On The Humanistic Pursuit In The Philosophical Thinking Of Ge Hong's Baopuzi

Ge Hong's Baopuzi(literally “[Book of the] Master Who Embraces Simplicity”) is an important work in Wei and Jin Dynasties. The fundamental purpose for Gehong to write Baopuzi is to “prosper Confucianism to save the mass”, and “get enlightened to strengthen the rightness”. The political thought in the Baopuzi Outer Chapters is to restore ethnical social order to safeguard people's survival, while the immortality theory in the Inner Chapters induce good deeds from many religious people and encourage them to endeavor to realize the value of their lives. It can be seen that Ge Hong's philosophical thinking concerns about people's survival and moral spirit, with the people always being at the core and fundamental place around which Ge Hong's thought revolves. Therefore, exploring the philosophical thought as embodied in the Inner and Outer Chapters of Baopuzi in terms of people first can more explicitly analyze the characteristics and essence of Ge Hong's ideological system.People-oriented thought isan important feature of Chinese traditional culture. People-based thought, morality and etiquettes as well as the spirit of life are the critical implications of people-oriented thought, and also the basis consistently chased after by the philosophical thought of Ge Hong's Baopuzi. Generatedinthe age of chaos, Ge Hong's political and philosophical thought would objectively require that its aim should be people's survival and restoration of social order, so his political thought takes the restoration of human moral order and maintaining strong national governances an integral condition for people's survival at that time. Selecting competent people justly, complement benevolence with punishment, and educating ignorance with morality are vital measures to consolidate the feudal system, but in essence they are to protect the people's rights to subsistence and development, recognize the difference in people's personality, and emphasize the educational role of ideology and morality towards human society. He regards giving peace to the people as the basis for administering a country, advocates that those who manage state affairs shall care for the people, thus taking people not as purpose but as means, reflecting the respect for humanity.Ge Hong's philosophy of life has inherited the thought of preserving life and cherishing life inherent in traditional Taoism, reflecting the ultimate concern for human life and his uplifting of human's initiatives. According to the law of operation of “design with nature”, it addresses the contradiction between the un-limitedness and limitedness of “Dao” during the process of Taoism's cultivation of becoming immortal, high lighting human life power and subjective initiative. His regarding doing good deeds as important prerequisite for being immortal and the process of being immortal as a process for polishing one's moral spirit help people achieve double completeness in health and longevity of individual life one the one hand, and moral spirit on the other hand, which embodies wealth of ethical values. The pursuit of immortal personality reflects people's most primitive desire for freedom and independence. Therefore, its positive meaning for human first is self-evident.