Between Tradition And Modernity

Yan Fu was hailed as the "first person in Western studies," but what paradoxes is that we can see his appreciation of Chinese traditional culture everywhere in his text.Yan Fu was also called the first person of Chinese liberalism by many researchers.However,strictly speaking,he was only a political liberal.On the ethical dimension of liberalism,his interpretation is characteristic of traditional Chinese thought.This complex appearance deserves our in-depth study.In the field of spiritual philosophy,Yan Fu has never given up Chinese traditional culture from the perspective of ethics and ethics.His explanation is that modernity and tradition are intertwined.In terms of specific ethical norms,Yan Fu made a modern transformation of filial piety,shame,belief,loyalty,loyalty and deceit,and links them with the independence,prosperity,and strength of modern nation-states.When the country is violated,the nationals should feel shame.The nationals have to do their duty to the country just like the children filial to their parents.In order to win the country's independence,wealth and strength,it is necessary to abandon the traditional Confucianist's notion of “need not to believe,to act or not to do”,and to advocate “expensive fruit”."This kind of "national species will not be dispelled";the object of modern loyalty should not be a monarch who is a surname,but should be an abstract country and a national.The concrete manifestation of loyalty can be diversified: the gentleman and the people are honest,the father and the son love each other,and the friend believes.Yan Fu believes that loyalty and defamation are also important moral items.They are not only the guidelines for interpersonal and national communication,but also the basic way for the country to become rich and strong.Yan Fu's interpretation of the combination of Chinese and Western styles and the combination of ancient and modern is also reflected in the ethical relationship between the distinction of the heavens,the debate of self-denial,and the discrimination of rational desire.In the discrimination of the heavenly person,Yan Fu believes that the saints cannot reverse the "academy," but only enter the conference in some way.He criticized Han Yu's view on the relationship between the people and the people and showed that his so-called saints are ordinary people and have been influenced by the concept of modern countries.Yan Fu's point of view on the coordination of therelationship between man and nature and his relationship with life and life is deeply influenced by the traditional way of thinking in China,and it is not the point of view that the West has turned to one side.In his own defense,Yan Fu was highly influenced by classical liberalism on the one hand,and highly respected individualism;on the other hand,Yan Fu's emphasis on individuals was in many contexts in order to realize the country's prosperity and strength.Yan Fu still followed the emphasis on groups in traditional Chinese culture.In particular,the proposal of "for the sake of one's own heart",Yan Fu's interpretation of the heart of patriotism is more diverse and comprehensive.During this time we saw the hidden role of Yan Fu's traditional deep-rooted thinking.In the relationship between desire and desire,Yan Fu is deeply influenced by traditional Chinese culture on the one hand and affirms the overwhelming status of desire.On the other hand,Yan Fu believes that desire has a positive effect on the formation of theory.However,Yan Fu's more modern view also leaves room for it.This is manifested in his distinction between saints and the people,affirming that the saints have no desire.What needs to be discussed in particular is that Yan Fu's ethics has the characteristics of sentimentalism,which many scholars have already proved.However,is the origin of the Scottish Enlightenment or Chinese traditional culture? It should be noted that the complexity.