A Study On Dai Zhen's Ethical Thoughts

When talking about Dai Zhen,people usually think of him as a master of textual criticism.As a representative of Qianjia school of textual criticism,Dai Zhen's achievements in the study of famous texts and ancient pronunciation had reached a peak in the Wan school of sinology in the Qing Dynasty.Unlike other sinologists,Dai Zhen was also a great thinker.He spent his entire life in textual research and exegesis,but he was not solely absorbed in the pile of old papers.He did not treat exegesis as an end,but sought and explained principles and ethics in the process.Therefore,Liang Qichao commended Dai Zhen's theory as "seeking truth as a hallmark." Because of this,Dai Zhen's academic contributions were not only limited to textual criticism,but also in the fields of philosophy and ethics.Ethics was the essence of the spirit of that time.Dai Zhen became the master of Confucianism in the middle of Qing Dynasty with his academic contributions in the fields of philosophy and ethics.Hu Shi highly raised him as "the first great thinker and great philosopher after Zhu Zi".The distinctive features of Dai Zhen's ethical thoughts are inconsistent with Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism,which was not only influenced by the times in which he lived,but also a reflection and theoretical sublimation of his life experience.His claimed that "post-Confucianism kill people with ethics",which shocked people at the time and had a profound impact on later generations,and role the history of Chinese ethics and even China's revolution and the enlightenment of Chinese people.This thesis is divided into five chapters.The first chapter elaborates the social background of Dai Zhen's ethical thoughts,his life story,and his academic contribution.The second chapter introduces his theory of human nature and the philosophical basis of his materialistic point of view.The third chapter explains his view of ethics and desire and his severe criticism of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism.The fourth chapter introduces his view of good and evil and natural necessity.Dai Zhen's moral values are embodied in his understanding in objectivity,reality,richness and complexity of virtue and vice,wisdom and stupidity.His understanding is more comprehensive and accurate than predecessors.The second,third,and fourth chapters are the main part of the thesis,which focuses on explaining the essence of Dai Zhen's ethical thoughts.The fifth chapter elaborates on the influence of Dai Zhen's ethical thought on his life and people afterwards,as well as the main characteristics and important contemporary value of his ethical thought.Dai Zhen's significant academic contributions in many fields had led to the formation of the academic of philosophy,which has a profound impact on future generations.To this day,his philosophy still helps people to establish a correct idea of ethics and desire,grasp moral good and evil,and understand and practice the core socialist values.