The Evolution of the Concept of the Sincerity in the Song and Ming Dynasties:From Zhu Xi,Wang Yangming to Liu Zongzhou
In the Song and Ming Dynasties,the meaning of the sincerity was continuously expanded and in-novated by Confucian scholars.While deepening the connotation of the sincerity,Zhu Xi pointed out the incon-sistency of logic between the investigation of things and the extension of knowledge and the sincerity in The Great Learning,and he insisted that the investigation of things and the extension of knowledge should be given priority.Wang Yangming challenged this viewpoint,he argued that Zhu Xi's thought failed to communicate knowledge and morality,so he restored the decisive position of the sincerity and through reversing the relationship between the sincerity and the investigation of things,he solved the dilemma of implementing morality from outside to in-side in Zhu Xi's theory.However,in Wang's later years,he gradually equated the sincerity with the extension of knowledge because of the proposal of the idea of the extension of innate knowledge.Liu Zongzhou's thought mainly revolved around relieving the problems of Wang Yangming's later school.His renovation of the concept of the sincerity made the concepts of the investigation of things and the extension of knowledge become the expan-sion of the sincerity,but his overemphasis on intention also left some problems.
the sinceritythe investigation of things and the extension of knowledgeno self-deceivingbe-ing prudent when alone
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