The Study On Luo Hongxian’s Conscience Theory

Luo Hongxian, a disciple of Wang Yangming, is classified to Guiji School ofPost-Yangming Doctrine together with Nie Shuangjiang. The whole life of LuoHongxian was rather bumpy. Though he was so weak during his youth, he worked hardin academic research. But in his middle age, all of his theory revealed his desire onunderstanding the highest significance of the life after his wife and son passed awayand he gave up his study halfway. After his further study deeply in Chushan, LuoHongxian founded his own theory, which surpassed Guiji School of Nie Shuangjiang atlast. Since he did not learn from Wang Yangming directly, his understanding about ofLiangzhi School deviated from the core principles of Yangming Doctrine to someextent. As a result, his thoughts were questioned by the scholars of Post-YangmingDoctrine. However, Luo Hongxian gradually established his own academic systemconcerning the ontology, the effort and the spiritual realm through his own persistencepractice in the end.This paper, based on the thought experiences of Luo Hongxian, firstly, expoundsthe basic components of Luo Hongxian’s philosophical thoughts, and then analyzes themain differences between his theory and Post-Yangming Doctrine. Furthermore, thispaper reveals Luo Hongxian’s characteristic personal thoughts. The paper contains foursections: section one is used to introduce the background of Luo Hongxian’s theory;section two expounds the evolution of Luo Hongxian’s theory and displays therelationship between Luo Hongxian’s Liangzhi School and Zaoqi Shishuo, WangLongxi’s Jianzai Liangzhi School, Nie Shuangjiang’s Guiji School; the third sectionexpresses the primary feature of Luo Hongxian’s theory through the trace of theontology, the effort, the spiritual realm; the last section makes a brief summary of LuoHongxian’s philosophical thoughts, stressing that Luo Hongxian occupies an importantstatus in Wang Yangming’s Conscience Theory.The writer tries to investigate Luo Hongxian’s thoughts based on the evolution ofthoughts of Post-Yangming Doctrine, and displays the ideas of different schools ofPost-Yangming Doctrine by means of the debating between Luo Hongxian and Post-Yangming Doctrine. It is hoped that this paper can fully demonstrates howPost-Yangming Doctrine affects Yangming’s Conscience Theory and the shortcomingsof Yangming’s Conscience Theory.