Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

Unity of reason and desire!

These four words struck everyone's hearts like a bell.

The completeness of Jiang Xinghuo's theory exceeded everyone's expectations.

From an ontological point of view, Jiang Xinghuo's theory's explanation of the entire real world was undoubtedly at the level of detail for previous great scholars, especially those of the Song Dynasty.

Whether it is Zhang Zai's "Taixu Qi Theory", Cheng Yi's "Li-Qi Dualism", or Zhu Xi's "Natural Principle and Human Desire Theory", the worldview framework of Qi Theory is difficult to explain the real world. People fully understand and believe it.

Qi, does it exist? If it exists, what does it look like? Why didn't anyone observe it?

These problems have not been effectively solved.

Just like a pair of torn trousers that have been passed down for four or five generations, each generation is mending and repairing them, just to try to prevent them from being exposed and embarrassing. As for how beautiful they want to be, they can't do it.

But now, these tattered pants were completely cut to pieces by Jiang Xinghuo's big scissors called "cells".

Compared with the abstract, formless and qualityless "Qi", cells are real existences that can be commonly observed by ordinary people in almost all living things. This real existence is the basic unit that constitutes life, and it is almost impossible to changes as the observer changes.

As long as the observation method is fixed and a standard microscope is used, different people can obtain the same observation results.

——Don’t underestimate this.

Among the traditional ontology of various schools, whether it is Buddhism, Taoism, or Confucianism, the observation of ontology is "different from person to person."

In other words, different people, depending on factors such as qualifications/understanding/Buddhist connections, will obtain inconsistent results in the process of observation or understanding of the ontology of each sect.

This leads to the fact that it is reasonable for the public to speak to the public, and it is also reasonable for the mother-in-law to speak to her mother-in-law.

Because of this, the three religions have been arguing with each other for thousands of years. They all have their own theories of understanding the structure and composition of the world, that is, ontology.

But Jiang Xinghuo's "material monism" completed an epoch-making change in ontology by discovering the existence of cells at the microscopic level.

From then on, ontological observers, well, in Confucian terms, are "persons of physical objects". They no longer need personal talents. Everyone can observe the same detailed results using the same method.

In this way, it is not only persuasive that seeing is believing, but also the degree to which this theory can be popularized is greatly increased.

When the audience is large and the people believe it, it will naturally become public opinion.

The greatest effect of the positivist method is "If you don't believe it, see for yourself."

This effect has begun to take shape in the process of popularizing scientific principles and experiments.

For example, the principle of air pressure in hot air balloons and the principle of prism scattering can be reproduced through experiments.

Because of this, scientific principles were sought after among Imperial College students and then became popular.

All the great scholars here understand this truth very well.

So they all know that once today's results are released, especially in the name of Kong Xilu, with the popularization of microscopes, Jiang Xinghuo's "matter monism" based on the theory of cellular matter will quickly become popular all over the country, and Neo-Confucianism The experts were completely powerless to refute.

The simplest example is that the theory of cellular matter can prove its own existence. How can Neo-Confucianists prove the existence of "qi"?

You can't prove it, you don't have the ability, you understand.

In addition to the ontology of "material monism", Jiang Xinghuo has obviously also put a lot of effort into the theory of human nature based on the ontology.

"Let's adjourn the meeting for now. Everyone, please rest for a while."

At this moment, Hu Yan, as the host, took advantage of the power in his hands.

Of course Jiang Xinghuo knew that Hu Yan was forced to have no choice but to play. It was like playing a game and could only call for a timeout at the end.

But he is not afraid of what Hu Yan and others can do. At this time, the goal has been basically achieved. There is no need to push forward forcefully. It is better to be more generous and allow them to breathe for a while.

"Okay, everyone, please get up and move around. We will continue after a stick of incense."

The debate had gone on for a long time without realizing it. The attendees of the Taixue Association were generally older, with an average age of fifty, so they all really needed a break.

"Why didn't I understand what they just said was a little confusing?"

Hu Hancang, who was next door, leaned against the wall and asked the others in Chinese with a Guangxi accent.

In fact, several people had just participated in the debate, and their views were quite in-depth, involving all aspects of the three religions' theories of human nature, so it was normal that he did not understand.

Moreover, not only were several people talking to each other, but the core of the topic was constantly changing around the main line, which caused serious trouble to the audience next to them.

Needless to say, Lu Gong, an international student from Luzon, didn't understand it at all.

And whether it was Li Jie or He Duanzhi, the two senior international students from the Ryukyu Kingdom, they were still in a state of vague understanding, and the little fat guy was not much better.

Those who faced the same trouble as them were Yang Rong and Yang Pu who had not spoken but were responsible for taking notes at the venue.

Jiang Xinghuo's ontological viewpoint based on "material monism" and his extended viewpoint on human nature were presented one by one. On the whole, they formed a system, but their expressions during the debate were relatively fragmented.

The more Yang Rong and Yang Pu sorted it out and integrated it, the more they felt that the truth was extremely subtle and profound.

The first stage.

Regarding the Neo-Confucians’ theory of qi and mind, Jiang Xinghuo attributed li (law) to qi (matter), and nature (nature) to heart (human heart), that is, matter → law, and human heart → nature.

The ultimate formula of Neo-Confucianism’s theory of human nature:

Human heart = nature of heaven and earth + nature of temperament + consciousness

second stage.

Jiang Xinghuo believes that "perception" is an organic experience belonging to the human body and is a part of matter.

At the same time, Jiang Xinghuo also believes that the "nature of heaven and earth" does not exist. People only have the "nature of temperament" based on the movement of life and cellular inheritance. This is equivalent to attributing the "nature of temperament" to material derivation, and at the same time " The "high-level" principles of benevolence, righteousness, reason, and reason are xing, and the "low-level" desires of sound, color, smell, and taste are also xing.

From this, Jiang Xinghuo’s mind-nature theory formula is derived:

Human heart = life movement + cell inheritance + organ perception

Nature = reason (morality) + desire (material desire)

The third phase.

Jiang Xinghuo believes that the human heart and nature are both based on matter. The material desires in nature are to ensure the normal movement, reproduction, and continuation of human life, while the morality in nature is to correct the human heart.

From this, Jiang Xinghuo deduced the view of "unity of reason and desire".

——The unity of reason and desire, emphasizing that the relationship between heavenly reason and human desire is not a waxing and waning relationship, but interdependence, and together constitute the human mind itself.

From this point of view, there is naturally no reason to "preserve the laws of nature and destroy human desires", and it is even less possible to say that "starving to death is a small matter and a big mistake."

Yang Pu looked at the back of Jiang Xinghuo, who was whispering in front of the statue of Confucius with Kong Xilu and the jade belt in green shirt, and felt a feeling of "the mountains stop and the scenery stops" in his heart.

"A great master"

After hearing Yang Pu's words, Yang Rong was startled for a moment, then smiled bitterly.

Before attending the Taixue Meeting, they and Yang Shiqi thought hard all night and prepared many plans, words, and techniques together.

But when they arrived at the scene, they discovered that they were basically useless.

For the temples of the Ming Dynasty, Sanyang was already considered a young talent with outstanding talents and abilities.

But in the academic world, especially in front of these great scholars who participated in the Taixue Association, Sanyang's academic level was far from satisfactory.

Count carefully, among the debaters who can come to the Taixue Meeting, which one is free?

Hu Yan and Wang Yunsheng are the first and second leaders of the highest-level educational institutions in the Ming Dynasty. There is no doubt that they can teach and educate people here.

Gao Xunzhi, Wang Yuli, Yang Jingcheng, and Cao Duan are all great Confucians who inherited the academic school. They are all beings who are now called "sir". Even if they do not reach the heights of the Neo-Confucian scholars, in the current era, Also at the forefront.

Hu Jiyou, the first Confucian scholar in Annan Kingdom, has been the first in Annan academic circles for more than 30 years.

Yao Guangxiao and Zhang Yuchu were the leaders of the Buddhist and Taoist families.

Not to mention Kong Xilu, who is famous all over the world in Weifu. He walks the world as a saint and is the ultimate boss who can suppress half of Jiang Xinghuo with his hard power.

Among these people, even Xie Jin, who has the title of "the most talented man in the Ming Dynasty" and has been famous for more than ten years, can only be ranked at the bottom.

And a disappointing fact is that even Xie Jin, who is at the bottom, can beat Sanyang in all aspects in terms of talent and Confucian attainments.

Therefore, Yang Shiqi's participation was actually beyond the expectations of the debaters of the Taixue Association.

It's not that Yang Shiqi didn't know about this gap before. He wanted to give it a try, but he was just unwilling to do so.

Jiang Xinghuo gave him this opportunity.

Only after trying it, Yang Shiqi, realized how big the gap was between himself and these people!

In the face of absolute strength, any painstakingly crafted tricks based on existing theories are useless.

What made Sanyang most desperate was that before, they had all perceived Jiang Xinghuo as a kind of "bystander".

Bullshit, "Those who are in authority are confused"!

It’s obvious that “bystanders don’t know the importance, and those in authority are sweating”!

When it was time for him to enter the arena, Jiang Xinghuo's despairing and crushing strength made Sanyang even find it difficult to breathe.

Just as Taishan subdues anyone who speaks harsh words, Jiang Xinghuo will also use his upright strength to silence all those who question him.

"Do you think Jiang Xinghuo will surpass the Five Sons of the Northern Song Dynasty in the future?"

Yang Rong suddenly thought of a question and blurted it out immediately.

Yang Shiqi watched them sorting out the meeting minutes from behind, and was stunned when he heard this question.

Jiang Xinghuo's academic performance, before the Taixue Meeting, had already solved some of the last few gaps in the Neo-Confucian Building. To be conservative, it was enough to stand alone in the world. This is because they don't know the Xinxue. The new theory is also based on the premise proposed by Jiang Xinghuo.

If you add in his outstanding contribution to the study of mind, then there is no problem in sitting three and watching one. Even with the decline of the previous generation of great scholars, it is not impossible to stay in the first place. After all, Jiang Xinghuo is still so young.

However, in terms of academic contributions such as "Using Contradictions to Solve Tai Chi", although they are very important, they are not enough to equal the existence of the Five Scholars of the Northern Song Dynasty and the "philosophers" who can independently establish sects such as Zhu Xi, Lu Jiuyuan, Ye Shi, and Chen Liang. .

In other words, he is not qualified to be called "child".

Because whether it is the Five Scholars of the Northern Song Dynasty, Zhu Xi of Neo-Confucianism, Lu Jiuyuan of Xinxue, or Ye Shi and Chen Liang of Practical Studies, they all have their own complete theoretical system. This system, including ontology and mind-nature theory, involves all aspects. , can be logically self-consistent.

Jiang Xinghuo didn't have it before, but now he obviously has it.

With his own theoretical system, his own disciples, and his high position and authority, in the next few decades, Jiang Xinghuo's knowledge, that is, the "new learning" including science and practical learning, is likely to replace Neo-Confucianism and become the new science of the Ming Dynasty. official knowledge.

By that time, Jiang Xinghuo's historical status in academia will obviously be equal to that of the Five Scholars of the Northern Song Dynasty.

But it is difficult to surpass.

Because if the level of "students" is higher, then they are "sages".

The art of slaying dragons can certainly lead to becoming a saint.

Yao Guangxiao agreed with Jiang Xinghuo's philosophy and considered him a saint.

However, this dragon-slaying technique is currently difficult to spread widely.

Therefore, what Yang Rong meant was whether Jiang Xinghuo could surpass the Five Scholars of the Northern Song Dynasty and approach the stage of canonization in his lifetime simply by relying on his academic achievements to create a complete theoretical system.

There are currently six Confucian saints in the Confucian Temple. Confucius, the founder of the Confucian school, his disciples Yan Zi and Zeng Zi, and his grandsons Si, Mencius, and Xunzi. Xunzi was only brought in in the past two years.

Among the Six Sages of Confucianism, the ones who are truly capable of being called saints are Confucius, Mencius, and Xunzi.

The remaining three, Yan Zi, Zeng Zi, and Zi Si, are of course also very strong, and each has made outstanding contributions to Confucianism, but they are obviously still a little short of the point of becoming saints through hard power.

So, can Jiang Xinghuo approach Xunzi's position?

At present, it seems that it is still almost interesting. Let's tie the Five Sons of the Northern Song Dynasty first and then talk about it.

But when Yang Rong asked this question, it already represented some kind of strong recognition, or fear.

Sanyang also realized this immediately.

"What nonsense?"

Yang Shiqi's expression could not hide his anxiety. He muttered a few words and paced around again.

Yang Rong and Yang Pu also realized his anxiety, so they both shut up and continued to carefully organize the meeting minutes.

In the Confucius Temple, Jiang Xinghuo and Kong Xilu also finished their brief exchange.

"I'll leave the rest to Mr. Kong."

Kong Xilu looked at the statue of Xunzi with a complicated mood.

Once you take this step, there is of course no turning back.

But Kong Xilu also knew very well that the prestige of Nan Kong Qian Rangyan Shenggong was declining year by year. This decline seemed negligible to outsiders, but it existed objectively after all.

When he was still alive, it was nothing. With his own protection, Nankong's status was still as stable as Mount Tai.

But the backer will fall, and one day he will die.

If the family's education is poor and not many descendants of the tribe enter the officialdom, then Nankong may soon begin to gradually decline.

From a famous family that was famous all over the world, it gradually became a famous family with influence in Jiangnan, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi, and then declined into a local wealthy family that only had some influence in Quzhou.

This long decline may last for hundreds of years. For the generations following him, it will still be a big family and a big business.

Or for an average family, that's enough.

After all, one cannot be rich for more than three generations.

But is the Kong family an ordinary family? This is the Kong family that has lasted for thousands of years!

For the Kong family, resting with the country was a sign of failure to do their job well.

Who rests with the country? Even if the country is gone, our Kong family will still be here.

As for Yanshenggong's name, Nankong has already given it away, and it is impossible to go to Qufu, Shandong to get it back.

Therefore, Kong Xilu, as the head of the Nankong family, eagerly hopes that he can leave a rich legacy to the family's future generations.

For a family like the Kong family, money, land, and population are meaningless; books, knowledge, and connections are meaningful but not the most important; the most important things are reputation and academic inheritance.

The Kong family has no shortage of fame.

What the Kong family lacks is a complete and independent academic inheritance.

Just like the Yang family represented by Yang Jingcheng, it has survived the Jin, Yuan and Ming dynasties in Guanzhong. Now the family has relied on the academic inheritance of Guan Xue and the authoritative explanation of Guan Xue for nearly two hundred years!

And this academic inheritance, this thing that is enough to establish a sect, only Jiang Xinghuo can give him, others cannot and cannot give it to him.

Kong Xilu can be sure that there is no other person in the world who can do something like Jiang Xinghuo and give away the complete academic inheritance.

When Kong Xilu learned that Zhang Yuchu's new theory of mind was awarded by Jiang Xinghuo, he was completely stunned.

Do you think this is going to the vegetable market to wholesale Chinese cabbage?

Academic inheritance is such a precious thing, it can keep a family going for hundreds of years.

And this, in Jiang Xinghuo's case, has become something that can be mass-produced.

As long as you are useful to me and willing to cooperate with me, then I can give it to you.

Because of this, the Taoist sect represented by the Longhu Mountain lineage was so devoted to Jiang Xinghuo.

Kong Xilu now understood Zhang Yuchu's choice.

Moreover, Kong Xilu cherishes this opportunity to accept choices.

If given the choice, who wouldn’t want a windfall from heaven?

Of course, Jiang Xinghuo is not a philanthropist, and there is no free lunch in this world.

Just like the devil who trades souls, if you take Jiang Xinghuo's things, you have to pay something.

What Kong Xilu has to pay is all the fame of himself and Nan Kong.

From now on, he and his family will be firmly tied to Jiang Xinghuo's chariot, and they will not be able to jump out of the chariot halfway.

In the academic and ideological circles, Kong Xilu, the ultimate BOSS, will transform into Jiang Xinghuo and fight for Jiang Xinghuo.

Wind sword and frost sword are all indispensable.

For this reason, Kong Xilu had weighed before.

But in the middle of today's Taixue meeting, Kong Xilu made up his mind.

--boarding!

The future is bright. If you don’t get on the bus now, it will be even more crowded and you will get fewer benefits if you wait and find out where you are.

Kong Xilu made up his mind here, and the opposing debaters also roughly sorted out their thoughts.

The two sides regrouped and returned to the debate venue of the Taixue Meeting, starting the second half of the Taixue Meeting.

——————

Returning to the venue, Hu Yan took the lead in attacking.

"Prevent greed, anger, and delusion, eliminate the three poisons of Buddha, do not understand the emptiness of nature, and give rise to delusional thoughts.

All greed is an obstacle to desire, causing anger, which is as fierce as fire.

Don't forget to think about it, as well as serious disasters, punish them by suffocating them, and give birth to concentration through precepts.

Concentration and wisdom are intertwined, and there is always stillness in the movement. This is called the study of nature, and it is called the holy skill. "

After saying that, he looked at Jiang Xinghuo steadily.

This is the content of "Wang Qiao·Punishment of Anger and Stifling Desire". The author combines Buddhism and Taoism to explain the Confucian theory of mind. A simple translation is that all bad thoughts come from desire, and desire is extremely harmful. And only by restraining it can we learn to always have stillness in the midst of movement. This is the study of sex, and this is the skill of a saint.

And this content is also one of the classic plots of Confucian debate.

The phrase comes from Zhu Xi's "Chen Tongfu (Chen Liang) Book": "We have abandoned the theory of pursuing justice and profit at the same time, and using kings and dominators simultaneously, and are engaged in punishing anger and suffocating desires, and advocating for good and reform." It is used to ridicule representatives of practical studies. Chen Liang's, well, Chen Liang and Chen Tongfu are Xin Qiji's good friends. He has been famous throughout the ages for "I read the sword while drunk, and dreamed of blowing the trumpet company." Xin Qiji's words to Chen Liang.

Now that Hu Yan has brought it out, he naturally reproduces the suppression of practical learning by Neo-Confucianism through the story of Zhu Xi satirizing Chen Liang.

In fact, there is no other way to fight with the argument of "material desire".

Ontology and mind-nature theory are two broad categories.

The ontology of Neo-Confucianism's "Qi Theory" was completely broken by Jiang Xinghuo's cellular material theory and was completely irresistible.

What remains is the theory of mind.

The theory of mind is divided into "human heart" and "nature".

People's hearts can't argue, Jiang Xinghuo explained clearly.

Therefore, only "nature" in the theory of mind is left, which is the theory of rationality.

This is equivalent to all positions having been completely lost, leaving only this last solid position.

And once the rational theory cannot be argued, then the banner of "starving to death is a small matter and a breach of integrity is a big deal" will naturally be uprooted.

At that time, it will mean the complete failure of the opposing debaters.

Therefore, Hu Yan had to start from the theory of rationality and make the final defensive counterattack.

What I want to say here is that the ultimate form of Neo-Confucianism’s theory of mind, which is Zhu Xi’s “Theory of Natural Principles and Human Desires,” must be treated objectively and fairly.

"Starving to death is a small matter, being dishonest is a big deal" is an extreme case, and the treatment of human desires does not refer to people's normal life and material desires, but refers to things beyond the scope of normal desires, which is what Zhu Xi defined as "human desires." , This disease of the heart, if followed, the mind will be selfish and evil." That is to say, human desire is a disease state caused by people's acquired obscuration of material desires. If it follows its pathological condition, it will appear selfish and evil.

Zhu Xi was not a madman. On the contrary, he was a being who could be included in the "Philosophers", a master of Neo-Confucianism, and the pinnacle of Song Confucianism.

Therefore, Zhu Xi would not make simple logical errors. As for the relationship between heavenly principles and human desires, Zhu Xi believed that they were relative. As the saying goes, "If you are hungry and want to eat, and you are thirsty and want to drink, how can you not have this desire?" Between eating and drinking, which one is the natural principle and which one is the human desire? It is said: Those who eat and drink are the natural principle; those who want delicious food are the human desire."

Zhu Xi's concept of rational desire affirms normal material desires. He believes that a person is hungry for food and thirsty for drink. These are not human desires, but natural laws. However, if hunger is not just food, but also delicious food; thirst is not only drink, but also natural desire. Asking for nectar and liquid is human desire.

If it is a feudal empire based on a small peasant economy, lacking commodity circulation, and strictly controlling the flow and circulation, then of course there is nothing wrong with this "theory of natural principles and human desires". Not only is there no fault, but it is also very consistent.

Zhu Yuanzhang has been committed to building Ming Dynasty into a moral model rural area, so he likes Zhu Xi's theory very much.

But in today's Yongle era, everything has obviously changed.

Although consumerism is a trap, the development of the commodity economy is inevitably accompanied by the expansion of material desires. How can people consume without material desires? How can goods be produced and circulated without consumption? If goods cannot be produced and circulated, how can factory owners, workers and related social classes profit?

Therefore, for Jiang Xinghuo, Zhu Xi's "theory of natural principles and human desires" must be criticized, and these backward ideas that go against the trend of the times must also be swept into the garbage heap of history.

Jiang Xinghuo pondered for a moment and then retorted:

"Therefore, a gentleman uses damage to 'punish anger', and 'anger' cannot be punished unless it breaks out."

"It is used to 'suffocate desire', and desire is not suffocated because it has been excessive or cannot be obtained."

"The damage mentioned in "Wang Qiao·Punishment of Anger and Suffocation of Desire" is actually a hexagram of the decline of the world. There is nothing more worrying than this. If the husband has not changed and it may change, he should have already degraded himself to prevent unexpected changes and fear. What's the difference between throwing yourself under a chariot to the sound of golden drums? Isn't it also foolish?"

Jiang Xinghuo means that the theme of "punishing anger and suffocating desire" is wrong. Anger does not need to be punished, and desire does not need to be restrained. The idea of ​​"damage" is harmful to the movement, growth, and reproduction of life, and it is extremely resistant and contemptuous. The idea of ​​desire is purely self-inflicted. It is the same as running away first because you are afraid of being relegated, or jumping out of the car first because you are afraid of the sound of war. It is very stupid.

Xie Jin then added: "Human desires are inherently integrated with the laws of nature. Forbidding human desires not only hinders the realization of the laws of nature, but also stifles legitimate desires. If we do not choose whether they are good or bad and stop them, then 'stifling desires' will probably be useless." The people of the country do not dare to speak out the merits, but the road is based on the eyes (describing the people's hatred and fear of King Zhou Li's brutal rule, from "Guoyu·Zhou Yu"), is it really useful?"

Hu Yan also tried his best to respond: "The Master said: "Restrain oneself and restore propriety." The Doctrine of the Mean says, "To achieve harmony, respect virtue and nature, and learn Taoism." The sages have thousands of words, but they only teach people to preserve the principles of nature and destroy human desires and the original understanding of human nature. But it is blinded by human desire, just like a pearl sinking in water, and it is invisible. When it comes out of dehydration, the pearl will still be self-luminous. If you know that it is blinded by human desire, you will be in the bright place. How can you be in a dark place? What is the principle of throwing one's strength into the water without seeing the light of day? If everyone thought about their own desires, wouldn't the world be in chaos?"

Jiang Xinghuo saw through Hu Yan's little trap at a glance, but instead he admitted it openly and categorically emphasized that human desire is absolutely harmless.

"Because people have evil desires, evil desires are another way of abandoning darkness and turning to the light."

Jiang Xinghuo smiled and said: "A gentleman respects the products of heaven and earth and ranks them according to their distribution. He attaches importance to the distinction between men and women in diet and harmonizes them. For example, I like to eat fish and regard river bream as a delicacy. Do I want to hate fish that are not river bream?" "

"Those who are thinner than desire are also thinner than reason."

Seeing that Jiang Xinghuo still unswervingly insisted on the view of "the unity of reason and desire", Hu Yan was also a little anxious.

"The Master said: A gentleman is a metaphor for righteousness, a villain is a metaphor for benefit."

Hu Yan said firmly: "With one heart, if the laws of nature exist, humans will want to perish, and if humans want to win, the laws of heaven will be destroyed. There is no such thing as a mixture of laws of nature and human desires!"

After that, he stared at Jiang Xinghuo.

This meant making a last-ditch effort. Jiang Xinghuo raised his eyebrows and signaled to Hu Yan to use any big moves he had.