Unification And Golden Mean: A Study On Xunzi's Thought Of Politics And Cultivation

The first order study and the second order study are two different research paradigms of Xunzi's thought: the former mainly studies the concrete content of Xunzi's thought,while the latter mainly studies how Xunzi's thought is constructed.In a word,the first order study focuses on what specific content is,while the second order study focuses on how and why specific content is.This paper makes a concrete study of Xunzi's thought of politics and cultivation by the second order study paradigm.Through five chapters which are intrinsically related,it not only explains and clarifies the beginning,order structure,basis of human nature theory,source and integration of Xunzi's thought of politics and cultivation,but also clarifies and reveals that "unification and golden mean" condenses the thoughts of Xunzi's politics and cultivation into a strict whole.Xunzi expounded the universality of the existence and the operation mechanism in the politics and cultivation by "consistency between ancient and modern times";then,learning from the "Six Classics" which bear the spirit of politics and cultivation can not only materialize the spirit of politics and cultivation in concrete living activities,but also form the spiritual ecology of the implementation of the integrated operation mechanism of politics and cultivation.Xunzi's integrated operation mechanism of politics and cultivation takes "unity of difference" as its general principle,takes "mutual domination" and "all-inclusive can be ruled peacefully" as its basic rules,and takes "all people have their own things" as its fundamental purpose,ultimately realizes "coexistence of diverse survival activities".The essence of realizing "social unity" lies in "clearing the boundaries and making people live together",which as the central category of Xunzi's politics and cultivation though unite the various ideological categories of Xunzi's politics and cultivation thought into a strict ideological network as a whole."The Separation of Heaven and Human","The Difference between Heart and Nature" and "The Separation of Nature and Humanity" are not only three relatively independent parts in Xunzi's thought,but also an organic whole that is intertwined.This is because Xunzi focused on the order of the "human" political and educational integration operation space.Therefore,the interpretation of one part will involve the other two parts in varying degrees.The linkage effect of this interpretation can not only show that Xunzi's thought has some organic coherence and unity,but also show that Xunzi's thinking is comprehensive.Xunzi regarded "unification and golden mean " as the fundamental focus of dealing with any specific politics and cultivation issues,and expounded the essence,principles,categories,concepts,standards and norms that fall into the field of vision accordingly;then," unification and golden mean " naturally becomes the fundamental channel to enter Xunzi's thought.Under the new historical situation,Xunzi adhered to the spirit of "hongdao" in Confucianism,"deconstructed" and "criticized" the "different schools of thought",and became the "big master" of the hundred schools of thought,who can be positioned as the "terminator" of the thought contending of the Spring and Autumn Warring States,and the "opener" of the era of Confucian Classics;because Xunzi consciously took Confucianism as the basis,grasped the inevitable trend of historical development,actively clarified the practical feasibility and effectiveness of Confucianism,and transcended the "the hundred schools of thought",successfully conformed to the historical situation,constructed a set of historical politics and cultivation operation mechanism affiliated with Confucianism which truly realized the creative transformation and historical inheritance of the political and civilized governance in the three generations of Xia,Shang and Zhou dynasties.Xunzi unified "hundred schools of thought" by integration,constructed the operation mechanism of the integration of politics and cultivation by "clearing the boundaries and making people live together",clarified the "theory of nature and heart" by the organic operation of integration,defined the essence of "learning" by integration,etc,and summed up,all based on the thought of "unification and golden mean".