What are the similarities and differences between new Confucianism and traditional Confucianism after Dong Zhongshu's reform?

Same: Dong Zhongshu's Neo-Confucianism and traditional Confucianism both advocate that rulers should implement "benevolent government" and both have people-oriented thoughts.

Different:

1, different sources

Traditional Confucianism has no theological color. It does not think that God has arranged human life, but that human production activities are dominated by human free will.

Dong Zhongshu's Neo-Confucianism after the reform is based on The Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ram, which combines the thoughts of Yin and Yang, Huang Lao and Legalism.

2. Different political views

The traditional "benevolent government" is based on the people-oriented thought; The "benevolent policy" of Neo-Confucianism is based on the theory of "the connection between heaven and man", which holds that "the monarch is endowed by heaven" and limits the excessive expansion of the monarch's power by heaven.

3. The concept of heaven and man is different.

Traditional Confucianism is skeptical about ghosts and gods and advocates staying away; Neo-Confucianism holds a positive attitude and puts forward the theory of "the unity of man and nature"

4. Different status

Traditional Confucianism was not adopted by the rulers during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Although Confucius spent a lot of time and energy traveling around the world, the rulers at that time rejected him out of their own ambitions and interests.

The benevolent policy of Neo-Confucianism is based on the concept of heaven and man, which holds that if the king abuses his power and harms the country and the people, then heaven will be bound. In other words, the benevolent policy of Neo-Confucianism depends on the arrangement of heaven.

Extended data:

Dong Zhongshu s Neo-Confucianism;

1, new source: Dong Zhongshu's Neo-Confucianism is a new system based on pre-Qin Confucianism, which absorbed the thoughts of Yin and Yang, Huang Lao and Legalism.

2. New content: Dong Zhongshu, while inheriting and developing the Confucian thoughts of benevolent governance and people-oriented, vigorously advocates the thoughts of "great unity" and "divine right of monarch".

3. New Orientation: Dong Zhongshu's Neo-Confucianism changed the situation that Confucianism was neglected, adapted to the need of strengthening centralization in the Western Han Dynasty, and became the ruling thought of the feudal dynasty.

After Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty adopted the proposal of unifying Dong Zhongshu's thoughts, he implemented the policy of "ousting a hundred schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone" and regarded Confucianism as the orthodox thought. Since then, the authority of Confucianism in the Han Dynasty has been established, resulting in China's unique Confucian classics and traditions. Dr. Dong Zhongshu was regarded as "Confucianism" in the Han Dynasty, and established the Doctor of Five Classics, from which he learned scholars.

The important social influence of Confucianism lies in that it created a set of theoretical and ideological system for the feudal ruling class to govern the country and society, and enabled the ruling class in China to successfully apply it to the practice of social state governance in China, and gained a glorious history of human development in which the feudal society ruled China for more than 2,000 years, which is unprecedented in the history of human social development in the world.

The essence of Confucianism is not its theory of governing the country, but the feudal system is only the ideological shell of feudal society. The essence of Confucianism lies in its social ethics. As the core of social consciousness of the superstructure of the feudal ruling class, it has the widest influence on governing the mass base of society, thus achieving the ideal effect of dual governance of the state and society.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Confucianism