Before Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the ruling thought of the Qin Dynasty was legalist thought. After Qin Shihuang burned books to bury Confucianism, Chinese characters were still in the primary stage and did not have the function of accurate expression, orthodox Confucianism had basically disappeared. At the beginning of the Han Dynasty, the mainstream thought at that time was Taoism, and the so-called "Yellow Ruling by Doing Nothing".
Dong Zhongshu put forward "the unification of spring and autumn" and "ousting a hundred schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone", emphasizing that Confucianism is the philosophical foundation of the country and putting an end to other ideological systems. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty adopted his idea. Since then, Confucianism has become orthodox, and the Confucian classics of the Four Books and Five Classics have also become prominent. By this time, Confucius had been dead for more than one hundred years. Dong Zhongshu developed the part of Taoism, Yin-Yang School and Confucianism that was beneficial to the rule of feudal emperors in specific policies and became a new Confucianism.
During the popularization of Confucianism in Han Dynasty, many social problems were solved. Confucianism tends to manage the country with benevolent policies, and politicians use this as a basis to limit the excessive concentration of land and establish a sound moral system. Some policies are put forward, including "limiting the land of the people, learning from each other's strengths" and "three cardinal guides and five permanents".
In the early Western Han Dynasty, most feudal rulers believed in the Taoist thought of Huang Lao (the legendary Huangdi and Laozi in the Spring and Autumn Period). Drawing lessons from Qin's death, the Western Han Dynasty, in view of Qin's brutal rule, adopted a policy of recuperation from the quiet thought of Taoism, which enabled social production to recover and develop. At the same time, the rulers of the Western Han Dynasty also attached great importance to the Confucian criticism of the tyranny of the Qin Dynasty and agreed with the benevolent government advocated by Confucianism. Liu Bang initially despised Confucian scholars and thought Confucianism was tedious and pedantic. But later, he recruited a group of talented Confucian scholars, such as Shi Li, who used them to compete for the effectiveness of the world for himself. After Liu Bang ascended the throne, Confucian scholar Shu formulated a set of etiquette for monarch and minister, which strengthened his dominance and majesty from the etiquette aspect. Liu Bang said happily: "Today I realized the noble taste of being an emperor!" At this time, counselor Lu Jia also pointed out to Liu Bang: "If you can practice benevolence and righteousness after Qin unified the world, will your majesty still have today?" He warned Liu Bang that the Han family could get it by "immediately" (referring to force), but it could not be governed by "immediately"! Liu Bang attached great importance to Lu Jia's opinion. Therefore, based on Confucianism, Lu Jia comprehensively summarized the reasons why Qin lost the world, Han gained the world, and the rise and fall of ancient times, and wrote 12 papers before and after. Every time Lu Jia wrote the throne, he was praised by Liu Bang. One year before Liu Bang's death, he even made a grand sacrifice to Confucius with the Thai prison (the sacrificial ceremony for cattle and sheep).
Later, when Emperor Wen was in the Han Dynasty, Jia Yi, a Confucian scholar, repeatedly stressed that the fundamental reason for the demise of the Qin Dynasty was that "benevolence and righteousness were not applied". In order to eliminate the influence of the Qin Dynasty, he suggested amending the calendar, changing the clothing color system, redefining the official names, advocating rites and music, and put forward the suggestion that "all people build kings" to weaken the power of vassal States and strengthen centralized rule. During the reign of Emperor Jing of Han Dynasty, Chao Cuo, who studied Confucianism, put forward a series of suggestions to consolidate the country and ensure national security, including encouraging immigrants to the north to resist the harassment of Xiongnu, and using the fault of princes to weaken the strength of various kingdoms. We can see that the Confucian thoughts and political opinions advocated by these Confucian scholars are very different from those of the pre-Qin period. They often start from the Confucian concept of benevolence and righteousness and make some changes according to the needs of real politics, so they can be accepted by the rulers of the Western Han Dynasty. At the beginning of the Western Han Dynasty, because the rulers respected the Taoist thought of "inaction" most, which was reflected in politics, they did nothing in the face of the growth of the local vassal state, which led to the vicious expansion of the vassal state's power and the situation of weak support and strong support, which eventually led to the rebellion of Wu and Chu in the third year of Jing (154). The rebellion was finally put down, which made the rulers realize that it was necessary to seek more effective theories in the ideological field as the guiding ideology of feudal rule. At this time, the violent rule of Legalists was denied by the peasant uprising at the end of Qin Dynasty, and Huang Lao's "inaction" thought was also very weak, so the feudal rulers took Confucianism as an effective ideological weapon at this time and used their thoughts of "divine right of monarchy" and "great unity" to strengthen the feudal autocratic rule. This is the fundamental reason why Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty carried out the policy of "ousting a hundred schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone". Confucianism is regarded as self-centered, which not only adapts to the ruling characteristics of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, but also meets the social needs of strengthening centralization, so it can be said that this is a historical necessity. On the other hand, the "exclusive respect for Confucianism" practiced by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty is actually based on the rule of law, combining Confucianism and law, that is, appeasing and suppressing the ruled. Therefore, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty later reprimanded the prince and said, "The Han family has its own system, which is based on Taoist hegemony. How can it be pure moral education and Zhou political education? " (1) This fully shows that the so-called rejection of Confucianism by the rulers of the Western Han Dynasty is only conducive to strengthening feudal rule.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty advocated "exclusive respect for Confucianism", which made Confucianism the dominant ideology in China's feudal society. The Confucian concept of "great unification" is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Everyone agrees with unity and thinks that division is temporary, which has a positive impact on safeguarding the unity of the Chinese nation. At the same time, many Confucian viewpoints, such as benevolence, modesty, filial piety and faithfulness, have gradually formed the unique moral and ethical concepts of the Chinese nation.
As a famous autocratic emperor in the history of China, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty initiated the policy of "ousting a hundred schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone" in the ideological and cultural circles, established the orthodoxy and leading position of Confucianism, and shaped the autocratic thought of "unification" into a mainstream ideology and a mature system. It was he who completed the basic project of authoritarian political structure. The so-called "sage inside and king outside", the political ideal of combining rigidity with softness and ruling the society by man, was established for the first time because of the complete system of official promotion. It was he who made the lifestyle of extended family a firm and stable force in society, and further extended it, and finally made it the foundation of the whole patriarchal clan system.
However, if we look at it from another angle, the martial arts of Emperor Wen Zhi of the Han Dynasty certainly has its progressive significance, but its negative impact on history can not be ignored. The autocratic thought of "great unification" can certainly enhance the cohesion between nations, but at the same time it also pushes the autocratic centralization to the peak; Although the lifestyle of large families has indeed become the cornerstone of an ultra-stable society, it has also made people's governance a constant pattern for two thousand years; As for the constant wars and attacks in the era of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, it has even caused bad consequences of social unrest and people's livelihood. Its advantages and disadvantages are hard to say.
Some people say that "an authoritarian era is bound to be a harsh era", and this sentence also applies to the era of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. In fact, in a society ruled by men, the more successful a king is, the greater his destructive power will often be, just as Lian Chisheng, a poet in the Song Dynasty, wrote in his own poem: "Hanwu loves famous horses, and generals make expeditions to the west. Millions of blood, 70 people are waiting. Just get it and sing a song to tell God. " It is normal for the monarch to "turn an enemy into a jade, cover his hands for the rain", but "exultation, arrogance and killing" is just an ordinary story for them. Fighting for one's own selfish desires, the emperor's personal likes and dislikes are actually related to the lives of millions of people. The so-called "Emperor's anger, burying millions of corpses and bleeding thousands of miles" is the best footnote for the emperor's personal behavior. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, as a generation of English Sect, was indeed one of the most successful emperors in ancient China, but English Sect was also a mortal. From the attitude of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty towards the magic of immortals, we can see his paranoid and crazy state of mind, and from the occurrence of "witchcraft disaster", we can see his cruelty and moodiness in his later years-a "semi-great man" like Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty often appears in a society ruled by men. Constrained by physiology, intelligence, age and many other aspects, the personal behavior of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty only exposed the similarities and differences of the society ruled by man.
Attachment: The negative influence of Confucianism.
Confucian legal thought with Kong Qiu as its founder is a legal system and ideological system based on family, ethics and hierarchy. The essence of advocating "rule by courtesy" and "rule by virtue", that is, "rule by man", lies in: sages decide etiquette; Conventional body sequence; The first king of France was submissive. Confucianism emphasizes the rule of etiquette in the relationship between etiquette and law, the rule of virtue in the relationship between morality and law, and the rule of man in the relationship between human and law [1]. Since the Han dynasty, "ousting a hundred schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone" has become a pole of ideology. Later generations just tinkered, and it ruled China for more than two thousand years. Feudalism is essentially Confucianism, which still affects China's politics, economy, culture, education and life in real society, and reaches all levels of law. Extremes meet, there is no situation in which a hundred schools of thought contend, there is no single mode of thinking, and there is no political, legal and cultural-that is, autocracy. History has proved that the rule of man and autocracy are in the same strain. In order to establish modern judicial ideas, the legalization of local environmental legal thoughts is incompatible with the concept of rule of law that emphasizes the restraint of people's behavior by systems and rules. Confucianism is the main ideological obstacle to the establishment of modern judicial ideas. This is the inherent defect of the concept of rule of law.
Or analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of Confucianism in Han Dynasty is of great significance to China today.
The unification of the Han Dynasty is one of the most far-reaching events in China's ideological history. After the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, China's philosophy, society, politics, and humanistic thoughts all developed unprecedentedly. Confucianism, Taoism, Mohism, Legalism and Yin and Yang have basically completed their own ideological systems. It can be said that "nine factions have spread to China", and the style of a big country has been laid! In the Qin Dynasty, he relied heavily on Legalism, while in the early Han Dynasty, he advocated Taoism. There is no difference between different schools and factions. It was not until Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty that Confucianism was honored exclusively, and Confucius was regarded as the first saint throughout the ages and passed down to future generations.
In fact, in terms of ideological system, Confucianism is not superior to Taoism, but its realistic attitude of actively entering the WTO, accepting and adapting to historical progress is more suitable for governing the country than other schools. At the same time, as Mr. Lin Yutang said, among all the schools of thought at that time, only Confucianism was closely combined with the classical academic and historical knowledge of China at that time, and these ancient books and classics themselves were extremely valuable, thus making Confucianism a model of education. It can be said that Confucianism.
To cut short the gossip, let's say that the unified thought of the Han Dynasty has both positive and negative effects:
On the positive side, the unity of thoughts consolidated the national consciousness of China people, enhanced the centripetal force and cohesion of China people, thus greatly promoted the political unity and national unity of China, and enabled China to maintain the basic territory of Qin and Han dynasties after two thousand years of development. No matter what form the division takes and how long it lasts, the people of China will never forget the unity of the country, and this sense of unity is almost out of the natural requirements of the people of China. No matter how far apart countries are, everyone takes reunification for granted, and everyone regards contributing to reunification as an honor. In the face of the right and wrong of division and unity, everyone has selfless dedication. This sense of unity comes down in one continuous line with the thought of "great unification" laid at the beginning, with the ideological unity of China for thousands of years, and with the sense of identity of the country and the Chinese nation formed under the education of Confucianism.
The unity of thoughts has also had a profound impact on the ethnic integration in China for two thousand years. Chinese and foreign scholars often marvel at the huge "assimilation" effect of China culture. In the history of China, the so-called "orthodox regime" and "Central Plains Dynasty" were repeatedly invaded. In addition to the non-Han rule in the Yuan and Qing Dynasties, China also had the times of the Sixteen Kingdoms, the Southern and Northern Dynasties and the Five Dynasties. However, regardless of the scale of grassland culture, it was eventually submerged and melted into the vast traditional culture of the Central Plains. Here, the Chinese civilization with Confucianism as the main body is really like a profound and wise man, smiling and letting you toss in my arms. Anyway, after all, everyone will inevitably agree with the psychology of the Chinese nation and China people, so there is only a formal invasion and division, but it is difficult to shake China in essence.
However, the negative influence of "ousting a hundred schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone" can not be ignored. To put it simply, first of all, Confucianism occupies an orthodox position, which will inevitably dim the light of other schools. Over time, some original distinctive ways of thinking not only failed to develop, but even gradually disappeared, greatly reducing the philosophical thinking space of China people.
Secondly, the exclusive admiration for Confucianism made most of China's wise men and heroes devote their energy to promoting Confucianism, and as a result, China culture showed a completely condensed phenomenon. In the end, Confucianism became more and more refined, but its derived rules and regulations became more and more restrictive. This kind of culture has gone to erosion and extreme conservatism because of its maturity. So Mr. Wen Yiduo said that it was simply a stagnant pool. Therefore, if China prospers for a long time, it will go to corruption, and it will be hit by foreign civilizations, so as to gain fresh blood, inject stimulants, and regain its luster and shine.