Research On Tan Sitong's Theory Of Benevolence From The Perspective Of Modernity

Tan Sitong was one of the few philosophers in the late Qing dynasty who integrated Chinese and western culture and formed a certain system.At present,there have been a lot of theoretical achievements in the field of "benevolence".This paper will analyze "benevolence" from the perspective of modernity,trace the origin of "benevolence",analyze its embodiment of modernity and perspective its fundamental spiritual purport,and then point out the significance of "benevolence" in the modernization process of Chinese philosophy,so as to provide reference for the construction of modern Chinese philosophy.First of all,we find three kinds of consciousness that affect Tan Sitong's thoughts,through the analysis of the development of Tan Sitong's thoughts,the sense of achievement,the sense of morality and the sense of religion.Tan Sitong's thoughts can be divided into two stages: the old learning is divided into "the study of the practical" and "the philosophy of Chuanshan";the new learning is divided into "the study of Reformation Movement" and "the study of burst out the net";the thought of "benevolence" is the result of the above three kinds of consciousness interwoven formed,which belongs to "the study of burst out the net".Secondly,from the perspective of modernity,this paper interprets the thought of "benevolence" and finds the modernity embodiment of the thought of "benevolence",that is,the concept of equality and democracy,the spirit of subjectivity,scientific rationalism and the thought of human desire to liberate,which involves politics,philosophy,religion,science,economy and other fields.Thirdly,it further finds out the internal logic reflected by the modernity of "benevolence" and reflects on the basic spiritual purposive of "benevolence",that is,the consciousness of Chinese cultural standard,the strong critical consciousness of modernity,cosmopolitan care.It also found the limits of "benevolence",namely the religious mysticism tendency,the contradiction between cosmopolitanism and nationalism.Finally,the main idea of "benevolence" is to absorb western learning in Chinese learning and take western philosophy as the mirror.Chinese philosophy has found its own strengths and weaknesses.We should inherit and carry forward the merits or triumphs of Chinese philosophy,which is not only the core of Chinese cultural life,but also an indispensable part of world philosophy.As for the shortcomings of Chinese philosophy,we should take the advantages of western philosophy and complement our own shortcomings,so as to promotethe creative transformation and innovative development of ancient Chinese philosophy.The thought of "benevolence" was formed in the collision,communication and fusion between modern Chinese philosophy and western philosophy.It can be said that the thought of "benevolence" ended ancient Chinese philosophy and opened the prologue of modern Chinese philosophy.Although the content is complex and there are some contradictions,it actually reflects the efforts of ancient Chinese philosophy to transform to modern times,and it is still worthy of our reference.