A Study Of Dai Zhen 's View Of Reason And Desire

This essay will do a research about Dai Zhen’s Doctrine of Ethics and Desire. I will read and study adout Dai Zhen’s work and other scholars’ research about him,and have a comprehensive understanding about this theory’s logic and main contents so I can explore its progress and boundedness.This article confirms the train of thought.I will first study the debate about the relationship between Ethics and Desire in Cheng and Zhu School,then analyze the concepts about Ethics and Desire,and finally talk about their claim on "keep the celestial law existence and kill off the human desire".Next T will find Dai Zhen’s understangding about these two concepts and his view of "Ethics relies on Desire". After this step,I can get a whole grasp of Doctrine and Desire.At the ending of this essay.l analyze and evaluate the Dai Zhen’s Doctrine of Ethics and Desire from three aspects such as academic significance,social value and the view of life.The Cheng and Zhu’s conclusion of the debate about Ethics and Desire is that we should keep the celestial law existence and.kill off the human desire,which based on the affirmation of Ethics and demotion of Desire.Cheng and Zhu thought heavenly principle is kind and the desire is evil and the immoderate chase of desire will result in enormous harm.So they declaimed that we should limit the desire to protect the heavenly principle.Dai Zhen didn’t agree with Cheng and Zhu School about the rclatationship between Ethics and Desire,which misinterpreted and deviated from the doctrine of Confucius and Mencius.Cheng and Zhu separated Ethics from Desire and held the view that the Ethics was infront of Desire.They also declared "keep the celestial law existence and,kill off the human desire".The feudal rulers made use of this theory to suppress the people’s request for reasonable intrest,which caused many misfortune to the common people. So Dai Zhen wanted to study the Menci’s book so he can put a right understanding on Desire and admit the human naturality.On other hand,he wanted to inspire the governor to force a right policy to feel the people’s feeling and satify the people’s desire.Dai Zhen proposed that the Desire was human nature and itself was no kind or evil. When people selfishly pursue the Desire,the situation will go bad.Ethics isn’t a independent thing,and it exists in things and Desire.People should use the Ethics to restrain the Desire.Dai Zhen also used the"nature"and"certain"to explain the ralationship between the Ethics and the Desire,which was very crcativcly.Dai Zhen’s Doctrine of Ethics and Desire proves his abundant konwledge and brave queries about the authority.And the proposition of "feel the people’s feeling and satify the people’s desire" provides Political Ethics a people-oriented thought.And it can promote people think about the pursuation of mtrest sanely.