A Brief Analysis On Gu Yanwu’s Thoughts Of Economic Ethics

Gu Yanwu is a famous patriotic scholar, as well as one of the three most prominentideologists in the Ming and Qing Dynasty. His thoughts and academic achievementshave been highly praised by scholars. Rizhilu is one of the most importantrepresentative works of Gu Yanwu, and many of his important ideas of economic ethicshave been embodied in the work. This paper aims to make a deep analysis on theeconomic ethics in Rizhilu. Through summarizing Gu Yanwu’s special historicalbackground of the times and his life experience, the paper makes review on his origin ofeconomic ethics thoughts, and based on the analysis of the philosophical foundation ofhis thoughts of economic ethics,focuses on the main content of his thoughts ofeconomic ethics. Then the paper tries to make a basic evaluation of the economic ethicsthoughts,and explore the modern factors contained in Gu Yanwu’s economic ethicsthoughts,so as to arouse people to look at Gu Yanwu’s economic ethics thoughts in arelatively comprehensive perspective.The main body of the paper discusses Gu Yanwu’s economic ethics thoughts fromfour aspects: first, in aspect of theory of human nature, Gu Yanwu thinks that selfishnessis the human nature, and is also a constant occurrence in human relationships, whichdoes not contradict with the kind human nature, while has its inner identity.Second, inaspect of justice and interests, specifically shown in the idea of public and selfishness,Gu affirms the rationality to pursue self-interest and justness of individuals from thestarting point of selfish human nature. He emphasizes that "justice is contained ininterests","the public is contained in selfishness", which is the interity of public andselfishness. Third, in order to adapt to the nature of people’s pursuit of self-interest, headvises the sovereign to manage the country according to the characteristics of human’sselfish nature, while in the economic activities he must support their self-seekingbehaviors, which embodies the recognition and maintenance of "selfish" and "freedom"in economic ethics dimension. These economic ethics thoughts are specificallyembodied in free economic claims of agriculture, animal husbandry, textile industry, saltmining and monetary economy. Fourth, from the perspective of " leaving wealth among the people", the paper puts an emphasis on Gu Yanwu’s industrial structure view of"paying equal attention to agri-businesses" consumption view of "advocation of energyconservation and frugality", and the policy of "supporting people’s self-interest" toenrich people.In the final chapter, the paper summarize the main content of Gu Yanwu’seconomic ethics thoughts, and makes a comparison on his liberal economic theory andthe theory of self-interested human nature with the theory of "invisible hand" and"rational-economic man" of Adam Smith, highlighting the modernity of his economicethics thoughts. The paper also analyzes the positive significance of his consumptionethics and ecological economic ethics to the economic development In today’s society.