Confucian Ways Of Ruling State And Contemporary Enlightenment

Since Confucianism was chosen as the mainstream philosophy of China in Han Dynasty,Confucian ways of ruling state had been the orthodoxy in state-governance throughout ancient China.Starting from the doctrine of good human nature in the debate of good and evil,these ways of ruling state presumed each man as a "moral person",and took moralization as the basic path in its ruling thoughts.This way of virtue ruling-stressing moralization while neglecting penalty-is the main strategy to rule state and deal with politics in successive dynasties.Confucian ways of ruling also find expression in sticking to humanity and policy of benevolence during the debate between others and me.As the basic components of Confucian ruling of virtue,benevolence embodies the cultivation of moral consciousness among civilians that the benevolent love others on the one hand,and advocates the ethical values among rulers that they should love others as themselves on the other hand.The Confucian ways of governing are also reflected in the concept that righteousness should be prior to profit and the former ought to be worshiped by the whole society,which is the embodiment of the benevolent governance approach.It proposes the thought of dwelling in benevolence and righteousness.When it comes to the choices between righteousness and profit.Confucian ways of ruling advocate the principle that righteousness should be taken into account first and the notion of profit-orientation should be discarded.To be further expanded,this standpoint advocates a personnel policy which respects scholars.Besides,it creates a social morality that heroic should be esteemed.Confucian ways of ruling finally find expression in the pursuit of the principle that desire should be constrained by ration and in the way of cultivating morality to promote continence among rulers.Benevolent governance is required in rulers'personality cultivation,which holds that when loving others conflicts with loving oneself,rulers should benefit others at personal expense,and moderate their own desires through a rationalistic standpoint,and thus win the will of the people by personality charm.This not only provides subjective personality guarantee from rulers to realize social governance objectives but also makes rules leave their names in history and their life immortal by cultivating morality,setting up merits and writing books and setting up a theory.This tradition of Confucian virtue rule has great significance of reference for modern China on the issue of how to make rule of law and rule of virtue mutually complement and promote,and bring out the best in each other.It also has a positive contemporary enlightenment in boosting the establishment of national governance system with Chinese characteristics as well as in promoting governance capacity.