Differences between Confucian Rule of Virtue and Modern Rule of Virtue in China

There is an essential difference between ruling the country by virtue and Confucian ruling by virtue. Confucian rule of virtue is essentially a kind of rule of the monarch over the people, and it is also a general plan for feudal rulers to control and exploit the people. "Virtue" in Confucian rule of virtue is an abstract moral creed, which exaggerates the role of morality in social management and economic development, and is feudal, narrow and hypocritical. Today, "virtue" in governing the country by virtue refers to the socialist rule of virtue, which is a new type of socialist rule of virtue with serving the people as the core, collectivism as the principle, love for the motherland, people, labor, science and socialism as the basic norms, reflecting and representing the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of people, and emphasizing social morality, professional ethics and family virtues.

However, on the other hand, there are historical inheritance and internal relations between governing the country by virtue and Confucian rule by virtue. We believe that reality is a continuation of history. If a person as an individual is loaded with the natural genes of predecessors, then a nation is loaded with the ideological and cultural genes endowed by tradition. Therefore, the new socialist rule of virtue in contemporary China cannot be separated from China's traditional ideology and culture, especially the Confucian rule of virtue. We believe that China's idea of "ruling by virtue" not only comes from Confucianism, but also many moral creeds of ruling by virtue come from Confucianism. Some abstract moral creeds in Confucian rule of virtue, such as "Three Cardinal Principles" and "Five Permanent Principles", can all give socialist content.

We believe that the relationship between rule of virtue and Confucian rule of virtue includes two aspects: first, we should take the positive factors that transcend history and have constant vitality in Confucian rule of virtue as the cultural nutrition and ideological source of our current rule of virtue; On the other hand, there are some historical burdens or ideological dross in the Confucian thought of ruling by virtue, which hinders the process of socialist rule by virtue in China and the further development of China society. We must carefully identify and criticize this point. It can be seen that the relationship between Confucian rule of virtue and rule of virtue is a kind of criticism and inheritance.