What is the practical significance of Confucianism initiated by Confucius?

With the development of science and technology and modern industry, people are becoming more and more rational and materialistic. A theory is urgently needed to guide us to re-enter the normal development track. As the founder of Confucianism, Confucius is the enlightener of mankind. His Confucianism still has practical significance today, and we should further carry it forward.

Confucius is the founder of Confucianism. Is the enlightener of human nature. His thoughts are broad and profound. It not only has lofty values and ideals, but also has practical daily uses for ordinary people. It is the crystallization of China's ancient thoughts. Confucius' thought, in a word, is that harmony is the rule, benevolence is the core, and harmony is the most precious. His thought is the source of Chinese national spirit, the important foundation of ritual and music culture, and the right and wrong standard of value. The basis of ethical norms constitutes the basic spiritual value of China culture.

As early as the first century AD, Confucius and Confucianism were introduced to East Asia. It has a wide influence in Japan, Korea, Vietnam and other countries. 17 and 18 centuries later, Confucius and Confucianism once again influenced Europe. /kloc-there was a "Confucius craze" in the 0 th and 8 th centuries, when people respected Voltaire, the French enlightenment thinker, as Confucius in Europe.

2/kloc-today in the 20th century, after three major changes in the industrial revolution and the blood baptism of World War II, human beings entered a period of ideological confusion. Among the many challenges facing mankind. The biggest challenge comes from human moral standards, so western scholars put forward the "global spiritual crisis theory".

The development of science and technology and modern industry has brought unprecedented economic prosperity and high material civilization to human society, and also changed people's way of life and thinking, making people's value orientation more complex and diverse. People have become more rational, but also more materialistic, and to some extent, there has been a weakening of humanistic spirit and a decline in morality. In this way, we urgently need a theory to guide us to embark on the track of normal human development again.

Confucianism pays attention to the unity of heaven and man, and the gentleman strives for self-improvement, which should be said to have important practical significance for the peaceful development of the world and the construction of a harmonious society. Dr. Hannah Alvin, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics, once said: "If human beings want to survive in the 2 1 century, they must go back to 2540 and learn from Confucius!" So, what practical significance does Confucius' Confucianism have in contemporary society? It will be elaborated in detail below.

First, the outstanding value of Confucius' Confucianism in contemporary society

(1) self-improvement.

Confucius' life is a life of struggle. When he was young, he was eager to learn and had been studying in Germany. After his political thought was formed, he tried to realize his own ideas. Confucius yearned for the rule of three generations of sages, and hoped that Wang Dao would prevail and realize the rule of benevolence. Confucius has his own independent personality and a clear and profound understanding of social history and reality, but he still makes unremitting efforts to realize his political ideal. He hoped to educate people in society, pay attention to benevolence and righteousness, observe order, and run for it, but he didn't change his faith when he hit a wall everywhere, and even "did it knowing that he could not do it" (The Analects of Confucius, Xianwen). There is a sacred world in Confucius' mind, that is, to realize a great society in which the world is public, faith is maintained, rebellion is not prosperous, and thieves do not do it. Confucius loved Zhouyi in his later years. The "vigorous" and "promising" mentioned many times in Yi Zhuan, and the "self-improvement" mentioned in Xiang Ci are actually the portrayal of Confucius' life theme.

(B) keep pace with the times

Confucius was obsessed with his own political pursuit, but he was by no means a stubborn man. People misunderstand the article Li Yun, and think that the great harmony society that Confucius yearns for is the so-called "primitive capitalist era". In fact, if we carefully read the article "Confucius' Family Language" and "Book of Rites", we will find that what Confucius said refers to the period of "three generations of Ming kings". The remarkable feature of Confucius' thought is that it advocates "time-varying" and finds the most suitable breakthrough point in the changing situation. The university quoted the old saying: "New is new, and change is new." Yi Zhuan has the development concept of "being born easy" and "being poor means changing, changing means getting through, and the general principle lasts for a long time". Confucius' related expositions are recorded in The Analects of Confucius, The Doctrine of the Mean and The Book of Changes, and "keeping pace with the times" in the Book of Changes is the most accurate expression of Confucius' thoughts.

(3) Harmony between man and nature

Confucius' concern about the relationship between man and nature is manifested in his consistent thought of three talents: heaven, earth and man. In Yi Zhuan, heaven, earth and man are regarded as three elements of the universe. "Biography" Day: "Hard and soft, astronomical. When civilization stops, so does human nature. Observe astronomy and observe time-varying; Look at humanity and turn it into the world. " When man and nature are juxtaposed, they should live in harmony, thus forming the Confucian concepts of "harmony between man and nature" and "harmony between man and nature" Confucius realized that objective laws were irresistible. He said, "if you are convicted in heaven, there is nothing to pray for." Confucius' words and deeds contain rich ecological consciousness such as the unity of man and nature. He believes that people should consciously understand and abide by the laws of nature. The Analects of Confucius said that Confucius "fished without outline, swam without shooting at night"; According to the Biography of Confucius and Five Emperors, Confucius said: "Governing the people to conform to the discipline of heaven and earth", "Be kind to birds, animals and insects", "take care of the rich land" and "take care of the world in spring, summer, autumn and winter" all contain the significance of paying attention to ecological balance and obeying the laws of nature.