Research On The Political Ethical Thought Of Guan Zi

Guan Zhong is a joint work of Guan Zhong and his school of thought.It is an account of Guan Zhong’s thoughts on politics,economy,military affairs and so on.This paper mainly interprets the thoughts of Guan Zi from the perspective of political ethics.Although Guan Zi was written more than two thousand years ago,some of its thoughts are still advanced and worth learning from today.This paper mainly discusses the political and ethical thoughts in Guan Zi from four aspects:the foundation,the main content,the basic characteristics and the value of The Times.The political and ethical thought of Guan Zi was produced in the specific historical environment,which was a direct reflection of the political economy at that time.In the society at that time,iron and cattle farming had already appeared and began to be applied to agriculture.The corresponding slavery economy restricted the economic development at that time,so new production relations were needed to promote social development,so the landlord economy came into being.In terms of political system,because of the destruction of entrapment system,people yearned more for unity and peace,thus the monarchy centralization came into being.Later,the monarchy centralization gradually replaced the entrapment system.The emergence of political ethics thought in Guan Zi was based on the great changes in politics and economy.The main contents of Guan Zi’s political ethics thoughts are as follows: etiquette,justice,integrity and shame are the four indispensable dimensions of the political establishment of a country.The etiquette,justice,integrity and shame are generated through the satisfaction and cultivation of material living conditions,and the four are interrelated;Political prosperity mainly depends on winning the hearts and minds of the people,which plays an important role in politics.The development of a country cannot be separated from the three principles,four principles and five principles.As a standard for selecting and appointing officials,morality promotes the whole society to be good.The development of a country ultimately depends on the five principles and stresses the harmonious development between man and nature.The basic characteristics of the political ethics thought in Guan Zi are as follows: the political goal is to maintain the centralized power of the monarch,the monarch is the political core of the country,and the goal of consolidating the position of the monarch and maintaining the centralized power of the monarch is achieved through the rule of rites and laws;The political value insists on the victory of the public over the private.Fairness has always been the essence of politics.Therefore,the monarch must abolish the private public,his subjects and common people,and at the same time,the monarch must insist on the justice of reward and punishment to win the hearts of the people.Both the rule of virtue and the rule of law are indispensable measures for national governance.The rule of virtue and the rule of law complement each other and are the best means to consolidate the position of the monarch.The political and ethical thoughts of Guan Zi still burst out with infinite vitality in modern society and still play a guiding role in today’s political development.The development of a country cannot be separated from innovation,not to speak of inheriting excellent traditional culture.The political ethics thought of Guan Zi can be used for reference in the following aspects: as a moral standard,propriety,justice,integrity and shame can further promote the improvement of moral governance in China’s national governance;the thought of conforming to the people’s wishes can enhance the belief of the Party in serving the people;the thought of governing the country by law can promote the Party’s comprehensive rule of law.