The Research Of Johnston’s Conservatism

Since modern times, China has jogged along on the road of the modernization transition. The importing of rationalism and scientism from the West formed huge impact on the ancient China, the swelling of radical idealism almost made traditions beyond recognition, and the wonderful land of China has fallen into the abyss of transition’s misery and frustration several times. Alter several setbacks and expectations, history has made us know the market economy attribute of this era again, and how to deal with the challenge of market economy has become our historical big subject of the late-development country. Reform and opening up enables us to benefit from market economic, but also makes us realize that market economy can form negative impact when lacking the support of spiritual and moral. In post-revolutionary era, facing the achievements and problems, we should have been friendly to the traditions, and remained more cautious attitude toward the development of the future. In a word, what we should think about is making use of all resources of the past, present and future, adapting to the healthy development of market economy, and improving the "affinity" between social structure of political culture and market economy, so to response to the powerful challenges of market economy successfully. In a sense, this is an obvious tendency of conservatism.In this context, our studying about the conservative thought of Johnston will fit the need of The Times, and its value and significance are remarkable. Johnston’s conservative thought is very scattered, not into the system, so we use systematic research method, theoretical research method, literature research method and historical research method, based on three aspects of culture, religion and politics, to make his thought more organized and orderly. In terms of culture. Johnston values and praise highly the Chinese traditional Confucian culture, through his introduction to Confucianism, and analysis of the reason why Confucianism can maintain a strong vitality in the history of more than two thousand years, we can understand the modernity of our ancient traditional more objectively. In religion, with the attitude of cultural relativism. Johnston object to Christianity "invading" the mental Held of China, criticize the preacher’s cavalier attitude and behavior, and advocate to return to Chinese religious traditions, the preserve and inherit Chinese religious culture. From it, we can see a pious pure heart. At the same time, we will also appreciate the mystery of religion and the precious religious heritage of traditional Chinese. In politics. Johnston’s thought is based on the political philosophy of anti-rationalism. In his words, we can often observe that he is on high alert and rejection toward rationalism. On this basis, he respects for tradition, and thinks maintaining tradition is the psychological tendency of general public, while tradition is a space of openness and fluidity, is the soil that shape national "soul"; he opposes violent revolution under radical idealism, consider revolution is not people’s wish, can also cut out the relation between traditional and modern, and approves of gradual reform that this is the most reliable way society realize modernization transformation. Another respect of Johnston’s political conservatism theory is restraining "republic" and advocating "monarchy". He stood for political view of returning to Confucianism. He opposes "republic", because the Republic of China promotes a "false republic" which is nominal; he imagined constitutional monarchy, because the government complied with traditional political legitimacy; he got gloomy with the end of China’s traditional politics and the wane’ of the Confucianism, rejoiced in the revival of political conservatism and the transitory resurgence of Confucianism, and accordingly put forward to return to traditional Confucian political theory with expectations. His governance practices in Weihaiwei proved that the Confucian political theory has practical significance.lime has changed, and today is on the background of market economy, we must think about the value of Johnston’s conservative thought toward the modern transformation. Market economy puts forward more severe challenges on present and future, and the benign development of the market economy is the coordinates when all political, social, and cultural resources are being integrated. As a result, the basis of revaluate Johnston’s conservative thought is mastering the modernization theory that try to improve the "affinity" between social structure of political culture and market economy firmly:First of all, the "super stability" of Oriental Civilization and culture rejection mechanism; second, the variation of Western Civilization and the ascent of the "affinity"; third, the activation of culture rejection mechanism and the frustration of modern transformation of; finally, the copy of "form" and the convergence of "function". Value revaluation, of course, also needs to follow the corresponding requirements of methodology, which should not only see things from the perspective of functionalism. but also break through the logic of utility to explore the humanistic value of Johnston’s thought. Under the support of theory and methodology, the value revaluation of Johnston’s conservative thought should be conducted from three aspects of culture, religion and politics. In terms of culture, Johnston breaks through the thinking of "for rich", provides a new path or new thinking direction for us in respect of valuing and inheriting traditions. He is committed to explore the universal values of Confucianism, which is in favor of preservation and development of the world spiritual civilization. In religion, Johnston emphasizes and recognizes the religious spirit, which helps people to resist the erosion from rationalism, scientism and materialism, which is conducive to the cultivation of self-discipline, thus dispelling the destructive effects of market economy. He tries to maintain the local Chinese religious civilization and oriental spiritual, which is better for us to meet the challenges of market economy making use of the local resources that we are more familiar with. In politics. Johnston alerts and rejects the political rationalism, which still keeps alive without losing its value today. His stress on the spirit of moderate, cautious reform also reminds us to cherish this precious conservative tendency. Moreover, Johnston’s constitutional monarch complex in the aspect of politics can develop new value of modernity, namely modern politics must mediate the relationship with elitism, and return to elite politics to a certain extent. In terms of China’s grassroots governance, the tendency of elite politics emerging in Johnston’s Confucian political theory, and the case of Weihaiwei’s governance perhaps can give us valuable enlightenment that how to get through the road to rural governance in the era of market economy. Finally, the exploration that Johnston has made with his eastern discourse background on the basis of the dialomie between Oriental and western civilizations, has more poignant contemporary value and significance.