Returning to the Origin or Generating a New Approach;Two Approaches of Neo-Confucianism on the Cultivation of Human Nature
Generally,there are two approaches of Neo-Confucianism on the cultivation of human na-ture.One is known as"returning to the origin",and the other is referred to as"generating".As for the former,represented by the theory of"returning to the good nature of man",whether it is on human nature and moral rule(termed as Xingli in Neo-Confucianism)put forward by Zhu Xi,or on"the orig-inal heart"(termed as Benxin)emphasized by Wang Yangming,it advocates that people should return to their original nature through later efforts.Associated with this concept are metaphorical images such as a precious gem,a mirror,pristine water,or an innocent child.Wang Yangming has combined conscience with objective existence(termed as Qi)in his discussion,but he still focuses on the original nature.The problem in this approach is,if the original human nature and moral rule(Xingli)is inher-ently good and no evil,and the objective existence(Qi)is both good and evil,how can the consistency between the two be ensured?Recognizing the problems that this theory might bring,and based on the above theory,Wang Fuzhi emphasizes that human nature continues to improve as he grows,facing the present and future.This provides a reasonable settlement for the origin of evil.It marks a significant departure from the theories of Zhu Xi and Wang Yangming,though it is developed precisely from their perspectives on human nature.
theory of human natureNeo-Confucianismgood and evilcontinuous improvement of hu-man naturetheory of returning to the good nature of manZhu XiWang YangmingWang Fuzhi
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