Distinction Between Virtues And Auditory-Visual Knowledge In Li Xue

In contemporary Chinese philosophical context, there exists a distinction between virtue rationality and knowledge rationality. However, that was not the case in ancient China. With the assumption that virtues and auditory-visual knowledge represent virtue rationality and knowledge rationality respectively, this thesis focuses on the three disputes over the relationship between virtues and auditory-visual knowledge in Li Xue, a school Confucian philosophy during the Song and Ming dynasties, and attempts to reveal the path of evolvement.The distinction between virtue and auditory-visual knowledge can be traced back to Zhang Zai and the two Chengs (Cheng Yi and Cheng Hao), and was taken over in the dispute over the relationship between treasuring one's innate virtues and accumulating one's knowledge by Zhu Xi and Lu Jiuyuan. Zhu Xi argued that one's innate virtues were not adequate, which called for an accumulation of knowledge. That is, a combination of treasuring the innate virtues and accumulating the knowledge makes perfect virtues. In contrast, Lu Jiuyuan maintained that one's virtues could develop on their own, so long as he kept a reflective mind, which means to say that one has to set up his morality before accumulating knowledge. In essence, their dispute represents two clashing philosophies: Human Nature is the Principle and Mind is the Principle.In the middle of Mind Dynasty, Luo Qingshun and Wang Yangming made different adaptations of Zhu Xi's philosophy. Luo Qingshun discarded Zhu Xi's assumption that virtues were the original substance. As such, treasuring one's innate virtues was largely ignored and one could recognize virtues only through perceiving the external things. That led to the perceptionism turn in Li Xue and the emergence of Qi Xue. On the other hand, Wang Yangming put Zhu Xi's claim of accumulating knowledge, or the approach of investigating things under the virtues-guided extending of the intuitive knowledge. As a result, perceiving the external things is subordinate to recognizing one's virtues, that is to say, auditory-visual knowledge is subordinate to virtues. Two other disputes were seen since then: one is between Luo Qingshun andWang Yangming over the question of investigating things; the other, over perception and virtues between Luo Qingshun and Oyang De, a disciple of Wang Yangming. The distinction and conflict between virtue rationality and knowledge rationality finally came into existence, which has been exerting influence upon academic research in modern China.In general, ancient Chinese philosophy is featured by a pursuit of virtues. Its significant in today's world is immediately obvious—in a time when a unilateral emphasis on knowledge is showing side effect, there are good reasons to believe that guidance by virtues is inseparable from human's recognition of the world.