On The Theory That Heaven And Man Unite As One (Tian-ren Heyi) Of Pre-Qin To Han Dynasties

As one of the most important theory on the relation between heaven and man, which was the key problem in the history of Chinese thoughts, the theory that heaven and man unite as one (Tian-ren heyi) is paid more and more attention to with a lot of achievements nowadays, most of which analyzed the problem from the philosophical while seldom from the social or historical angle. In my opinion, the theory is both a philosophical and a political proposition. Only by going deeply into it, can we understand it and grasp its connotation and spiritual essence. It's a pity that there is little touching upon the origin of the theory. Moreover, some scholars equate the theory to another that man is an integral part of nature and inquire constantly into the meaning of the theory heaven and man unite as one to resolve the present environmental crisis. Yet it is worth reconsidering. We couldn't evaluate it objectively and correctly until we are clear about its connotation.This thesis includes four chapters in all. Chapter one is a brief explanation of the concept of "Heaven and Man Uniting As One". The concept was mentioned first by Dong Zhongshu in the Han Dynasty, but as a whole one, it was advanced clearly by Zhang Zai until the Song Dynasty.The concept that God and man unite as one (Shen-ren heyi), which came into being at the Neolithic Age in China is discussed in Chapter two. While it was the source of the theory that heaven and man unite as one, God and man uniting as one had taken a very long way. With the development of Man's intelligence, class polarization and state formation, God's mystery got faint gradually, and the theory had political color because of being used by the ruling class. The turbulent social change of Zhou in place of Shang made the mystery of God got even more faint. People of Zhou used heaven instead of God and remade the idea of the mandate of heaven, and in the end, the theory that God and man unite as one was turned to that heaven and man unite as one.The connotation of heaven and man unite as one in the periods of Pre-Qin to the Han Dynasties is emphatically analyzed in Chapter three. Though emerged in theWestern Zhou Dynasty, the theory enriched and developed mainly in Spring and Autumn period and the Warring States period, during which there came into being several theories of heaven and man unite as one, such as Tian-ren hede, Tian-ren hedao and Tian-ren ganying. Among the theories, the first emphasized the unity of heaven and man, deeming that the ruler should follow the natural laws and unite with heaven in De. As thought of Taoist school, the second first animadverted the contradiction between the natural law and human law existing in the real life and put forward its political ideal, which was the unity of both laws. Then it thought that the individual should sufficiently embody his nature and delete the anatomy between heaven and man. In politics, it mainly offered a strategy of conforming to nature and letting things take their own course. The third persuaded the ruler to conform to heaven and administrate, to adopt pretty measure and to keep the society in order by emphasizing the consequence between human conduction and abnormal natural phenomena.Chapter four indicates the political and ideological significance of the idea that heaven and man unite as one according to the analysis of its connotation in the sections above. In politics, it will solve how to put the natural law into social and political practice in Pre-Qin to the Han Dynasties. On the one hand, it offered the theoretical basis for rebuilding political order, social stabilization and nation unity. On the other hand, it offered the theoretical basis for the existing feudal order and political principle in order to bring it into full play in the real life. In ideology, the theory prevented advanced religion of China from emerging in some extent and it led Chinese society to continue paying attention to reality. What's more, whether the theory has ecological significance is discussed in the section, and I think its...