Under this grand historical background, the spotlight automatically focuses on the contention of a hundred schools of thought, which is the most dazzling chapter in pre-Qin history.
Previous tweets have spent a lot of space on the dispute between Confucianism and Mohism. Confucianism and Mohism struggle with each other around "what to do" and "how to do it".
Just as Confucianism and Mohism were flushed, a group of scholars shook their heads and walked away. The scholar of this school is Taoism.
There is some pressure to discuss Taoism, because Taoism gives people the feeling that it is full of "fairy spirit" and the truth it tells makes people feel mysterious.
But I decided to bite the bullet and continue to write, because Taoism is inseparable from the contention of a hundred schools of thought, and the subsequent history is also inseparable from Taoism. Before opening, it is necessary to emphasize that Taoism is different from Taoism. Taoism is an ideological system and Taoism is a religious group. Taoism is a local religion based on Taoism and absorbing Confucianism and Buddhist rituals.
1. Where did Taoism come from?
The position, viewpoint and attitude of Taoism originated from hermits in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. They advocate "inaction" because there is no hope in the world, so when Confucianism and Mohism are fighting for "what to do" and "how to do it", hermits will shake their heads and leave.
There were many different "scholars" in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Most of them are freelancers, a class between civilians and nobles. Their main job is to help people. To sum up, help if you have something, help if you have nothing, help if you talk, and be an accomplice in the war.
According to the different division of labor, scholars can be mainly divided into the following categories. A retainer who helps doctors take care of fiefs; Soldiers who help fight, also called warriors or soldiers; Advisers who advise, form gangs and unite with Lian Heng are also called counselors; A debater in negotiations, quarrels and struggles; Those alchemists who help emperors, governors and doctors to interpret dreams, calculate divinations and watch geomantic omen know medicine, medicine and sex.
It can be seen that scholars are a class attached to senior nobles (doctors, princes, emperors), such as "Mao" attached to "skin", and they "take the prosperity of the world as their own responsibility", which is very simple. "If the skin doesn't exist, the hair will be attached."
Among the "scholars" who have just been employed, only the "hermits" represented by Taoism are missing. What is a "hermit"? A hermit is a group of people who are capable but do nothing. They can do it, they can do it, they do it but they don't do it. In modern network terms, this is a group of "divers".
People who "dive" can't hold back in the water, but they will still surface. The real "hermit" is completely retired and will not leave a few last words. They don't depend on anyone, do anything for others, and don't worry about these things. What world, who, and what home have nothing to do with themselves. If someone asks them these things, they will still get angry. Hermits are self-sufficient and extremely noble people.
Taoists who take part in a hundred schools of thought contend are obviously not "hermits", but their perspective and position are "hermits". They are semi-hermits. Let's call them "hermit philosophers"!
Taoism, like other philosophers, cares about state affairs and the rise and fall of the world, but in their view, this society and the world are hopeless. Taoism says, stop fooling around, the ruling class should do nothing, leave it alone and wait for self-healing.
Confucianism and Mohism expressed strong opposition. Society is so ill, how can we not take any measures? A dead horse can be a living horse doctor, and all kinds of treatments should be tried.
Second, Yang Zhu, the first Taoist in pre-Qin.
Yang Zhu was the first Taoist priest in the pre-Qin period, and his date of birth and death is unknown. To be sure, Yang Zhu lived after Mozi and before Mencius. Because, at that time, there was a saying that "the words of the world do not belong to Yang, but to Mo". Yang Zhu's specific proposition can't be tested. A famous idiom handed down from Yang Zhu is "Don't pay a penny".
Yang Zhu said: "Pulling out a dime is good for the world, not good!" In other words, if pulling a hair out of your head can benefit the world, then don't do it! Later generations used "penniless" to describe a person's extreme meanness.
Is the first Taoist Yang Zhu really such a stingy person? Why can such a stingy person have the same status as Mozi? What a mystery!
We often say that we can't take it out of context. To evaluate a person's speech, it needs to be restored to the specific language environment and combined with the background of the times.
Yang Zhu's era was one of many wars, in which the emperor was shelved and the monarch and his subjects contended. The traditional system is irretrievably collapsing, while the new system has not yet been established.
In such an uncertain era, someone says to you, "Brother, lend me some money and pay you back in two days". Will you borrow it? High probability, you say no, who knows what will happen tomorrow, and I'm counting on this surplus for the winter!
The complete expression of Yang Zhu Thought is as follows: "If you lose a dime, the world won't be at peace with you. If you don't take it, you will know that the world will serve you. Everyone does not lose a dime, everyone is not good for the world, and the world is ruled. " It is wrong to express it in vernacular Chinese at the expense of individuals to satisfy society; It is also wrong to sacrifice society to satisfy individuals. Society and individuals are equal, and no one can hurt anyone. Only when individuals and society are not harmed or sacrificed can the world be ruled.
Obviously, Yang Zhu's thought and Confucian collectivism of self-denial and devotion to public duty are wrong, and Yang Zhu's thought is too "selfish"; "As long as everyone gives a little love, the world will become a beautiful world", which is completely contrary to Mohism.
Even in the modern society that advocates independence of personality and equality of all, we still feel a little distorted about Yang Zhu's thought. Even if you can't be selfless, everyone is willing to give a little love and money to build a beautiful home within an acceptable and affordable range, and you are knowledgeable and won't be "poor."
Modern people can't read Taoist thoughts without the "empathy" of the times, and two key points can't be ignored in the interpretation, namely "extremes" and "contradictions".
The so-called "extreme" means that the word is dead and there is no room for it. For example, if someone borrows money from you, but you don't want to borrow it at all, Yang Zhu will say that he won't give you a penny. If it is Confucianism, it may be more subtle. "I have no money, and I can't borrow a hundred." Then, he may continue to ask, "Can you lend me fifty dollars?" . Obviously, Yang Zhu's refusal is more crisp and agile, and it is unhurried.
The second is "doing the opposite." For example, you made a stupid mistake and your boss criticized you and said, "Go to hell". What the boss means is not to let you really die, but to inspire your own will and not to make such stupid mistakes again.
Understanding the two linguistic features of Taoism is very important for understanding the essence of Taoism.
Let's try to reproduce the social phenomenon in Yang Zhu's era, and then rethink it. If you were with Yang Zhu in those days, what would you think?
At that time, the society was full of some "extremely selfish" behaviors, which, under the banner of "selflessness" (benefiting the world), required little people to sacrifice themselves (losing a dime) and the whole society (knowing the world) to satisfy others (serving the whole family) (nobles).
When ordinary people are hesitant to contribute, Yang Zhu stood up and shouted: "Nothing!" !
Yang Zhu said that "a drop in the ocean can't save the world", which means that pulling out a drop can't save the world (indicating that social contradictions are too acute). To put it bluntly, the ruling class is setting a trap, first coaxing us to give a hair, then coaxing us to give skin and limbs, and then coaxing us to give life. No way, I'm broke!
Obviously, Yang Zhu's thought is extremely unfavorable to the formation of social cohesion, and the ruling class will not like Yang Zhu. As we all know, the basis for a ruling class and a government to maintain is "taxation". Taxation is pulling the most goose feathers and listening to the least goose crowing. A clever goose like Yang can't keep the New Year.
As a result, Yang Zhu's thoughts were constantly taken out of context in the process of communication, then misinterpreted and finally demonized.
Modern people have established a modern concept of state and a modern legal system, and basically achieved equality and non-aggression between people and society. At the same time, as citizens, they have the responsibility and obligation to voluntarily hand over part of their personal wealth (through taxation and social security) and power (the power to be masters of the country) to the state for public affairs and construction. Under the modern security system and stable social environment, modern people feel more secure than Yang Zhu, because we believe that our hair will not be completely pulled out.
The next tweet continues Taoism, so stay tuned!