Study On Ecological Thought In The Philosophy Of Zhangzai

Human beings’life levels are largely climbed upward with entering into the Century21of man’s history. Following thing is ecological crises. In the course of questing for the modern civilization, we forgot to care for the earth. As a result of this, we are hugely revenged by the nature. These things suggest seemingly we thought about the relation between the nature and the man.With the background of circumstances, the ecological thinking of researching on the relations between the nature and the man is come on the stage.The system special field of study on ecological thought coming from the West is the earliest. It includes beautiful scenes of fields and gardens, the evolution of life and the panorama (whole life) of ecology so on.The ancient culture of China is long, remote and rich. The ancient people of China have a custom of worshiping the nature and the ancestors. The thinking of respecting and fearing the nature is like a tree which has grown deeply into the heart of the people of China. The ancient thinking of China has a bright characteristic which is harmony unity of man and nature consistently. For example, the ancient people of China thought the man is son of the Heaven. Therefore, we ought to enshrine and worship the earth and the heaven naturally.Neo-Confucianism contained the thought of Buddhist and Taoist. One of the most famous ancient Chinese philosophers, Zhu Xi, his philosophy is the highest peak of the Neo-Confucianism. Zhang Zai of Northern Song Dynasty created original "gas-monism" idea of the Guan School in Neo-Confucianism. His idea insisted that "the universe is gas". Zhang Zai’s gas-monism demonstrates the relation between the nature and the man.The philosophy of Zhang Zai contained and gave birth to rich ecological thought. Zhang Zai’s idea of nature demonstrates all kinds of things are born by Yin Gas and Yang Gas which is filled into the universe and shows the man is one component of whole natural things. Zhang Zai demonstrated first the harmony thought in the unity of heaven and humanity clearly.Furthermore, Zhang Zai created the idea of "universe is parents" and "people are my brothers and all things are my kinds", it contained and covered respecting, fearing and cherishing the nature, and questing for the ideal of the Great Harmony Society.Finally, Zhang Zai’s famous the Four Aphorisms has been spreading all over the peoples (citizens) of country from the past to the present. Of course, the ecological thought of them is significant to Chinese Ecology Civilization Construction.