What is the Confucian view of nature?

Confucian view of nature includes two levels: first, the harmony between man and nature; Second, the essence of man and nature is the same. The former is the cognitive basis of the latter, and the latter is the theoretical deepening of the former.

The harmonious existence of man and nature is mainly manifested in their inseparability and integration, and man lives in accordance with and in response to nature. Nature is not the enemy of human beings, not the object of human conquest, but the relatives and friends of human beings, and it is the home on which human beings live. To love nature is to care for human beings, and to protect nature is to protect one's home. Confucian view of nature is closely related to the origin of Chinese civilization and the agricultural natural economic model. In a sense, the Confucian view of nature is the ideological and cultural reflection of China's agricultural civilized lifestyle.

Confucianism, with Confucius as its founder, has inherited and developed the humanistic spirit since the Spring and Autumn Period, but it has also initially established a natural view of the integration of all things. According to the Analects of Confucius, Confucius "fished without the outline, but didn't shoot at the lodge". In order to meet the needs of life, Confucius also fished and hunted, but he didn't fish with a fishing net, so he was suspected of catching all the fish, big or small. Confucius hunted, but did not shoot birds that returned to their nests or stayed overnight, because birds that returned to their nests might lay eggs or raise young.