On Laozi And Zhuangzi's Thoughts Of Justice

The three important conditions of the background which Lao-Zhuang lived, the personal life experience which they had and the history source of justice before Lao-Zhuang's period have made the formation of Lao-Zhuang's thoughts of justice.The disaffection of the social reality and criticism of Renyi Lizhi justice view are the realistic motivation of the formation of Lao-Zhuang's thoughts of justice. Laozi and Zhuangzi had both reclusive experiences and Chu cultural background, who had a passion for nature and free living as recluse. Lao-Zhuang who acquainted with the culture of history integrated realism spirit of historian tradition, romantic freedom spirit of witchcraft tradition and democratic and equal spirit of clan tradition into their own justice thoughts.Lao-Zhuang heckled ligitimacy, justice or rationality beginning with value ontology.The word " nature" never refered to the nature of objective existence in Chinese language of pre-qin dynasty. Lao-Zhuang's "nature" means nature is a kind of native situation. The nature Lao-Zhuang refered to did not belong to the category of physics, but belong to political, historicaland moral system. Lao-Zhuang's cosmic view, humanity view,political view, social view and philosophy view are all naturalistic. Naturism becomes the guidelines of all behavior rationality. "The natural Tao" is the sign of difference between Lao-Zhuang's Tao and confucian Tao of "Renyi-Lizhi". "Nature" has supreme value in Lao-Zhuang's philosophy,which is the ontology of society and human life.Lao-Zhuang's "natural Tao" comprises three hypotheses which are cosmic hypothese of "ren fa tian Tao" (man complying to tendox), hypothese of humane nature and hypothese of "natural world" or "the grand time of Perfect virtue" in original society, hence they put forward to naturalism justice view taking "nature" as standard. Sky is the sample of society and life natural philosophy. In a certain scope, "Sky" is "Tao". Lao-Zhuang held that human society had lost its direction, could not find its home because it's subjected to captivation of the way of humanity,hence, human should follow the divine Tao. Because the divine Tao, human nature and creation's nature are consistent, following the divine Tao, adapting to its true nature and adapting to its nature are also consistent.Individual is existence of both nature and society. Lao-Zhuang's justice thoughts take natural existence of individual as a starting point of constructing their justice theories, which treats individual as a purpose. Independence and freedom of individual and life safety are not only a moral principle embodying value of human existence, but also a universal standard measuring whether all real and extrinsic social systems are reasonable and justifiable or not. The theoretical demonstration of Lao-Zhuang's individual equality provided their political liberalism and life philosophy of "Valuing for himself and Valuing life" with philosophical basis. Life principle is fundamental justice principle, while the freedom principle is the highest value goal. Body is the most important part of individual, while freedom is the purpose of life. Justice can not bring forth real justice if it does not take individual life and freedom as foundation. Lao-Zhuang's individual-centered justice view will certainly lubricate and balance the collective-centered justice view dominated in autocratic society.Lao-Zhuang's social justice thoughts include administration justice thoughts of "having arrived at this point of non-action, there is nothing which he does not do".Lao-Zhuang strongly criticized "promising politics " which governor disturbs morale and people's livelihood. They held that interests of the people is the starting point and destination of administration, ruler's function must reduce to the degree that people can not perceive its existence. In fact, Lao-Zhuang didn't hold that we do nothing absolutely, they oppose arbitrary actions and unrealistic "promising politics " of ruling class, and demanded them do according to the nature.Laozi treated developing people's production as ruler's fundamental task, and advocated "Not to value and employ men of superior ability is the way to keep the people from rivalry among themselves".He proposed claims of "Renouncing our benevolence and discarding our righteousness " and "Return to innocence", claims of prudent penalization and reward, claims of "The four seasons had their definite times; not a single thing received any injury", claims of maintenance of country's peace. Laozi demonstrated economy justice thoughts of economic equality from the angle of cosmology, namely, "Tao abiding by natural law". Zhuangzi raised cosmos ontology of everything equality, so as to demonstrate economy justice thoughts more effectively. Lao-Zhuang were sure that man has basic material needs. Zhuangzi took "having the mouth full and drumming the stomach" and " ploughing and eating, weaving and making clothes" in primitive society as ideal realm of social life.Lao-Zhuang's equality view of "no difference between the noble and the mean" will inevitably derive the thoughts of partition equality, but Lao-Zhuang held that it is a kind of starting partition equality. Lao-Zhuang objected to " No work,no money", of course, they could not hold absolute equalitarianism, but objected to the absolute and consistent equalitarianism. Necessary property is the base that man keeps from obedience to corrupt politics and temptation of outside profits, which is the material guarantee of keeping piolitics and soul free. The main purpose of Lao-Zhuang's economy justice thoughts is that laborer can gain basic means of subsistence. Lao-Zhuang took distributive justice as the important content of justice, which is a great progress of justice view. Lao-Zhuang's ecosystem justice thoughts are not general environmental protection thoughts, for example, mankind-centered ecosystem view, but a kind of non-mankind-centered ecosystem view. In Lao-Zhuang's eyes, human getting along with creation harmoniously was a kind of ethical requirement, value requirement, aesthetic requirement and ecosystem requirement. Lao-Zhuang's military ethics thoughts consistent with principle of respecting life. In view of political instruction thoughts of country, Laozi raised that rulers must give up the target which they built big country in the aspect of territory, population and military, established the claim of "small state with few people"At times, Laozi used "the regular" to express the concept of value consensus, Zhuangzi was the first Chinese philosopher who started to think about justice consensus and multiple vaule view. Free state which is free from political interference avoids bondage of value dogmatism and ideology by acquiescing existence of multiple value view, and forms social public ethics by means of value consensus. On the one hand, Zhuangzi upheld his liberlism standpoint, and held that multiple value view coexists, he objected to challenge of overwhelming monism value view. On the other hand, Zhuangzi absorbed some questions raised by monism of value view, namely, how to stabilize social order. He raised proposition of value consensus which is " counting the same thing to be right" and finished dialectical conbination of "one" and "many"From Qin Han dynasty to late Ching dynasty, Laozi's doctrine influenced the kingly politics a little bit, but Zhuangzi's doctrine influenced the thought circle a little bit. Lao-Zhuang Taoism made theoritical contribution which was the ages condition can permit in the realm of preventing that feudalism monarch is dictatorial absolute monarchy. All the social justice doctrines of Confucianists,Taoists,Legalists and Mohist connected with their society, which was the best way to govern their nations in chaos and great changes. They had both opposition and uniform, and created the glittering political cultural resources of China pre-Qin Dynasty complementarily each other. However, in the view of making the past serve the present, Lao-zhuang Taoist justice thoughts were rich in spirit of freedom, which was the traditional culture resource needed to be strongly inherited, expanded and created.In general, Lao-zhuang's justice thoughts and Confucianist justice thoughts had more commons less differences. Their doctrinal basis of justice was different. Confucianist Tao paid attention to the rule of human life, namely, the rule that established, carried out by gentleman, while Lao-zhuang Taoist Tao paid attention to the cosmic rule and worldwide ethics. Lao-zhuang fustigated monarch-centered autocratic caste system, their justice thoughts were opposite to individual justice thoughts of unequal difference. In the relationship between group and individual, Lao-zhuang Taoist emphasized "Value individual", but Confucianist emphasized "Refrain individual", which is the difference between individual standard and group standard. Confucianist held that means of self-actualization of life were establishment of virtue, meritorious performance and establishment of reputation. The maximum self-actualization is that lose one' s life for the justice.Although sky was talked about by both Lao-zhuang Taoist and mohist, but their sky is same in shape but different in nature, whose spiritual nature is far different. In Lao-zhuang's philosophy system, they took the past authoritive sky as a common natural existence.As far as Mohist was concerned, sky is a god who keeps watch on every movement and every action of human omnipresently. Zhuangzi's cultural pluralism view was different from Mohist's single cultural value view of "identifying with the Superior"The main differences. between Lao-zhuang's justice thoughts and legalist's justice thoughts are that legalist had inclination to non-moralism, but Lao-zhuang Valued morals and emphasized morals, legalist held the position for the people while Lao-zhuang held the position for the monarch, Lao-zhuang insisted management means of freedom while legalist insisted management means of absolute monarchy.Lao-zhuang's justice thoughts and western liberalism justice view of Rawls as a representative had much alikeness. The original state that both of them raised has the common of freedom, equal, non-prejudice, they pointed out the importance of justice and fair in society. Both of them thought that basic freedom can not exchang other values, they held that pluralism and value consensus are unifying. Both of them had the same Standpoint of speaking for disadvantaged groups.Lao-zhuang's justice thoughts expressed their concern spirit to individual life and freedom, which has unvarying value for human development. Lao-zhuang's natural justice view contained our unvarying pursue of ideal social state, enlightened that we inherited, abandoned, broke, outstripped, created and enriched it, which is a much important justice doctrine.Lao-zhuang's natural justice thoughts have much meaning in thought liberation, meanwhile, they have their negative influence. Lao-zhuang worried about the development of social ethics norm under the yoke of will and love of the strong, this trend will likely lead to non-moralism and anarchism. After we adhere to promote one's strengths and avoid one's weaknesses, we make full use of the history resources of Lao-zhuang's justice thoughts, and carry out the conversion of its modernity at the background of interaction and collision of culture between the west and China, ancient and present culture, as is an important academic topic for us today.