Wang Fu-chih's "four Books" And Its Early Enlightenment Thought

Wang Fuzhi (1619-1692) was a philosopher and an enlightenment thinker during the end of Ming dynasty and the beginning of Qing dynasty.This essay divides into five chapters to elucidate on early enlightenment thought of study of Wang Fuzhi.Chapter one,Wang Fuzhi and the trend of enlightenment thought during the end of Ming and the beginning of Qing,composes with four sections,discusses chiefly the backgrounds of society,academy,and ideology history,under which Wang Fuzhi's early enlightenment thought produced. Section one shows that the Chinese feudal society during the end of Ming and the beginning of Qing got already into the historic stage in which it began to carry on criticizing itself. Section two shows that the center of gravity of Confucianism's system,utilization and literature transformed with social economy and polity changes. Section three shows that the times feature of the enlightenment trend during the end of Ming and the beginning of Qing manifested centrally four aspects:(1) critique of Li scholarship;(2) critique of the politics;(3) critique of the society;(4) calling for logos and science. Section four shows that the basic characteristic of Wang Fuzhi's ideas about Confucianism canon behaved three sides:(1) Gloss must be accordance with the ancient books. (2) Meaning may be daily renovation. (3) Canon meaning study combines with canon Jinwen study.Chapter two,the theory of studying the phenomena of nature in order to acquire knowledge in reverse of taking as doctrine,composes with four sections,discusses principally criticism and summarization of Wang Fuzhi's theory of studying the phenomena of nature in order to acquire knowledge giving Li scholarship's one. Section one illustrates that Wang Fuzhi's theory on cognitive origin,in which he paid attention to studying nature of things anyhow,had a material and dialectical reformation to Li scholarship's theory of studying the phenomena of nature in order to acquire knowledge. Section two illustrates that Wang Fuzhi's theory on cognitive stage,in which he thought studying nature of things in order to acquire knowledge of them,and both are mutually affective,gave a historic summary to Li scholarship's theory of studying the phenomena of nature in order to acquire knowledge. Section three illustrates that Wang Fuzhi's theory on cognitive process,in which he advanced doing is the former,knowing is the latter,doing and knowing are functional each other,used thinking highly of doing as its future. Section four illustrates that Wang Fuzhi's theory on cognitive ability,in which he maintained Heaven and human,sage and virtuous,are no difference not only in knowledge frombirth but also in knowledge after study,negated traditional theory of knowledge from birth,emphasized determined status and effect of knowledge after study. To sum up,Wang Fuzhi's theory of studying nature of things in order to acquire knowledge of them is the supreme theory result of Chinese traditional philosophy's theory of knowledge and the important segment of enlightenment thought of seventeen century. Chapter three,a fresh orientation of the traditional views of ,composes with two sections,discusses primarily development of Wang Fuzhi's realism to traditional views of . Section one demonstrates that Wang Fuzhi's re-explaining about the theory of sincerity of with realism gave a higher and exacter philosophy abstract to the objective reality of the world. Section two demonstrates that Wang Fuzhi rebounded the traditional views of mean according to realism,opposed Cheng-Zhu Li scholarship's explaining about mean with even-handed. In a word,Wang Fuzhi's realism is the supreme theory result of Chinese traditional philosophy's ontology and the supreme theory epitome of pragmatic inspirit of the trend of enlightenment thought during the end of Ming and the beginning of Qing.Chapter four,the finality of Qi monism and the enlightenment of mind-nature theor...