The Similarities and Differences of Confucianism in Ancient Times and During the Ming and Qing Dynasties

Confucianism in ancient times and the Ming and Qing dynasties have both similarities and differences.

At the time of the Ming and Qing dynasties, thinkers of the late Ming and early Qing dynasties inherited much of Confucianism. Confucianism in ancient times and the Ming and Qing dynasties both advocate the promotion of Confucian culture, both advocate "benevolence", that is, "the same people in the wild, the benevolence of the people"; advocate "seeking truth, goodness, tolerance". These are the similarities. However, due to the social changes in various aspects of this historical stage, the late Ming and early Qing ideological and cultural emergence of progressive thinkers, put forward a lot of different views and propositions with the traditional Confucianism, the meaning of Confucianism in different periods of progress is also different.

(a) traditional Confucianism advocates the "rule of man", the Ming and Qing dynasties Confucianism advocates the "rule of law". After the fall of the Ming Dynasty, some Confucian scholars fiercely criticized the feudal monarchical system, opposed absolute authority and feudal monarchical rule, and put forward theories and ideas to limit the power of the monarch. They advocated the "rule of law" and opposed the "rule of man", as well as the emphasis on agriculture and the suppression of commerce. Huang Zongxi as the representative of the idea shook the academic world at that time, the rise of democratic thinking in the later stage also has a certain impact.

(2) The Confucianism of the ancient times and the Ming and Qing dynasties advocated different styles of learning. At the time of the Ming and Qing dynasties, Confucianism advocated "practical learning", criticized the science, and began to emphasize the practical learning of the "world", advocating the combination of academic research and the solution of social problems, and trying to reverse the unrealistic style of learning in the late Ming Dynasty.

(3) Ancient Confucianism is characterized by "teleology", while Confucianism in the Ming and Qing dynasties is characterized by materialism. During this period, there were materialist thinkers represented by Wang Fuzhi. He believed that "qi" was a material entity and "reason" was an objective law; he put forward the materialistic views that "qi is the basis of reason" and "the world is only a vessel". The materialist view of "the gas is the basis of reason" and "the world is only a tool", and Zhu Xi's science and Wang Yangming's psychology, to criticize. Materialist thinkers also put forward the "static that contains movement, movement does not give up the static", denying the main static metaphysical thought, advocating the development point of view to look at history, that the development of history is a law, in politics to "tend to update". This kind of materialist thinking, flashing the light of innovation.

(4) The progressive significance of Confucianism in ancient times and during the Ming and Qing dynasties is different. With the traditional Confucianism to maintain feudal rule is different, the Ming and Qing dynasties Confucianism will be the spearhead of the feudal rites and the whole orthodox thought, with a distinctive feudal rebellious color and fighting spirit; the idea of the use of the world, erudition and evidence of the method of treatment of the Qing dynasty to open up the wind of the examination of the academic trend, and based on the reality of the concept of learning to apply for future generations to provide an important source of ideas; criticism of authoritarianism consciousness of the monarchical autocracy to be a strong impact, in a certain sense, reflecting The impact of criticizing the authoritarian consciousness of the monarchy to be a strong impact, in a certain sense, reflecting the requirements of the era of the emergence of capitalism, with the liberation of the mind of the historical progress of the hundreds of years thereafter still has a role in enlightenment, to the people of future generations to a profound enlightenment.