the same meaning in the Pre-Confucianism. In this regard, the discussion of the reason of the Mingjiao eventually returns to its own internal Confucianism. Therefore, it seems more appropriate to regard the relationship between Mingjiao and Ziran in Wei and Jin period as the aliened Mingjiao Confucianism which is inspired by the concept of Ziran of Taoism, returns to the nature of his own.