In life, how can we achieve "harmony between man and nature"

Confucianism in China has always advocated "harmony between man and nature". "The unity of man and nature is the basic problem of China's philosophy, and the unity of man and nature is the basic spirit of China's philosophy." [1] The legend of Sima Qian in Han Dynasty: "When I study the relationship between man and nature, I should also learn from the changes of ancient and modern times and become a unified statement", which reflects the uniqueness of China's traditional philosophy. The idea of "harmony between man and nature" has a long history and contains rich ecological and ethical implications. After entering the 20th century, especially in recent decades, people have paid more and more attention to the ecological ethics implication of China's Confucianism "Harmony between Man and Nature". Lynn Watt, a famous American historian and ecological philosopher, believes that the concept of "harmony between man and nature" in China culture has a deep historical origin and is worth learning from all westerners. [2] One of the founders of modern ecological ethics, Schwertz, a famous French philosopher, expressed sincere admiration and appreciation for China's ancient thinkers' pursuit of harmony between man and nature when reflecting on the concept of westerners' treatment of the relationship between man and nature. He believes that this philosophy embodies the highest ecological wisdom of mankind with "miraculously profound intuitive thinking" and praises it as "the richest and all-encompassing philosophy". [3] including the idea of "harmony between man and nature", "China's traditional culture and morality are valuable resources for development and utilization. With these resources, history can be continued and the achievements of social civilization can be preserved and developed" [4]. It is undoubtedly of great theoretical value and practical significance to excavate and sort out the ecological ethics implication contained in the idea of "harmony between man and nature".

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China's traditional culture has always attached importance to holistic thinking, dealing with all aspects of relations from the perspective of the overall development of things. "Harmony between man and nature" means that everything in the world is one, man is a part of everything in the world, and man and nature are an inseparable whole. Lu Chunqiu Lust says that "man is the same as heaven and earth". The Book of Changes calls heaven, earth and man three talents, and holds that nature is a big world and man is a small world. Heaven and man have internal relations in many aspects, such as physiology and psychology. Learning from heaven is the "harmony between man and nature". (Biography of Le Shu in Historical Records) As the founder of Confucianism, Confucius did not explicitly put forward the idea of "the unity of man and nature", but his ecological ethics of treating man and nature as a whole was very distinct. Confucius has a deep respect for heaven, but he does not think that heaven is a god, but a nature with life significance and ethical value. Confucius said, "What does Heaven say? What does the sky say? " (The Analects of Confucius Yang Huo) The heaven mentioned here is nature. What he said is that "the knower enjoys water and the benevolent enjoys Leshan" (The Analects of Confucius, Yongye) is not only a simple comparison, but also the need of human life, because human life cannot be separated from nature, and the ecological relationship between man and nature is consistent. Mencius clearly put forward the idea of "harmony between man and nature" for the first time. Starting from the difference between man and beast, he thinks that human nature and heaven are interlinked. "Do your best, and know yourself; If you know its nature, you will know its sky. " ("Mencius") In Mencius' view, the nature of heaven and man is originally the same sex and unified. Xunzi put forward: "Heaven and earth are the foundation of life." (On Xun Gigi Lai) That is to say, people and things get their lives from nature, and people can't do without nature at all. Dong Zhongshu regards heaven and earth as an organic whole. He said: "It is natural to be a man. Man is a man, born in heaven, and heaven is also his great-grandfather. " ("Spring and Autumn Stories, Being a Man's Day") He also said: "When heaven and man are together, we are one"; ("Spring and Autumn Stories, Textual Research on Famous Names") "Draw inferences from others, and Heaven and Man are one". He also showed the close relationship between heaven and earth: "What is this? Yue: Heaven, earth and people are the foundation of all things. People are born, cultivated, man-made, born with filial piety, cultivated with food and clothing, man-made with ceremony and music. The three are brothers and sisters, integrated into one. Certainly nothing. " Dong Zhongshu believes that heaven, earth and human beings are integrated and indispensable, and brothers and sisters are born together, which constitutes the basis of the biochemistry of all things. Zhang Zai further proposed: "Let the father do it and the mother Kun do it, which is completely in the middle, giving us a good look. Therefore, the world is my body, and the beauty of heaven and earth is my nature. " (Mingxi) Gan Tian is like a father, Kun (mother) is like a mother. The body of heaven and earth is our body, and the nature of heaven and earth is our nature. "People and my compatriots, I am content and also." (Mingxi) Human beings and everything originated from nature and the universe. People and other things in the universe can be regarded as different parts of the same body. All men are brothers. Everything in the universe is my close friend. Man and everything in the universe are closely linked, unified and inseparable. Cheng Hao inherited the essence of Zhang Zai's thought and put forward. The view that "the benevolent is the whole universe". The so-called "integration of heaven and earth" means that through the expansion of human nature inherent in human heart, it forms an organic whole with people and everything in heaven and earth, which is a selfless realm of heaven and earth. Wang Yangming followed the concept of "the unity of heaven and man" and also put forward the idea that "adults should also unify the universe" (Yangming Yao Ji University topic). In the Encyclopedia of Yin and Yang, he advocated: "The sage's heart recognizes that all things in the world are one, thinking that everyone in the world is near and far, and all flesh and blood are relatives of brother Kunzi, so he wants to be safe and educated to realize the idea of integration of all things." Obviously, Wang Yangming not only emphasizes the unity of heaven and man, but also emphasizes that people should be unified in heaven, be sincere and selfless, and live in harmony. In this way, people, everything and nature are harmonious, balanced and unified. Thus, China's thought of "the unity of man and nature" clearly affirmed that man is a product and a part of nature, and that man's life and the life of all things are unified, not antagonistic. As Barbara ward said: "In any course of human beings, we all belong to a single system, and life activities are provided by a single energy. This system shows fundamental unity in various forms of change, and human survival depends on the balance and perfection of the whole system. " [5]

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The Confucian thought of "harmony between man and nature" not only affirms that man and nature are inseparable and all life are closely linked, but also emphasizes that "the benevolent takes all things in the universe as a whole" (Volume II of Henan Cheng's suicide note), firmly believes that "heaven and earth are endless" (Yi Zhuan) and respects "only for the public, things can be left to me" (Henan Cheng's suicide note) Confucius talked about "benevolence", as a moral emotion, which means care and sympathy. Because the fundamental source of "benevolence" is the virtue of life or the principle of heaven and earth, it is no different to people and everything, so "benevolence" should not only "love", but also love everything. Confucius said that "the benevolent enjoys Leshan, and the wise enjoys water", which links the virtue and wisdom of human nature with the natural landscape, showing respect and love for heaven and nature. On the basis of inheriting Confucius' thought of benevolence, Mencius further put forward the idea of "being kind to the people, being kind to the people and loving things", which enriched the basic connotation of "loving things" as benevolence and raised caring for all things in nature to the position of moral responsibility of gentlemen. He said: "a gentleman is to things, and things are benevolent; Be kind to the people and be kind. Be kind to the people, be kind to the people and love things. " Mencius devoted himself to this. The idea of "being kind to animals" put forward by Mencius is the best interpretation of the idea of loving things. He said, "What is the only thing that can benefit animals but not humans?" (Mencius Hui Liang Wang Shang) "En" is another explanation of "loving things", and "beast" is the general term of "things" as opposed to "things". Therefore, the thoughts of "loving things" and "being kind to animals" constitute the basic core of Mencius' ecological ethics. Dong Zhongshu, praised by Zhu as a "loyal Confucian", also inherited and carried forward the idea of caring for people and things. Dong Zhongshu said: "Protons love the people, and the following are birds, animals and insects. If you don't love, is the benevolent enough? " In other words, loving a person alone is not enough to call it benevolence. Only by expanding love to animals, birds, insects and other creatures can we be considered benevolent. It can be seen that benevolence here includes not only interpersonal morality, but also ecological morality. He also emphasized this idea of loving things in the Spring and Autumn Stories, Parting Roots. He said: "pan-love is a group of people who don't reward and punish with emotion, so they are also benevolent." That is, caring for all living things extensively can show kindness. Confucianism, especially Confucianism in Song and Ming Dynasties, has a universal concern for life and the universe. They are full of love for everything in nature, because everything is closely related to their own lives. Zhang Zai said in Zheng Meng Zheng: "Sex is one of the sources of all things, not my selfish interests. But if adults want to do their best, they must stand up, know everything, love everything and succeed alone. " People love not only humans, but also birds, animals, plants and tiles. All living things should be taken care of as much as possible to avoid being destroyed. Cheng Hao also emphasized that people should love both living things and inanimate things. He clearly put forward: "the benevolent takes all things in the universe as one." ("Henan Cheng's suicide note" Volume II) also said: "Scholars will be benevolent. Ninja and object are exactly the same. " (Volume II of Henan Cheng's suicide note) Expanding the object and boundary of benevolence to all things in heaven and earth and the whole nature has achieved the complete connection between man and heaven in ethics and completely unified interpersonal morality and human morality to nature. This idea of caring for all things with an equal attitude is an important predecessor of human ecological ethics. The proposition that "a gentleman carries things with virtue" is the best summary of the Confucian thought of "loving things".

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Confucianism regards "harmony between man and nature" as the realm of life pursuit and vigorously advocates "neutralization". In the relationship between man and nature, it is advocated that man and nature live in harmony, and natural resources should be taken and used appropriately. Not only can nature not be destroyed, but natural things should also be managed in their own way, develop freely, and oppose opposing themselves and nature. "The Book of Changes" said: "When heaven and earth meet Thailand, money (cutting) becomes the way of heaven and earth, assisting heaven and earth to influence the people." Everything in heaven and earth blends with each other in harmony and coordination, and only then can Antai flourish. Confucianism regards the protection of nature as the foothold of harmonious coexistence between man and nature. Confucius said, "A gentleman is not satisfied and is not safe." ("The Analects of Confucius Learn") and said: "If you can't afford luxury, you will be solid; It is better to feel inferior than inferior. " Between luxury and simplicity, Confucius preferred simplicity. This reveals Confucius' viewpoint of saving ecological resources. This attitude of "saving money by taking things" is reflected in the relationship between people and animals, that is, opposing indiscriminate arrest and killing. The Analects of Confucius said: "Fishing without grasping the outline, not shooting for the night." Confucius used fishing rods instead of fishing nets to fish, and used arrows with raw silk to shoot birds instead of birds living in nests, so that the sustainable utilization of ecological resources would not be destroyed. Mencius further developed this idea of Confucius and advocated a "time ban" on natural resources. Mencius said: "If you don't go against the farming season, the whole grain can't win the grain." If it can't be counted in the bay pool, fish and turtles can't win food; Axe gold gets into the mountain in time, and mywood can't be used. Valley and fish turtles can't fight for food, and wood and wood can't fight for it, which makes people lose their lives and have no regrets. Born and died without regret, the beginning of the king is also. (Mencius Hui Liang Wang Shang) Only by respecting the law of the growth of all things in nature, taking from time to time, using from time to time, and not excessively plundering and destroying can we promote the growth of all things and develop together with mankind. Mencius regarded this planned utilization of resources as "the beginning of kingly way". Mencius also emphasized "nurturing" natural resources. Mencius said, "If you get it, it won't take long; "If you lose support, there is nothing to lose." (Mencius on the High Son) It is the responsibility of human beings to preserve everything and make it "in its proper place". Mencius opposed "cutting grass to make way for land" (Mencius on Li Lou), and emphasized that "man can't live without fire and water" (Mencius with all his heart), warning people to minimize the requirements for nature and keep the original appearance of nature, so as to save natural resources, make all things in nature prosperous, harmonious and orderly, and maintain a sustainable and good ecological cycle system. Although Xunzi put forward the idea of "separating nature from man" and "using life to control it", it did not exclude the harmony between man and nature. He put forward the concept of "saint system" that cares for ecological resources, which embodies the dialectical thought of ecological ethics that combines "control, utilization" and "care". Xunzi said, "The system of the holy king is also. When the vegetation is lush, the axe will not enter the forest and the sky will not grow. " When catfish, turtles, bats and eels are pregnant, the poison of the net is not in the water and will last forever. Spring ploughing, Xia Yun, autumn harvest and winter storage are not the first, so the crops are abundant and the people have enough to eat. At this time, it is forbidden to measure swamps and rivers in Khan Pool, so there are many excellent fish and turtles, which people use more, so it is not too late to cut down and raise them. Therefore, the mountain is not a child, but the people have materials. "("Xunzi Wang Zhi ") This passage was put forward by Xunzi as the core of Wang Zhi-the system of saints (that is, the meaning of the title" Wang Zhi "), which shows how important it is to care for natural resources in Xunzi's mind! This also irrefutably shows that Xunzi not only "controls and uses" everything in the world, but also attaches great importance to the sustainable utilization of natural resources and consciously maintains the ecological balance. Dong Zhongshu directly inherited the ecological ethics of Confucius and Mencius, advocated the rational use of natural resources and always maintained a heart of loving nature. "The journey between heaven and earth is also beautiful ... its eating is beneficial to food, and the sky is beneficial to people, the only child; The inedible will benefit from it, and it will be between Tianzhu and China. "He divided natural resources into edible resources and inedible resources, and advocated that edible resources should be eaten every day, which is beneficial to food, so as to live up to the purpose of" benefiting people and benefiting the sky "; And "inedible" resources should also be "enriched" and protected, because this is God's merciful blessing to Kyushu and China. Human beings should carry forward the spirit of "the most precious thing in the world", actively and consciously care for nature, and achieve "everything grows under the sun and climbs to the sky" (yin and yang of heaven and earth), and always maintain harmony between man and everything in heaven and earth. Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi developed the ecological philosophy of Confucianism, and advocated treating natural life with sympathy and care, living in harmony with nature and embodying the value of life. Cheng Hao put forward the ecological view that "the benevolent melts everything in the world" (Volume II of the Suicide Letter), and said: "If you are with everything, you can be with the world." ("suicide note" volume 6) "Let things be as they are" is the realm of "the benevolent takes everything in the world as one". To achieve this state, we must "follow the fate." The so-called "collusion" means that it is connected with all life, nothing more than all things, not above all things, and dominates all things to satisfy people's selfish desires. If you want to "go with the flow" with everything, you should be "full of compassion" and not have too much "calculating heart", so that doing things will protect life more; Let animals and plants "keep their nature", complete their lives as much as possible, and let human beings have a rich, diverse and beautiful natural environment and live in harmony with everything. Leopold, the founder of modern ecological ethics, pointed out in "Earth Ethics": "Everything is right when it tends to protect the integrity, stability and beauty of biological isomorphism, and wrong when it tends to the opposite result." [6] Confucian ecological ethics is such an ethics, which protects the integrity, stability and beauty of the same life on earth, and takes ecological balance as the center. Confucian ecological ethics has had a far-reaching impact. Rulers of past dynasties formulated a series of laws and measures to protect, utilize and cultivate ecological resources, forming a unique ecological and cultural landscape in ancient China.

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China's sages deeply understood that all things have inherent and inevitable essential relations and have their own order and laws. The Confucian thought of "harmony between man and nature" directly regards nature as a life similar to human beings. Nature has the characteristics of life, everything is in eternal life and death changes, and it is "healthy" and "endless", and it goes on and on. Man should respect everything in nature. Moreover, human beings should learn from nature and make "benevolence" consistent with "heaven". Confucius said, "What did Heaven say? When you are at four o'clock, everything is born. What is the sky? " (The Analects of Confucius Yang Huo) Obviously, everything in nature operates according to its inherent laws. But human beings are not idle in front of nature. "That's great! Yao is the king. This is embarrassing, only the sky is big, this is just embarrassing. " (The Analects of Confucius Taber) In other words, Heaven is feasible. To realize the harmony between heaven, earth and human beings, people should not only actively understand the laws of nature, but also follow them. Mencius, who is in the same strain as Confucius, also realized that there are laws to follow in nature. "The sky is high and the stars are far away. If you ask for it, you can sit at the age of chitose. " ("Under Mencius and Li Lou") "The sky is like a cloud. When it rains repeatedly, the seedlings flourish." (Mencius Hui Liang Wang Shang) In Mencius' view, although the sky is unattainable and unpredictable, it has certain laws and is understandable. So how did you meet? Mencius thought: "Heaven is self-evident, but it is expressed by deeds and things." Mencius' so-called "behavior" is what Confucius said, and Mencius' so-called "thing" is what Confucius said. As long as people observe natural phenomena, they will understand nature and heaven. Mencius warned: "Those who go against the sky will prosper, and those who go against the sky will die!" "("Mencius Li Lou ") is to warn people that people who know the laws of nature must follow, and those who violate the laws of nature are bound to suffer disasters. Mencius also regarded following the laws of nature as an inevitable requirement of "wisdom" and "sacredness". "Evil to the wise, chisel as a trip to the wise, and innocent to wisdom. Yu's trip to the water also yielded nothing. "(Mencius Li Lou) Nature has its own laws of development, and it is wise to follow the laws of nature, just as it is to control water. Xunzi further believes that "heaven" is a natural existence with independent operating rules, and all natural things, like people, have objective reality of existence, and their operating rhythm will not be changed because of the fluctuation of people's subjective emotions. It's not bad to be cold, and it's winter; The land is not evil to people, it is far and wide. The sun, the moon, the stars and the Swiss calendar are all the same as metaphors and explanations. "Fan grew up in spring and summer and accumulated in autumn and winter, which is the same as Yu and Jie." "If you get land, you will live, and if you lose land, you will die. It is also the same as Yu and Jie. " (On Xun Tian Zi) The sun, moon and stars, mountains and rivers, vegetation and vegetation, and the four-season wind and rain all come from "the change of heaven and earth, the change of yin and yang" and "the world is constant". (On Xun Tian Zi) Everything changes according to the laws of nature, not because of people's hatred and inferiority. So their existence and personality should also be respected. Xunzi also pointed out: "Heaven has its own way, not for the existence of Yao, not for the death of Jie. It is appropriate for governance and fierce for chaos. " (On Xun Tian Zi) Here, he not only affirmed the objectivity of the operating laws of all natural things, but also emphasized that only by knowing the laws and strictly following the objective laws can people get lucky and avoid evil, "get lucky" and "control chaos". This thought of "dominating fate" and "adapting to the weather" shows that Xunzi's understanding of the relationship between man and nature has reached a considerable depth. By analyzing the relationship between human destiny and heaven and earth, Dong Zhongshu put forward the ecological ethics of "ethics is the sub-world". He said: "the image of heaven and earth, the vice of yin and yang, is always in the body." "The body is still in the sky, the number is related to it, and life is connected with it. ..... there is a moral sub-world. This is black skin, and it is innate, not just occasionally. " (The Story of the Spring and Autumn Period Man's Vice-Heaven) The "heaven and earth" here refers to nature. "Heaven is the vice of ethics", that is, people's behavior ethics is consistent with heaven and earth, and people should conform to heaven and earth and act according to the inherent laws of nature. In this way, there will be "Heaven rewards diligence", otherwise, people will "Heaven rewards diligence". Liu Yuxi put forward the view that "heaven and man win each other", arguing that heaven and man have their own abilities. "What heaven can do gives birth to everything." What man can do, he can cure everything. "(on heaven) emphasizes that heaven does not interfere in personnel, and denies that heaven interferes in personnel. At the same time, it emphasizes that people have subjective initiative and can understand and master the laws of nature. Man conquers nature not by changing the laws of nature, but by following the laws of nature to benefit all things in nature, which is a return to Xunzi's view of "the division between man and nature" at a higher stage. Zhang Zai put forward the proposition of "harmony between man and nature" by combining the concepts of "harmony between man and nature" and "honesty and brightness", which made the traditional Confucian concept of "harmony between man and nature" reach a new height. Zhang Zai said: "Confucianism is sincere because of Ming and sincere because of Ming, so heaven and man are one, and they can become saints because of learning, and they can get heaven without leaving people." The so-called "sincerity" refers to the sky, which means that the sky is a natural thing with objective laws. The so-called "Ming" is the understanding of all things in nature and their objective laws. Honesty is the unity of "heaven" and "humanity", which means that people can conform to the laws of nature and live in harmony with nature. "Sex and heaven are honest. "("Zhengmeng Ganzhi ") means that people's morality is consistent with the fundamental law of heaven. Zhang Zai believes that man is born from heaven and earth, so he can know everything in heaven and earth. The rationality of human morality lies in people's understanding of "heaven" and in their understanding of and acting in accordance with the laws of nature. The Confucian thought of "the unity of man and nature" affirmed the internal unity of man and nature, and established human behavior norms on the basis of harmony with the laws of nature. When we examine the problems encountered in the relationship between man and nature today, this profound and important ecological ethics deserves our serious consideration.

In the face of the grim fact that today's ecology has been destroyed, the ecological ethics implication contained in the Confucian thought of "harmony between man and nature" is a good medicine for saving the world! The Confucian proposition of "harmony between man and nature" affirms that man is the product of nature and that man and nature are inseparable unity; Respect for all life in nature and care for all things are regarded as lofty moral obligations of mankind; Advocate harmony between man and nature, economize and use natural resources appropriately, and oppose the opposition between self and nature; It is emphasized that man should respect nature, follow the laws of nature and realize the harmonious development between man and nature. It is necessary to deal with the relationship between man and nature today. In order to effectively protect the deteriorating ecological environment, we should re-understand the relationship between man and nature, resolutely abandon anthropocentrism, change the wrong value orientation of human beings towards nature, dialectically understand and establish the value orientation of "harmony between man and nature", treat nature with the viewpoints of "loving all things" and "harmony between man and nature", and strengthen the construction of ecological morality. We must see that nature is an organic whole that develops according to its own objective laws, and the development of human society can only be based on respecting objective laws, otherwise it will endanger human survival and development. Only by maintaining the lofty moral realm of "harmony between man and nature" can we truly solve the difficult choices we face in implementing the strategy of sustainable development.