Study On The Criticism Of Laozi's Thought By Confucians In Song Dynasty

In Song Dynasty,with the development of Confucianism renaissance movement,some Confucians criticized Lao Zi's thought on the basis of Confucianism.The Negating Lao Zi's thought of Song Confbcians was an important issue of Lao Zi's doctrine in Song Dynasty.Based on the social and historical situation of Song Dynasty,this paper specifically analyzed the various criticisms of Lao Zi's thought by Confucians in Northern and Southern Song Dynasty,as well as the responses of the Lao personages of different identities at that time to these criticisms and revealed the motive force of the development of Lao Zi's doctrine in Song Dynasty,rethought the preconceptions of Confucians to Lao Zi's thought in Song Dynasty,and probed into the deep-seated relationship between Confucianism and Taoism.Based on the Confucianism standpoint,some confucians tended to regard Lao Zi as a heresy in Northern Song Dynasty.They accused Lao Zi of "abandoning justice" as a word of disorderly government,saying that Lao Zi's quiet inaction was conformed to nature and inaction,and could not be used to govern the country at all.As for Lao Zi's thought of self-infamy,he was denounced as being alone,regardless of the theory of national society.And the thought of its material extreme must counter,was also named as the name of conspiracy power.At the same time,some scholars also criticized Lao Zi's theory of cosmic generation.They criticized Lao Zi not only because of the differences between Confucianism and Taoism in self-cultivation and the thought of managing the state,but also because of the specific historical reasons besides Lao Zi criticized Confucianism ethics.Fan Zhongyan's criticism of Lao Zi's thought of infamy was related to responding to Lu Yijian's accusation.Wang Anshi criticized Lao Zi's thought of inaction in order to find the theoretical basis for reform.Si Maguang,Su Shi,Cheng Yi criticized Lao Zi and opposed Wang Anshi reform closely linked.In the face of Confucians' criticism of Lao Zi's thought at that time,Chen Jingyuan,Su Zong and Emperor Song Hui thought that Lao Zifs Tao contained Confucianism ethics,Confucianism,and Taoism,and there was no fundamental contradiction between the Confucianism ethics,Confucianism and Taoism in the process of annotating Lao Zi.The reason why Lao Zi criticized Confucianism ethics was to correct the current disadvantages;Lao Zi's inaction was not to follow the laissez-faire,to do nothing,but to do it unintentionally and naturally.As for Lao Zi's words of "if someone want to fold it,must expand it",it was intended to emphasize that he knew little and did not have the power of conspiracy.It was important to note that in the process of responding to the Negating Lao Zi's thought,Emperor Song Hui did not annotate Lao Zi's inactivity as inaction.However,some Confucians in Southern Song Dynasty did not agree with some ideas of Lao Zi's doctrine in Northern Song Dynasty.Some scholars thought that the reason why Lao Zi criticized ethics was that Lao Zi based on inaction and does not realize the consistency between noumenon and Confucianism ethics among them.Their criticism of Lao Zi's political theory had risen to the level of ontology.Even the Confucians,who did not oppose Lao Zi's "waiving benevolence and abandonment of justice" from the view of ontology,also accused Lao Zi of overcorrecting his words.On the understanding of Lao Zi's thought of inaction,some Confucians in Southern Song Dynasty still adhered to the traditional point that Lao Zi's inaction was pure nature and did nothing.And,some of them also stated the differences between Confucius and Lao Zi from the public and private heart,natural reason and human desire,moral education.In their opinion,although both Confucius and Lao Zi said inactivity,Confucius advocated inaction out of public interest,while Lao Zi advocated self-interest;Confucius advocated moderation and guided human desire,while Lao Zi emphasized abstinence from human desire;Confucius attached great importance to recuperation,also emphasized the effect of moral education,while Lao Zi ignored moral education and advocated the folly of the people.They were radically different,and there was no fundamental consistency between them as some claimed.Facing the Negating Lao Zi's thought of Confucianism in Song Dynasty,some commentators of Lao Zi in Southern Song Dynasty,on the basis of inheriting the thought of Lao Zi in Northern Song Dynasty,pointed out that Lao Zi's inaction did not mean abandoning Confucianism ethics and not using etiquette and music to punish him.They continued to emphasize the active factors in Lao Zi's thought of inaction,in order to highlight the common characters of the thought of Confucius and Lao Zi.To illustrate this,on the one hand,they affirmed the rule of culture to explain the efficacy of Lao Zi's doctrine in the period of Emperor Han Wen and Jing,on the other hand,they criticized talkers not really understanding Lao Zi in Wei and Jin Dynasty,in order to justify Lao Zi's thought.On the theory of self-cultivation,the commentators of Lao Zi in Southern Song Dynasty believed that Lao Zi had a sense of social responsibility,and his thought of preserving his health was not an everlasting method They claimed that Lao Zi's desire for temperance was because he wanted people to be mentally quiet and natural,and to be true to the Tao.As for moral grievances,the meaning was to look at resentment from a moral perspective,so as to transcend resentment and did not avenge one another.On ontology,Lao Zi's doctrine in Southern Song Dynasty inherited the view of Lao Zi's doctrine in Northern Song Dynasty,and continued to emphasize that Lao Zi's Tao was not empty,but contained benevolence,righteousness,propriety and wisdom.In the theory of cosmic formation,although some commentators of Lao Zi still used the theory of Tao generating Yin and Yang to explain Lao Zi's theory of cosmic generation,Lin Xiyi obviously absorbed the view of Neo-Confucianism when annotating Lao Zi and thought that the Taoism cannot produce pneuma.The Confucians criticism of Lao Zi's thought in the strong discourse system urged the commentators of Lao Zi to respond it at that time.It can be said that the Negating Lao Zi's thought of Song Confucians was an important driving force for the development of Lao Zi's doctrine in Song Dynasty.In addition,quite a number of Song Confucians critieized Lao Zi's thought under specific political circumstances.They did not completely deny Lao Zi's doctrine,and their attitude towards Lao Zi's thought was complicated.This kind of historical phenomenon enlightened us that one kind of thoughts development to some extent cannot leave the criticism came from other theories.Therefore,in the study of the history of thought,we should attach importance to the contradictions and conflicts between different ideas.In addition,although some thinkers claimed that their ideas were consistent,some of his views and opinions may be conflicting and contradictory.To the complexity and contradiction of this kind of thought,we should not evade it in the study of the history of thought,but analyze it in a historical and whole way.