Wang Bi's Theory of"Virtue"and Its Metaphysical Basis
Wang Bi's theory of"virtue"is rooted in the tradition of Taoist metaphysics since Laozi,and has also achieved an in-version of Laozi's metaphysics.Laozi's metaphysics starts from the highest concept"Tao"downwards,and runs through his ethics through general concepts such as"nature"and"virtue",showing a tendency to negate or devalue morality.Wang Bi starts from the empirical concept of"Being",abstracts it into"Reason",and unifies it into"Beingless",realizing a bottom-up reversal of Laozi's metaphysics.The"Being"in Wang Bi's philosophy encompasses human moral qualities,emotions,and desires,and combines con-cepts such as"reason"and"Beingless"to re-construct a new metaphysical cornerstone for morality.In the metaphysical sense,"Be-ingless"has a unifying effect on all"reason";in the sense of ethical practice,it manifests as"inaction".Wang Bi's theory of"vir-tue"combines Confucianism and Taoism,reaffirms the significance of moral qualities and the value of customs in social life,and shows the theoretical characteristic of overcoming the shortcomings of Confucian ethics based on Taoist metaphysics.
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