Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 229 The Debate Between Kingship and Hegemony
For Lu Beigu, the reason he helped Zhang Zai improve the "theory of Qi as the fundamental substance" was that, in Lu Beigu's view, this theory could be transformed into ideas that would be more conducive to the emergence of modern science.

Because modern science cannot bypass the understanding of the fundamental nature of the universe.

With a little guidance, the "Qi-based theory" can easily lead to the question of "what exactly is inside the 'Qi' that constitutes the universe."

But Cheng Hao's question was different in nature.

This touches upon another important area of ​​ancient Chinese philosophy, namely the "theory of mind and nature".

"When the heart is moved by something, such as seeing a child fall into a well, a feeling of alarm and compassion naturally arises. This is the beginning of benevolence. This 'heart' is moved by 'things,' such as the child's perilous situation. Isn't this 'feeling' also a kind of 'contradictory' interaction?"

"However, this interaction does not give rise to killing and contention, but rather to compassion and benevolence! Is the emergence of this 'benevolence' a natural result of the interaction of contradictions? Or is it a fundamental force that transcends contradictions and reconciles them?"

"If contradiction is the fundamental driving force, then how can the position of 'benevolence' be established? Is the feeling of 'being completely one with all things' the ultimate harmony of contradictions, or a state of transcending contradictions?"

Cheng Hao's question was extremely tricky.

He directly addressed the relationship between the "theory of contradictions" and the core Confucian value of "benevolence," as well as the transcendent issue of the connection between the heart and mind.

In other words, Cheng Hao was very worried that overemphasizing the struggle of "contradiction" would undermine the absoluteness and transcendence of "benevolence".

For modern people, hearing this question might leave them completely bewildered. What's with all this talk about "benevolence"? You can't eat it, and it doesn't seem to have any significant impact on life, so it doesn't seem to have much value.

This is certainly true for modern people, because in modern society, with highly developed modern technology as the material foundation and atomized citizens as a necessary premise, people's behavior can be restrained by law. Modern society can ensure that the law has the effect of enforcement, and the cost of crime is extremely high.

But this was not the case in ancient times.

In ancient times, it was impossible to maintain social stability in the long term solely through laws, because there were no prerequisites for achieving this, and therefore no dynasty could do it.

In ancient times, the most important thing to maintain social stability was to have a set of moral concepts that could form a consensus among all people.

This system of moral values ​​must be accepted not only by ordinary people but also by scholars. This requires a complete philosophical logic and a sense of justice, while conforming to the realities of the situation; otherwise, it will not be convincing.

Since Confucius and Mencius, "benevolence" has always been one of the most important moral cornerstones in the ancient Chinese philosophical system.

Therefore, any philosophical breakthrough should not be based on shaking these moral foundations; otherwise, the whole society will be filled with anxiety and turmoil.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Beigu said, “Brother Bochun is worried that ‘contradictions’ may obscure ‘benevolence’, which is a sincere desire to uphold the fundamental principles. But I believe that when it comes to ‘benevolence’, it cannot be separated from ‘the benevolence of Heaven and Earth’.”

"The heart of heaven and earth in giving birth to all things is great benevolence. The spread of this 'benevolence' lies in the 'harmony' rather than 'struggle' of the contradiction between yin and yang. Spring brings forth life, summer fosters growth, which is the harmony of yin and yang and the flourishing of life; autumn brings harvest, winter brings storage, which is the transformation of yin and yang and the nurturing of life. This is the benevolence of heaven and earth. Humans receive the vital energy of heaven and earth, and therefore can recognize this 'benevolence'. The 'heart of compassion' is precisely the result of the natural arising of the contradiction between the human heart's feelings towards external things and its inherent benevolence and compassion."

"The benevolence born from this sympathetic understanding does not deny the existence of contradictions, but rather uses benevolence to recognize, reconcile, and guide contradictions towards the ever-renewing transformation of 'harmony.' Therefore, the state of 'being completely one with all things' is the state reached by permeating all contradictions with benevolence."

Lu Beigu did not actually answer Cheng Hao's question, but instead used a larger proposition, namely "the heart of heaven and earth as the great benevolence of all living beings," to encompass the smaller proposition of "the heart of the individual as the lesser benevolence of all living beings."

By telling Cheng Hao that the laws of heaven and earth inherently contain contradictions, Lu Beigu avoided the question of whether "overemphasizing the struggle of contradictions would diminish the absoluteness and transcendence of 'benevolence'." The reason Lu Beigu chose to avoid this was because, with the progress of history, this issue was destined to cease to be an issue.

The emergence of any philosophical thought and definition has its historical background and material basis, and the same is true for "benevolence". As history moves forward and its material basis disappears, its influence on reality will be greatly reduced.

Cheng Hao was young after all, and his critical thinking and logical reasoning were far inferior to Zhang Zai's, so he couldn't figure it out for a while.

Cheng Yi, who was sitting next to him, had been listening intently. Only then did he speak: "In my humble opinion, this argument is fundamentally flawed if it is extended to human ethics, etiquette, and the rise and fall of history."

Cheng Yi's words went straight to the heart of the matter: "The Book of Changes says, 'The alternation of yin and yang is called the Way,' and this 'Way' is the principle of Heaven! The principle of Heaven is constant; it does not exist for Yao, nor does it perish for Jie. The sun and moon move, and the seasons change, each with its own unchanging order—this is the manifestation of the principle of Heaven. It is said that the interaction of contradictions drives change, and I do not deny the 'traces' of this change. But what drives this change, and determines its trajectory and limits, is not the constant 'principle of Heaven'? If we only talk about the changes of contradictions and not about the constancy of the principle of Heaven, then the change has no foundation, degenerates into sophistry, and is close to Gaozi's argument that 'life is called nature' and 'if the flow is directed eastward, it flows eastward; if the flow is directed westward, it flows westward'!"

"Furthermore, the sages did not create rites and music out of thin air, but rather followed the principles of Heaven and understood the natural 'divisions' and 'orders' of human relationships. There is affection between father and son, righteousness between ruler and subject, distinction between husband and wife, order between elder and younger, and trust between friends. These five relationships are the rules and regulations of the principles of Heaven, and the unchanging principles for all ages."

"If we follow the theory of 'contradiction' and emphasize the transformation of contradictions and the change of primary and secondary contradictions, does that mean that the basic social order can also be changed along with the shift of the 'primary contradiction'? For example, if 'the people are exhausted and the country is weak' is the primary contradiction at present, can we shake the fundamental principles of the relationship between ruler and subject, father and son in order to achieve quick results? Isn't this the kind of strategy of Shang Yang and Han Fei, which abandons the fundamental for the trivial and disrupts the social order?"

Cheng Yi was concerned that the "theory of contradictions," especially the idea of ​​transforming the "principal contradiction," would shake the ethical principles upon which Confucianism was based, reducing them to a means that could be weighed and compromised, or even sliding into the abyss of Legalist utilitarianism.

Lu Beigu did not directly explain that Neo-Confucianism was not mature enough at the moment. If he insisted on explaining it, he would easily lead to the premature emergence of the School of Mind. However, the School of Mind is an extremely uncontrollable branch of Confucianism and could easily develop into a form similar to "mad Zen".

In Lu Beigu's view, the School of Mind was too radical and the School of Principle was too conservative; neither of them was the best school of thought.

What could truly help the development of China was the improved "Qi theory," which combined cosmology and materialism to promote the emergence of modern science, and the "practical learning," which truly led a large number of knowledgeable scholars to the path of practical application in governance.

Lu Beigu pondered for a moment before responding to Cheng Yi's question about the constant laws of nature and the transformation of contradictions.

"Brother Zheng's defense of the constancy of the principles of Heaven and the social order is a move to get to the root of the problem. However, I believe that the constancy of 'principles of Heaven' is not a rigid dogma, but the eternity of the fundamental laws governing the universe and human life. These laws are precisely what dictate how contradictions move, how they transform, and how they achieve harmony."

"The sun and moon revolve, and the seasons change, their 'order' remains unchanged; this is the principle of Heaven. However, the realization of this 'order' is precisely the result of the continuous transformation of the contradictions of Yin and Yang according to specific laws! The Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues, the great principles of human relations, their 'principles' remain unchanged, such as the 'principles' of fatherly love and filial piety, and wise rulers and loyal ministers; these are also the principles of Heaven. However, the practice of these 'principles' must reconcile specific contradictions in specific situations, such as the difference between a strict father and a kind mother, and the difference between the authority of a ruler and the remonstrance of a minister."

"Therefore, the distinction between the 'principal contradiction' is not about shaking the fundamental principles of morality, but rather about more accurately grasping the key to practicing the principles of nature amidst the complexities of the world! For example, a physician understands the 'principles' of the internal organs, their exterior and interior, and their cold, heat, deficiency and excess. This is the constant principle of nature. However, it is even more important to clearly identify the principal contradiction of the current illness: is it cold or heat? Is it on the surface or inside? Only then can the right medicine be prescribed, yin and yang be harmonized, and the principles of nature be practiced."

Lu Beigu was actually very unwilling to get bogged down in concepts like loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, righteousness, and ethical principles. Therefore, his response to Cheng Yi's questions was the same as his response to Cheng Hao: he used a dialectical perspective to elevate a specific issue to a broader concept that encompasses it.

Zeng Gong, his brow furrowed, listened with deep concern and asked, “However, the essence of Confucianism lies in self-cultivation, family harmony, national governance, and world peace; in practical application! Leaving aside the impact of Buddhism and Taoism, the growing trend of philosophical and abstract discussions among scholars is already worrying. Looking at the Song Dynasty today, it is plagued by accumulated problems: redundant officials, redundant soldiers, and redundant expenses are like three mountains; the people are exhausted, the national treasury is empty, and powerful neighbors surround it. This is truly a critical moment of survival! Fan Zhongyan's Qingli Reforms aimed to eliminate these accumulated problems, but faced numerous obstacles and ultimately failed. Wasn't its failure due to its inability to properly reconcile the contradictions between the old and the new, and its failure to grasp the fundamental key?”

He looked directly at Lu Beigu and asked the most pointed and practical question.

“My worthy brother speaks of ‘principal contradiction’ and ‘reconciliation and transformation.’ However, in your opinion, what is the root cause of the current problems plaguing the Great Song Dynasty? What is the ‘principal contradiction’? Is it the problem of redundant officials? Is it the harm of land annexation? Is it the threat of northern barbarians and western bandits? Or is it the superficiality of the scholar-official class?”

"Of these many contradictions, which is primary and which is secondary? Which is urgent and which is less urgent? Is the way to reconcile and transform them the same as Shang Yang's harsh laws and punishments, and forced reforms? Or is it as Mencius said, to practice benevolent governance, reduce taxes, cultivate the land diligently and weed easily, and plan gradually?"

"In this time of numerous contradictions, which should come first in the debate between benevolent rule and hegemonic rule? Which is fundamental? What benefit do you, my virtuous brother, have in your profound contemplation of these contradictions for the practical affairs of the nation and the people?"

Zeng Gong's question represents the ultimate concern of pragmatic Confucian scholars, placing the "theory of contradiction" directly at the most pressing real-world political problem of the Northern Song Dynasty. What is the value of even the most profound and mysterious philosophical theories if they cannot solve real-world dilemmas and point out the path to governing the country?
(End of this chapter)