Differences and Relations between Mencius' People-oriented Thought and Western Democratic Thought
There are two diametrically opposite views on the relationship between Mencius' people-oriented thought and democratic thought. One view is that Mencius' people-oriented thought is different from democratic thought and belongs to the category of authoritarian thought. For example, Chen Duxiu said that "people are more important than people, and democratic politics is by no means the same thing" ... Another example is that Li believes that the famous saying "people are more important than people" must be understood on the premise of implementing and consolidating patriarchal autocracy. Only in this way can we correctly understand that "being king" is fundamental, protecting the people is the means, and Wang Weimin is the master. People who hold the opposite view think that "the people are more expensive than the monarch" belongs to democratic thought. For example, the philosopher Zhang Dainian put forward Mencius' "People-oriented is more valuable, which can be said to be democratic thought". The author thinks that there are differences and connections between Mencius' people-oriented thought and democratic thought, and they can neither be confused nor opposed. The correct attitude is to explore the democratic essence of Mencius' people-oriented thought on the basis of clarifying the differences and relations between them, and give full play to its role in implementing people-oriented Scientific Outlook on Development and strengthening the construction of socialist democratic politics. The difference between Mencius' people-oriented thought and democratic thought is that "sovereignty belongs to the people" and "majority rule" is a national form, which is different from feudal autocracy. As a national system, democracy is the unity of the state and the government. Its basic meaning is: (1) sovereignty belongs to the people, and the people are masters of their own affairs. Of course, under different democratic systems, the concept and extension of the people are different. For example, under the bourgeois democratic system, "people" mainly refers to the bourgeoisie, and its democracy is bourgeois in nature. Under the socialist democratic system, the people are the broadest masses of the people in China, including all laborers and all patriots who support socialism and the reunification of the motherland. Socialist democracy means that the people are masters of the country, the people govern the country, and the people are masters of the country. (2) State officials are produced by the people. Elected by the people. (3) Major national issues are decided by democracy according to the principle that the minority is subordinate to the majority. (4) The people have the right to supervise and recall their elected officials. (5) People are the ultimate users of national development goals and achievements. (6) implementing the rule of law. As a democratic thought, it should at least include the above contents, but Mencius' people-oriented thought does not. (1) Mencius' people-oriented thought opposes feudal autocracy and abuse. Mencius only opposed feudal autocracy and political abuse, not feudal monarchy. On the premise of supporting feudal monarchy, he advocated his people-oriented thought. This can be confirmed from the following aspects of Mencius. Mencius demonstrated the rationality of monarchy from the perspective of social division of labor. Mencius said: "There are things for adults and things for villains, and one person is fully prepared." Hard-working people govern people, and hard-working people govern people. "No gentleman, no savage, no savage, no gentleman." (Mencius? In Mencius' view, it is natural that the monarch rules the people's homes, and the people are ruled by the monarch and support the monarch, because that is the inevitable result of social division of labor. Mencius' theory of social division of labor is correct and progressive. However, feudal autocracy is by no means a social division of labor, so the fund project] This paper is the tenth five-year fund project of Jiangsu Province's philosophy and social science research (project number: 04ZXBO 13). [Author Brief Introduction] Tan Fenglan (1966 I), female, from Xining, Qinghai, is a lecturer at Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, and her main research direction is ideology and politics; Lv Wenshuo (1947 I), male, from Helen, Heilongjiang, is a professor at Jiangsu University of Science and Technology. His research interests are law and ideological and political theory teaching. Simplicity is not the inevitable result of social division of labor. This reflects Mencius' history and class limitations. 2. Praise the former kings (Yao, Shun, Yu, Shang Tang,) and think that the administration of the former king is the most perfect monarchy. Advocating the law of the former king, he thinks that "those who follow the law of the former king have nothing." (About Li Lou) 3. Oppose "no gentleman" Mohist universal love has no father. Without a father and a monarch, it is also an animal. (Fujimoto Hiroshi) 4. Although he advocated that "the people are more important than the king", it does not mean that the people are the masters of the country. Mencius advocated that "the people are more important than the monarch" in the relationship between the monarch and the people. He said: "The people are the most important, the country is the second, and the monarch is the light." What's more, "people" means the master of the country. Some people say: "The greatest feature of Mencius' political thought lies in his civil rights thought. Mencius strongly advocated valuing the people over the monarch ... Mencius' theory of "the people are more expensive than the monarch" has two meanings: first, the emperor must obtain the consent of the people, which proves that the people have the highest power; Second, the country can be reformed by the people, which proves that the people are the masters of the country, which is the most full embodiment of Mencius' civil rights thought. "This evaluation is obviously too high." The people are the most important, the country is the second, and the monarch is the light. Therefore, it is the son of heaven because of the people ... "In any case, we can't draw the conclusion that' the people have the highest power' and' the people are the masters of the country'." This should be done by the people. "Not to say that the rule of the emperor is given by the people. The core of "winning the hearts of the people and winning the world" is the importance of "winning the hearts of the people" to "winning the world", and it does not involve the question of who gives the emperor power. Mr. Huang Zhongjing said: "Mencius advocated monarchical power rather than civil rights, and advocated monarchical rule rather than democratic politics. This basic idea is very clear to Mencius. His other statements can only be established if they do not contradict this. "I think this is very reasonable. 5. Mencius advocated that "both the monarch and the minister are righteous" ("vine mustard", then the minister regards the monarch as the enemy. " ("Li Lou Xia") emphasizes that the monarch and his subjects should fulfill their obligations to each other. Although bound by the monarch, he "does his best" and "treats my ministers like brothers." Maintain the monarchy. (2) Mencius' people-oriented thought advocates that the monarch should be established by heaven, not elected by the people. The theoretical basis of Mencius' people-oriented thought is the concept of destiny. In Mencius' view, "heaven is also a person who does not do it; Those who get there are doomed to failure. " (Zhang Wan I) Fate has supreme authority and cannot be disobeyed. "Those who are in harmony with the sky will survive, and those who are against the sky will die". (Li Lou I) He quoted the words in the Book of Songs: "Book Day:' Heaven falls on the people, and the people will be king, so what about' Jun'? "Jun" and "Teacher" help God love and protect ordinary people. It can be seen that "Jun" is arranged by heaven, not chosen by "people". Although Mencius thought that "the son of heaven can't rule the world by human beings", he thought that a virtuous monarch (such as Shun) was "heaven should rule by human beings" (Zhang Wan) because ". Zhou Shu? The Thai oath is Mencius' view on how to understand and grasp the people from the "heaven" and how to express their wishes to the "heaven". Mencius did not have an operable system design, so "man and it" was not implemented. The reason why Mencius talked about "the harmony between man and nature" is to explain the importance of public opinion and people's hearts and to advise the country. Don't lose the world because you lose people's hearts. Of course, this reflects Mencius' emphasis on the people, which has certain democratic factors and is also beneficial to the people objectively, but it is not the same as democratic elections. Therefore, Mencius can't be said to have civil rights and democratic thoughts. (3) Although Mencius' people-oriented thought advocates that the opinions of "China people" should be considered in employing people, killing people and killing people, it has certain democratic factors, but the people do not have the final decision. The final decision still belongs to Mencius, the monarch When answering Qi Xuanwang's question, "Why should I give up his talent?" He said, "If you have to, the monarch will make you humble, but you can't be careless. "Both sides are wise, and it is impossible to do it; All doctors are smart every day, they can't be; China people are wise every day, and then observe; See the sage and use it. Don't listen to it. Doctors can't do it every day, don't listen; China people can't do it every day and then observe it; See what you can't see, and then go. Kill both sides and then judge them; Kill whatever you see, and then kill it. So, China will kill it. Therefore, you can be the parents of the people. " During the reign of King Hui Liang, some people thought that Mencius already had the principle of rule by the people. Mr. Xu believes that this passage "means that the right to choose, kill and kill people should not be decided by the monarch, but by the people." In fact, this passage is about the principle of selecting people. The monarch himself, not the people. Therefore, there is no rule by the people or civil rights, only a monarchy. (4) Mencius' people-oriented thought advocates that the rule of man and democracy cannot be separated from the legal system and the rule of law. After democracy is determined by the legal system, it must be guaranteed by the principle of rule of law; If there is a legal system without adhering to the principle of rule of law, democracy will be destroyed. Therefore, both modern democracy and modern democracy are accompanied by the principle of rule of law. Adhering to the principle of rule of law is one of the important characteristics of democratic system. The rule of law is the opposite principle ruled by the same people. In order to maintain the absolute authority of the monarch, the feudal monarch adopted the principle of rule by man. Although there is also a saying that "the monarch breaks the law and the people are guilty of the same crime", it is rarely actually implemented. The absolute truth is that "the emperor has a golden mouth and jade teeth." Therefore, adhering to the principle of rule of law or rule of man is a major symbol to judge whether a country is a democratic country or a monarchy. Although Mencius also advocated that the country should have a legal system, as he said, "If you don't follow the rules, you won't be Fiona Fang" and "If you don't follow the six laws, you won't be right". "Those who follow the laws of the former king have nothing." But he added. It is not enough to act according to the law by yourself. "Laws must be carried out and observed by" benevolent "self-awareness. Therefore, Mencius advocated that "those who are benevolent have a high position, and those who are not benevolent have a high position, which is to spread their evil to the public." (Li Lou I) Based on this understanding, Mencius further believed that the key to governing the country is to have a benevolent king, because "the benevolent is ruthless and the righteous is righteous." It can be seen from the above that Mencius did not deny the role of law, but he mainly insisted on the rule of man. His theory of good nature and the cultivation method of "opposing oneself" are both arguments for his sage politics, that is, the rule of man. Because everyone has the possibility of doing good, the monarch should only be a "bad person" in practice. Mencius' thought of "ruling by man" has certain positive significance. For example, Shang Xian's ideas of "Benevolence is the highest" and "Respecting the virtuous and enabling, and being in power" show that Mencius fully realized the important influence of moral quality of monarch and minister on governing the country. However, it is not reliable for Mencius to pin his ruling on sages. Because, first, it is difficult to guarantee that all kings are "benevolent" and those who "hold high positions" are "benevolent"; Second, role models play a great role, but they may not work for anyone, so it is too idealistic to say that "a gentleman is ruthless, a villain is righteous, and a villain is righteous". Thirdly, human nature is changeable, and "benevolence" may become "benevolence" under certain conditions; Fourth, there is a lack of supervision mechanism. If the monarch and other "powerful" people are "heartless", who will supervise them? Without supervision, power can easily lead to corruption. Only the rule of law can overcome the above disadvantages of "rule by man". It seems that Mencius' advocacy of "rule by man" is also in line with his maintenance of the feudal monarchy. (5) The fundamental purpose of Mencius' people-oriented thought is to serve the monarch rather than the people. Mencius' people-oriented thought has repeatedly emphasized that "the people are the most important", but the starting point and ultimate goal of calling on the monarch to "protect the people ... enrich the people", "teach the people", "control the people's wealth" and "people-oriented" is not for the people, but for the monarch. As Mencius said, "protecting the people is king", the purpose of "protecting the people" is for the monarch to "govern the world", and "protecting the people" is not an end but a monarch. How to talk about "people are expensive" from the perspective of "winning the world" His "people-oriented" proposition is nothing more than the skill of "controlling the people", "governing the people" and "herdsman", and it is a hand to safeguard the absolute monarchy, which is essentially different from the democracy in which the people are the masters of the country. Second, the connection between Mencius' people-oriented thought and democratic thought is different from democratic thought, but they are not absolutely opposite. However, there is a connection. This connection is reflected in the following aspects. (1) have certain compatibility. Mencius' people-oriented thought and democratic thought attach great importance to the role of the people in the country, although they attach different degrees. People-oriented thought only regards people as tools, elements and value subjects of governing the country; People-oriented thought not only attaches importance to the people as the subject of value, but also attaches importance to the people as the subject of power of the country, and the master of the country attaches importance to it. This determines that the two have certain consistency and compatibility on the issue of "people". Mencius' people-oriented thought of loving the people, protecting the people, enriching the people, teaching the people and winning the people is related to our party's thought of building the party for the public, governing for the people, using power for the people and benefiting the people. As long as it is endowed with new class and era content, it can still be used for socialist democratic construction. Mr. Xu Keqian said when talking about Mencius's "harmony between man and nature, man and man": "Mencius emphasized' man and man'. The "person" here obviously does not refer to Yao, but refers to people. People' is actually authorized by the people. The so-called' heaven and man' is actually through' people'. In Mencius' view, only those who are recognized by "public opinion" can master world political power, because power belongs to the people. This concept fully conforms to the idea that democratic regime belongs to the people. "Mr. Xu Keqian's point of view makes sense. (2) Mencius' people-oriented thought is the basic democracy of democratic thought, and the people are the masters of the country, which must be people-oriented. How can we talk about real democracy if we don't even know that the politicians who govern the country are people-oriented? Democratic thought did not fall from the world, and its emergence and development can not be separated from the road of human civilization development. It is produced and developed on the basis of people-oriented thought. Yan Fu, a modern bourgeois enlightenment thinker, believes that Mencius' people-oriented thought is not only applicable to ancient times, but also to contemporary times. He said, "Mencius said:' The people are the most important, the country is the second, and the monarch is the light'. This ancient and modern meaning. " (Bi Han) He took Mencius' theory that "the people are more important than the monarch" as the basis for demonstrating bourgeois democracy. Chen Duxiu put it more clearly: "The state, not democracy, will run counter to the theory that the people are the foundation of the country." This shows that the democratic thought is consistent with the theory of "the people are the foundation of the country", which has historical inheritance and the people-oriented thought is democratic. If we don't realize that "the people are the foundation of the country" or just verbally admit that "the people are the foundation of the country" in our hearts, we will certainly not attach importance to the people in our actions and certainly will not practice real democracy. (3) Democratic thought is the sublimation of people-oriented thought, which includes people's ownership, people's enjoyment, civil rights and people's governance. Among them, the rule by the people is the most important, because only with the rule by the people can we ensure that the people enjoy it. In a country, people's ownership and enjoyment will not be guaranteed. Mencius' people-oriented thought advocates "controlling people's property" and "keeping people healthy and dying without regret", which involves the content of people's ownership and enjoyment, but lacks the content of civil rights and people's governance, which is the fundamental difference between people-oriented thought and democratic thought. Liang Qichao commented on China's traditional people-oriented thought in the History of Pre-Qin Political Thought, saying, "Beautiful words from Lincoln. The people, the people, or for the people? 1. China's theory is based on 0f and f0r, and it is very detailed, but it is unique to by ... How efficient is this people-oriented principle of not participating in political power? The biggest shortcoming of China's political theory lies in … "This passage points out that China's traditional people-oriented thought contains the meanings of" forthepeople "and" for the people ",but has no meaning of" bythepeo ". School "("by the people "), and pointed out that this is its" biggest shortcoming ". Advocating the establishment of a bourgeois republic, such as the Three People's Principles put forward by Sun Yat-sen, which includes the contents of civil rights and rule by the people. The producer's new democracy in modern China aims to completely overthrow the three mountains of emperor, official and Indian, realize national independence and people's liberation, and establish a socialist country under the people's democratic dictatorship. With the victory of the new-democratic revolution, the people of China have become the masters of the country. Enjoy a broader democracy than bourgeois democracy. Therefore, both bourgeois democracy and socialist democracy are relative to the people-oriented thought (including Mencius' people-oriented thought), which is a qualitative leap and a qualitative improvement. This sublimation is inevitable, because the combination of Confucian people-oriented thought (including Mencius' people-oriented thought) and autocratic monarchy not only maintained feudal autocratic monarchy, but also regarded people as the value subject of society and country, which contained contradictions. In this contradiction, there are seeds from people-oriented to democracy. In other words, the infinite development of people-oriented thought will inevitably tend to the requirements of democracy, freedom and rights. When the feudal monarch was overbearing, not people-oriented, and harmed the people, when the scourge reached the point where the people were miserable, the people would inevitably be dissatisfied with their enslaved status, rise up and fight for their due democratic rights. In this case, progressive thinkers will consider replacing people-oriented ideas with new ideas that are more suitable for the requirements of the new era. This new idea is democracy. The formation of any democracy (whether bourgeois democracy or proletarian democracy) is guided by advanced theories at that time, but it does not exclude the cultural foundation laid by predecessors, and it is inherited on the basis of civilized achievements (including people-oriented thoughts) created by predecessors. Thirdly, the reference significance of Mencius' people-oriented thought to the construction of socialist democracy. To judge whether a historical figure's thought has progressed, we should not judge whether it has reached the level of understanding and thought that people have reached today, but what his thought put forward at that time that was newer and more valuable than his predecessors or contemporaries. The ideological systems of thinkers of different classes have different hierarchical nature and political purposes. But it does not rule out that they adopt the same or similar principles, ways and methods to achieve different goals, which can be used for reference by different classes or different historical periods. Just as we can absorb and learn from the advanced technology and management experience of the western bourgeoisie and all the civilized achievements created by human society, we can serve the construction of a society with China characteristics. The report of the 16th National Congress of the Communist Party of China emphasized "learning from the beneficial achievements of human political civilization" when proposing to build socialist political civilization. Mencius lived in the Warring States period more than 2,300 years ago. At that time, it was impossible to put forward bourgeois democracy and proletarian democracy. There are essential differences between his people-oriented thought and democratic thought, but its democratic essence is of reference significance for us to build a social democracy. For example, learning from Mencius' thoughts of "protecting the people is the most important", "protecting the people is the king" and "winning the hearts of the people is the world" will help us to sublimate the concept of democracy, respect the people's status as masters and increase the quality of life. Learning Mencius' thoughts of "managing people's wealth" and "caring for people's health but losing them" will help us attach importance to people's livelihood, do a good job in material civilization construction and lay a material foundation for socialist democratic construction. Drawing lessons from Mencius' people-oriented thought will help deepen the understanding of "people-oriented", implement Scientific Outlook on Development, solve problems in socialist democratic construction through reform and development, and promote the process of socialist democratic construction; Learning Mencius' thought of "teaching people" and emphasizing "good teaching" and "good driving" will help us to strengthen the education of socialist core values, do a good job in the construction of spiritual civilization and create spiritual conditions for the construction of socialist democratic politics. Learning from Mencius' thought of relaxing policies to make people, businesses, tourists, farmers and people "all happy" is conducive to our further reform and opening up, mobilizing all positive factors, giving full play to the creativity of all the people and creating a lively democratic political bureau; Drawing lessons from Mencius' thought of "widowhood, widowhood, independence and loneliness" will help us care for the disadvantaged groups in society, realize social peace and justice, and make every people truly enjoy the treatment of the master of the country and the warmth of socialism, thus highlighting the superiority of the social justice system; Learning from Mencius' thought that "different people have different opinions, and the wise have different opinions" will help to build a team of high-quality cadres who are honest and serve the people wholeheartedly, so that the construction of socialist democracy can be organized and guaranteed. In short, as a general principle or form, "people-oriented" in Mencius' people-oriented thought can serve different political contents. As long as the feudal dross is eliminated and a new era is endowed with the times, it can completely serve the construction of socialist democratic politics.