A Study Of The Construction Of Dong Zhongshu’s Theory Of Human Nature And Its Practice Of Moral Governance

Human nature is the core of Chinese philosophy,and is the root and home of other philosophical ideas;the political philosophy of Confucianism takes its theory of human nature as its logical starting point and realises its concern for political practice in accordance with human nature.Dong Zhongshu,the representative figure of Han philosophy,opened the way for Confucianism to become the backbone of traditional Chinese spirituality and laid the foundation for it.As the shaper of Confucianism in the Han dynasty,Dong Zhongshu’s theory of human nature was the basis of his philosophy;Dong’s theory of human nature inherited and developed the thinking of Confucianism in the pre-Qin dynasty,and absorbed the teachings of the five elements of yin and yang,forming a new theory of human nature with the aim of realising ’the politics of the king’,which had a profound influence on later generations of Confucians.The study of Dong Zhongshu’s theory of human nature not only helps to sort out the development of Confucianism’s theory of human nature and thus accurately grasp the status of Dong Zhongshu’s theory of human nature in academic history,but also helps to deepen the study of Dong Zhongshu’s political philosophy,as well as to realize the innovative transformation and development of the traditional excellent theory of human nature into the moral construction of citizens in the new era.This paper examines Dong Zhongshu’s thought on human nature based on the Spring and Autumn Period and the Three Strategies of Heaven and Man contained in the Book of Han.Firstly,the theoretical sources and the logic of the construction of Dong Zhongshu’s theory of human nature are sorted out,summarised and summarised through the method of documentary research.Secondly,the study of Dong Zhongshu’s theory of human nature is compared with that of the pre-Qin dynasty in terms of the nature of human nature and the way in which goodness can be achieved,rather than the dilemma of choosing between"goodness" and "badness" in the study of human nature.Finally,the academic and historical status and influence of Dong Zhongshu’s theory of human nature is summarized from the perspective of Confucian political philosophy.Dong Zi’s theory of human nature was based on the political,economic and cultural prosperity and stability of society after the reign of Wen and Jing.Emperor Wu’s new policy of "Youwei" gave Dong Zhongshu the ideal ambition to revive Confucianism.His solid academic experience prepared Dong Zhongshu for the construction of his theory of humanity and provided him with the basis for his practice of moral governance.The construction of Dong Zhongshu’s theory of human nature was mainly built up through two approaches:the theory of the induction of heaven and man and the theory of the right name.The doctrine of the right name was used to deny the content of previous theories of human nature that did not meet the political requirements of his time,and the doctrine of the induction of heavenly beings into the good and evil of human nature by means of the qi of yin and yang,consolidating his doctrine of human nature with the authority of heaven.Dong Zhongshu’s theory of human nature takes the realisation of the ’Way of the King’ as its theoretical destination,and therefore selects the ’nature of the middle people’ as the object of his theory of human nature,and entrusts the responsibility of ’making good’ to the In his theory of human nature,Dong Zhongshu chose the ’nature of the middle people’ as the object of his theory,and entrusted the responsibility of ’making good’ to the king.The constructive qualities of Dong Zhongshu’s theory of human nature are reflected in his critical inheritance of Meng and Xun’s theory of human nature.Taking the creation of heaven as the boundary,Dong divides his theory of human nature into two parts;"nature"and "becoming good".In terms of the nature of human nature,Dong Zhongshu assimilated the idea of "good ends" from Mencius’ theory of the goodness of nature,affirming that there are elements of goodness in human nature and the potential for goodness,and providing justification for "education".In terms of the path to goodness,Dong Zhongshu assimilated and developed Xunzi’s theory of the nature of evil,and regarded "education" as the necessary path to succeeding heaven and becoming good,providing legitimacy for the monarch’s moral rule and education.Dong Zhongshu’s theory of human nature provided the logical support for his political philosophy.It not only consolidated the centralized system of power,which was dominated by the supremacy of the monarch,but also made Confucian moralism,the ’teaching of the state’,the main way for kings to govern their people.It not only solved the triple political problems of legitimacy,consolidation of the great unity and the search for ’long-term rule’faced by the early Han,but also provided a human basis for the implementation of his moral rule policy.Through the construction of his theory of human nature,Dong Zhongshu inherited and developed Confucianism and had a profound influence on the formation and development of Confucianism in the Song and Ming dynasties.Especially in the new era,Dong Zhongshu’s theory of human nature has served as a major inspiration for contemporary civic moral construction in terms of the manner,content and target of edification.