| Wang fuzhi is one of the early enlightenment pioneers, whose broad and profound philosophic system is established in the times of enlightenment thoughts of Ming and Qing dynasties. His philosophic theory of human nature is developed in the times of political changes that Ming was replaced by Qing and the rising of enlightenment thoughts. Facing the new development, problems and contradictions emerging from the society, nation and thought domains, by introspecting, criticizing and sublating the Neo-Confucianism, viewing people's existence and historical existence as a starting point and returning to six-channels in the new high, Wang fuzhi establishes a new philosophic theory of human nature which has early enlightenment characteristics and reflects the awakening of modern humanistic awareness. Comparing with the Neo-Confucianism which is based on "Li" and moral metaphysics of "Xing—Xin—Li" ethics first socialist, the human nature philosophic theory established by Wang fuzhi achieves the paradigm shift from the first socialist ethics to humanism and from ontology to existential-ontology, and systematically constructs philosophy of human nature giving priority to "Qi "and unifying "Xing-Xin-Shen".The starting point of the philosophy of human nature is neither the heavenly principle, nor conscience, but the real people practicing practical-existential activities between heaven and earth, whose aim is to materialize the formation of taking man as the starting point of the human nature in the" Jian-Xing" and "practice" and finally to reach the ideal realm of personality beauty. Specifically speaking, Wang fuzhi's philosophy of human nature is constructed by exploring two questions:why the human nature is possible, and how the human nature can be developed and achieved?Why the human nature is possible? It is the issue discussed in the first and second chapters of the thesis. The first chapter reveals the existential-ontology transformation of the human nature from the perspective of people's survival and practice. Wang fuzhi confirms that the whole universe is a world of sincerity of a course of Qi's transformation flowing through the practical and moral practice of the people. The world is the result of the course of Qi's transformation flowing which congeals into people'body and goodness nature. Because of the emergence of the people, the heaven and earth acquire the self-awareness, and the meaning of heavenly rule has been revealed. According to Wang fuzhi, human nature stems from the "Succeeding to the goodness of the Nature and forming nature" of natural law. However, he emphasizes more that human nature is the product of practical activities of survival.Following the first chapter, the second discusses the first question from three specific aspects. The first one is to clarify the relationship of human nature and destiny. Wang fuzhi stresses that people has complete moral and rational human nature from fatality destiny, and fully affirms the uniqueness and rationality of people's perceptual physical, emotion and desire. The thought breaks through the Neo-Confucianism, which discusses the human nature from only the moral reason, and emphasizes the features of human nature in pursuing rational knowledge, art and aesthetic activities. Meanwhile, Wang fuzhi thinks that people don't bear destiny passively. The achievement of human nature and destiny and the responsibility of creating self-fate is not in the nature, but in themselves. Thus, he puts forward the thought that the " common people " who support the personal subjectivity can assist heaven and create destiny. In the second aspect, Wang fuzhi holds that human nature can only be realized by vivid person, and expresses clearly the view that innate human nature is postnate human nature and people's bodies have special meanings and inner values. The body is not the source of evil but kind nature. In the third aspect, Wang fuzhi emphasizes that physical activity makes the communication between heaven and people, people and things. Human nature is not an isolated and accomplished category, but is a constant process. Wang fuzhi thinks that the real value and meaning of human nature is that people have a final decision and autonomous right to what kind of human nature people have. The generation of human nature is self-improvement, and as long as one lives, humanity is always in an incomplete status of self-change and self-creation.The first two chapters have explained that the development of human nature is not only due to the grant of destiny, but also because of practical activity. Compared with Neo-Confucianism making the human nature belong to congenital everlasting "justice" and "BenXin", Wang fuzhi owes the development of human nature to creative and practical activities of people in this world. In this way, the thesis logically moves on to the question of how human nature can be realized, i.e. how the human nature is generated. This is what the author discusses in chapter three, four and five.Chapter three discusses the generation of human nature in the " Jian Xing", which is the process of perceptual body filling with moral reason. Through the " Jian Xing" activities, people's body will transcend the animals and plants to be a" Xing-Xin-Shen" body-subject with independent initiative. Therefore, by opposing that Taoism lacerates the organic connections of " Xing-Xin-Shen" and thinks perceptual body barriers moral practice, Wang fuzhi holds that the consciousness movement, emotion and desire showed by body is the premise and basis of the carrying out and realization of the moral reason. Moral reason should not be sought beyond the physical affection, but in the self-temperance emerging from the activities of pursuing sweet, food, happiness, and sex.On the one hand, the process of " Jian Xing" is the unification of " Xing-Xin-Shen" in the perceptual body. On the other hand, it is the unification of physical activity and the all things in the world, which will be discussed in the fourth chapter. Wang fuzhi elaborates it from three aspects:first, the body gets practical courage and power through Cultivating awe-inspiring spirit", so people can devote themselves to physical activities in the world. Second, physical activity gains unity in the environment for practice consisted of Neng and Suo. On the one hand, Wang fuzhi emphasizes that " Conscience " becomes a "true Conscience " through the process of action; On the other hand, he stresses the unity of pursuing good and true, which digs the spirit of epistemology of human nature and develops epistemological thought germination with modern scientific meaning. Third, Wang fuzhi thinks people's essential strength should be externalized to the thing ultimately,and eventually creates a civilized world full of humanitarian spirit and humanistic care, through the production practice and the moral and ethical practice.The appearing, generation and transcendence of human nature in the " Jian Xing " and "practice" creates a true self and human world eventually. In chapter five the thesis will discuss final purpose of the philosophy of human generation, which points to pursuing the value of life, self-life meaning and ideal personality aesthetic state realizing the unity of true, goodness and beauty.The personality beauty is a unification of goodness, truth and beauty,and also to be beyond state of spiritual beauty, the organic unity of tangible and intangible, sublimate of human nature in history and art.In a word, the distinct characteristics of Wang fuzhi's human nature formation philosophy is that it sublates the "human philosophy "of Neo-Confucianism, and emphasizes that human nature is the existence of a generation, through viewing practical man's existence and historical existence as a starting point, and exceeding the expression way of ontology and transcendent. Not only heavenly principle, but also moral law need go back to the real person's existence and existing activities. If we say that Neo-Confucianism opens a social value standard and moral body on the moral metaphysics of human nature theory, then Wang fuzhi innovates it and his philosophy of human nature with existential-ontology orientation leads to an open society and the individual of continuous generation and development. |
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