An Analysis Of Dong Zhongshu's "Heaven-human Induction" Theory

Dong Zhongshu's so-called "Heaven-Human Induction" theory means that heaven and human can communicate with each other. He put "heaven" at supreme and sacred position, everything and human ethics could find the foundation from "heaven". But this "heaven" is not so pure as western world's "god", its conception contains many meanings including the deity, the natural law and the deputy of the ethics. Induction with human is this whole heaven including three meanings. This makes the conception of "human" has different meanings. But man who can induce with "heaven" is specified the sovereign who can imitate the "heaven". And the common public were called "people"Dong talked about the induction between heaven and human was based on the theory "Congeneric Induction" which was popular at that time. He argued "heaven and human are congeneric", so they could induce. He removed the mysterious, religious and worship factors out of induction between heaven and man which before him. Using Yin and Yang of gas to contact heaven and human. In Dong's "Heaven-Human Induction", if there is a moral rationality like "sincerity" in "Zhong Yong" to contact heaven and human, He put people's own "saint" under the heaven, and eventually, attributed to the enlightenment of sovereign. This placement of "benevolence" is very different from the Former Qin Confucians in contacting heaven and man."Heaven-Human Induction" stresses the authority of the heaven, but actually, the ultimate goal is human. The foundation of ethics and politics are all imitate the heaven."Heaven Condemning" which formed by "Heaven-Human Induction" was used for restraining the big power of the sovereign to implement benevolence politics. Although "Chen Wei" weird talking developed later, It was effective for restricting and keeping balance to the power of the ruling class.