From works to Wang Yangming: Theoretical transformation between "luggage" and "new type"

Abstract

 The theory of human nature is an ancient issue in the history of Chinese philosophy and an important issue in Neo-Confucianism during the Song and Ming dynasties. The core issue of Neo-Confucianism is "nature and the way of heaven". It combines traditional Chinese ethics with the relationship between man and society and man and nature. The thought has been led to a new height. Neo-Confucianism’s theory of human nature exists in the thoughts of various philosophers as a derivation or demonstration of ontology. On the surface, it seems to still be entangled in the disputes about good nature, evil nature, human nature, and the nature of things. In fact, it has broken through these traditional ethical propositions and expressed philosophers' opinions on issues such as human beings and nature, the laws of the universe and moral principles, and the relationship between subject and object. This article analyzes Wang Yangming's thoughts on human nature from this perspective and its relationship with Zhu Xi's thoughts. He believes that Wang Yangming criticized Zhu Xi's tendency to separate nature and form, shifted the focus of the ontology of Neo-Confucianism from human nature to mind, and integrated the concepts of human body and mind, knowledge and behavior, morality and spirit. This is An idealistic development of traditional Confucian humanistic thought.