The Ecological Ethical Thought Of Cheng Hao And That Of Cheng Yi Respectively

As the representative of the Chinese traditional culture, the Confucian culture upholds the ecological thought of "Wan_Wu_Yi-Ti"(The world as an organic whole). This thought provides great support for research upon the Chinese ecological ethics. In terms of ideological principle, level of development, and respective social effects, this paper compares the development of the Chinese ecological ethical thought with that of western ecological ethical thought and summarizes some experience. Such experience is of utmost importance to the development of the Chinese ecological ethics, ecological ethics education, and socialist modernization.As the founders of the Taoist school in the Northern Song Dynasty, Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi demonstrated the "Benevolence" of the Confucian school in terms of cosmic noumenon and built the ideology which took Confucianism as the principal aim and integrated Buddhism and Taoism. The philosophy of science by Zhu Xi and the philosophy of the mind by Lu Jiuyuan and Wang Shouren have enriched, developed and innovated the philosophy of science by Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi.On the basis of previous research, this paper makes the following attempts:in terms of research method, most previous scholars study Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi from the combination of politics and moral; however, this paper studies the ecological ethical thought by Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi in order to enrich the research upon the Chinese ecological history; in terms of order of research, this paper elaborates in the order of "Living"——"Benevolence"——"Harmony" and thus reveals the ecological ethical thought by Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi; in terms of manner of research, this paper compares the ecological ethical thought by Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi with the Taoism, Taoist school, Buddhism, and metaphysics. Also, it compares the thought by Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi with western ecological ethical thoughts. The author does this to provide reference for the development of the Chinese ecological philosophy.This paper consists of five chapters. It collates and expounds the ecological ethical thought by Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi in terms of the following. Chapter1and Chapter2narrate the academic life of Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi, ecological cultural background of the Northern Song Dynasty, and the ethical basis and theoretical origin of the ecological ethical thought by Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi. As the founders of science, Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi exerted a profound influence. The Luo School established by Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi inherits the political and ethical thought and core spirit of the Confucianism of Confucius and Mencius. By quoting, absorbing, transforming, and merging the thoughts of the Buddhism and the Taoism, it becomes a new form of Confucianism with speculative philosophy. Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi absorbed the ecological theories of the Buddhism, Taoism, and metaphysics. They philosophically explored the principle of the universe and social ethics and creatively put forward the proposition of nature's justice. This proposition combines nature's justice and humanity.Chapter3and Chapter4expound the ecological ethical thought of Cheng Hao and that of Cheng Yi respectively. The ecological world view of the "Nature and Man as One" theory by Cheng Hao is embodied as "Nature and Man as One","Wan_Wu_Yi-Ti", and "Man is the Heart of Heaven and Earth". The core of the ecological values of his theory of "Benevolence of Living" is "Natural Law Living","Law of Living", and "One Integrated Mass". The core of his ecological ethical viewpoints is "Ode to Cultivation by Heaven and Earth" and "Recognition of Benevolence by Heart".Cheng Yi considered that the world view with static and dynamic change is "Yin-Yang change","things will develop in the opposite direction when they become extreme", and "there is no gap between presentation and natural science; they derive from the same source" Another important argument of Cheng Yi is "to be reasonable and to discard desires". He considered that man should restrain his own desires by using moral reason. Likewise, Cheng Yi inherited and developed the ecological values of Confucius and Yan Hui. He considered that man could obtain the freedom of "doing anything as he likes without going beyond the rules" only by "following the etiquette". He put forward "the pleasure of following the etiquette", that is, man can rule the world only by obeying natural law.Chapter5discusses modern values and inspirations of the ecological ethical thoughts by Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi. This chapter interprets the ecological thoughts by Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi from the perspective of modern ecology, for example," Wan_Wu_Yi-Ti" and theory of ecological system,"the world as an organic whole" and anthropocentricism, and Yin-Yang view of change and dialectical naturalism. They seek after the harmony between human and nature, that is, man should coexist and develop in harmony with nature.The philosophy by Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi has a very clear clew of thought, that is, from the philosophy of life of "natural law and life", to the moral ethics of "kind to others and good to living things ", to the ecological ethics of "ode to cultivation by heaven and earth". The core of their ecological ethics is worthy of our critical inheritance and learning. It, to some extent, makes up for the deficiency of modern ecological ethics.