The Exploration Of The Ehtic Theory Of Three Cardinal Guides—the Theory’s Establishment In Han Dynasty And It’s Modern Reflection

Three Cardinal Guides was the most authoritative behaviour patterns in Chinese traditional society, which means "ruler guides subject, father guides son, husband guides wife", it’s basic content is subject’absolute obedience to ruler, son’s absolute obedience to father and wife’s absolute obedience to husband. Three Cardinal Guides was originated from Chinese patriarchal society, so the theory has obvious characters of patriarchal clan system. In the Pre-Qin period human relations required everyone to perform his own duties, and the seeds of Three Cardinal Guides had been buried. As time gone to the late period of the warring states, the theory of Three Cardinal Guides had possessed it’s embryonic form which could be found in the thoughts of Han Fei and Lushi Chunqiu. In Han Dynasty, Dong Zhongshu and Bai Hu Tong played a very important role in metaphysical demonstration and implementation among the people in order to establish its place as core values in the ancient society.The establishment of Three Cardinal Guides was not accidental, the maturation of autocracy,the generalization of Fealty and the theologized of Confucianism were the backgrounds of the age when it was established. It’s establishment was also not isolated, the other ideologies, such as Five Constant Virtues, Six Laws and Dissuasion, attempered and supplemented the system. The combine of Three Cardinal Guides with Five Constant Virtues builded a way combining internal work with external work to promote themselves. The combine of Three Cardinal Guides with Six Laws formed a complete network of human relations. Dissuasion could certify the existence of independent personality in the system of Three Cardinal Guides. The stabilization of social order and finding a place for personal value were the two pursuits of Three Cardinal Guides.The change from the human relations requiring everyone perform his own duties to Three Cardinal Guides which means unilateral obey is not only the necessity but also an advancement of the society. In one hand Three Cardinal Guides played a very important role in the cohesion of Chinese culture and contributed to moulding Chinese moral personality, and in another hand the theory is coerced by autocracy, so it did a bad effect in the development of Chinese society. Depending on its merits and demerits, we must arrive at a consensus:Ethics must keep independent from polity to serve it better; Ethics’binding force should come from people’s consciousness, in order to keep the milk of human kindness; and Ethics equality should mean the equality of obligation, it is to say everyone should assume his own moral responsibility without exception.