Transcendence And Co-construction:Zhuzi’s Moral Spirit

Zhuzi’s moral philosophy not only inherits Confucius and Mencius’tradition that thinks highly of subjectivity, but also reflects the conflict between the subjectivity and the legitimacy. In other to overcome the conflict, Zhuzi gives a new interpretation to subjectivity that co-related to the traditional morality which forms the content of the subject. Zhuzi raises the morality to a very high stance, and translates it to be the common essence that is to abide by every existence and identification. There is relation of moral and nature in Zhuzi’s moral philosophy is that the moral transcends the nature and regulates the later. Nature has nothing to present the value of every existence, it is just a style of nature being. All the value of human and the other things is presented by moral. As for Zhuzi, morality is not for the external factor, but the internal essence that regulates the individual’s obligation. The essence, which Zhuzi call "xing", becomes the regulation of individual’s movement. Contrary to the region, Zhuzi firmly believes that internal essence interpret individual’s responsibility effectively. The practice of responsibility is the presentation of the value of the existence, including human. Zhuzi’s moral philosophy can be divided into the two parts, as follows.The Theory of Moral Transcendence. In Zhuzi’s moral philosophy, Confucianism’s value has spread out of the range of Confucianism to be the common essence of all human being and the other beings. Confucianism’s morality is not considered to be the external compulsion, but the essential requirement.The Theory of Moral Subject’s Construction. Confucianism’s morality is considered to be the internal essence of every individual, so the improvement of oneself is the essential requirement, which one must do. Zhuzi denies all the nature property in the construction of moral subject. Moral subject merely is related to the morality which is the content of it. Confucianism’s morality regulates the individual’s responsibility that one must do. The moral subject is constructed thorough the co-construction of subject and morality. One’s consciousness is the base of the progress of co-construction. Steady intention decides whether the behavior of the subjects is moral or not. The judge of the regulation system is translated to the self-judge of the subject, and that gives the organization for the subject to prior-judge while the action happens,so the moral subject is self-decision in Zhuzi’s moral philosophy.