If the old ideas can't adapt to the new environment, they need new ideas to replace them, but a hundred schools of thought contend again in the later period of Wenjing rule. Why did Emperor Wu choose Confucianism? This must be analyzed from three aspects, which are progressive.
1. Prejudice-Liu Che received Confucian education since childhood.
In the Han Dynasty, there was a Confucian scholar named Di Wei, who worked hard and was highly valued by Emperor Wen. Records in Historical Records and Biography of Uncle Zhang in mangshi:
When Emperor Wendi collapsed, Xiao Jingzhi said, "Old people are bound and often meet each other." Then Wendi collapsed, and Jingdi stood up. After 18 years old, he still didn't relax. He is very cautious when he speaks.
Before Emperor Gaozu died, he asked Qi (Han Jing) to be kind to the guards. The emperor proclaimed himself emperor and made Wei Wan a proud teacher. Later, Liu Rong was abolished and Wei Wan became Liu Che's teacher. In addition, Han Jing chose Wei Wan as the teacher of the Prince, not because Han Jing liked Confucianism, but because Wei Wan was cautious, earnest and trustworthy. However, Di Wei had a great influence on young Liu Che. He planted the seeds of Confucianism in Liu Che's heart. From "Confucianism" and "Neo-Confucianism", why did Emperor Wu advocate Confucianism?
Han Jing attaches great importance to education in Liu Che. He felt that Di Wei was not enough. A teacher named Wang Kui came to teach Liu Che The Book of Songs. How many people are there in Wang Kui? He is a disciple of Shen Pei, a famous Confucian in Han Dynasty. "Historical Records Biography of the Scholars" cloud:
Zang Shoushi, a warrior in Lanling, ordered Emperor Xiaojing to be a young prince.
"Lanling" here refers to the place name. That is to say, politics dominated the skills of Huang Lao in the early Han Dynasty, but in fact, Confucianism was the most contacted by Emperor Wu when he was a teenager, which laid the foundation for Emperor Wu to respect Confucianism alone.
2. Dong Zhongshu's "Neo-Confucianism"-in line with the interests of the rulers.
Influenced by Confucianism, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty recommended people to recommend sages at the beginning of his accession to the throne. He has seen hundreds of people before and after, but he just thinks Dong Zhongshu's countermeasures are clever. The biography of Dong Zhongshu in Hanshu said: When Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty ascended the throne, there were more than a hundred talented people before and after, and Zhong Shu took this as a wise countermeasure.
Who is Dong Zhongshu? He was born in 179 BC, 23 years older than Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, assisted his two brothers (Liu Fei and Liu Duan), and then resigned and went home to study Confucianism. Based on "The Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ram", he absorbed a hundred schools of thought and founded the new Confucianism.
Confucianism has both positive significance and limitations for later generations.
During the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, it was a great event in the history of China to "oust a hundred schools of thought and respect Confucianism alone". This system was observed by later generations. By 2000, it had a great influence on disabled students in China's political, cultural and ethnic education fields, which can be summarized as three points.
First, in politics, the exclusive admiration of Confucianism determines the relationship between monarch and minister and the general plan of governing the people in feudal society. Confucianism advocates "three cardinal principles and five permanents" and "benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom and trust", which has become the criterion pursued by literati all their lives. Emperors also realized the importance of "benevolent government" and "valuing the people over the monarch", and subjects from all walks of life found their own values, which was conducive to social balance. Therefore, the exclusive respect for Confucianism is of great significance to China's ancient feudal rule.
Secondly, culturally, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty regarded Confucianism as the ruling tool of feudal society, which improved the status of Confucianism. Since then, Confucianism is no longer just academic thought, but orthodox thought, which has been "deified" by later generations and has become a belief. Originated from Confucianism, together with Taoism and Buddhism, it has become the three major religions in China. Therefore, the exclusive respect for Confucianism has a great impetus to the development of Confucianism.
Thirdly, the prosperity of Confucianism in the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty obviously restricted the daily education and behavior norms of scholars, officials and ordinary people, which was of positive significance to promoting social harmony and national spirit.
However, the rejection of Confucianism also has its historical limitations. For example, it restrained the development of other schools, and combined the ancient theories of a hundred schools into one, which restricted the development of China's history, culture, education and art to some extent. In addition, it must be admitted that the feudal thought advocated by Confucianism also has some stale parts.