(Question from East and West) The second special plan for the roots of civilization: Wang Zhongjiang: In Chinese civilization, why is the "people's heart" becoming the basis of political legitimacy?
China News Service, Beijing, January 5th, title: In Chinese civilization, why is the "people's mind" the basis of political legitimacy?
——Interview with Wang Zhongjiang, President of the Chinese Confucius Institute
China News Agency reporter Xie Ping and Ma Xiuxiu
Chinese civilization is the only ancient civilization that has continued uninterrupted, and this is inseparable from its root characteristics.
"Shangshu" says: "The people are the roots of the country, and the foundation is solid." Mencius said: "Good governance gains the people's wealth, and good education gains the people's heart."
Today's China emphasizes that popular support is the greatest politics.
Attaching great importance to the hearts and minds of the people is a political and cultural feature that has always been emphasized in Chinese civilization.
From the ancient theory to the present, from the middle theory to the west, what is "people's mind"?
How can we win the hearts of the people?
What is the difference in concepts between the East and the West?
What is the projection of this difference on political origin and government function?
Wang Zhongjiang, professor of the Department of Philosophy of Peking University and president of the Chinese Confucius Institute, recently accepted an exclusive interview with China News Service on "Questions of East and West" and gave a detailed interpretation.
The summary of the interview record is as follows:
Reporter from China News Service: The development of Chinese philosophy and thought has gone through thousands of years, reflecting the fundamental core of Chinese civilization. China has a tradition of "people-oriented" and "in line with the people's aspirations". How to understand this concept? What footnote can be found in the history of political philosophy?
Wang Zhongjiang:
I am glad to have some views on the topic of the roots of Chinese civilization.
"Public opinion" and "popular mind" are highly comparable, and I use them interchangeably in a similar sense.
"Public opinion," "people's aspirations," and "people-oriented" are all political and philosophical concepts, but they have different footings and emphases.
Politics is the use of power to achieve political aspirations and political goals. Acquiring and possessing political power is not an end in itself, but achieving political aspirations and goals is an end.
According to this distinction, governance conforms to "popular opinion" and "popular aspirations" are political expectations and goals; "people-oriented" refers to the importance of the common people in political governance, not an expression of political goals.
The concepts of "people-oriented" and "people-oriented" both originated very early.
"Shangshu·Song of the Five Sons" has the consciousness of the people as the foundation, saying that "the emperor has the instruction: the people are close and cannot be down. The people are the foundation of the country, and the foundation is solid."
Mencius said that "the people are the precious, the society is second, and the emperor is the light" ("Mencius").
In the classics, "people-based" was used to express the importance of the public in political life, and then it became China's folk-based tradition.
On December 22, 2017, the Ding Younian Winter Solstice Ceremony for Meng was held at the Meng Temple in Zoucheng, Shandong Province, the hometown of Mencius.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Sha Jianlong
The concept of "people's mind" expressed as a political purpose, the testable expression first appeared in the "Book of Songs".
"Poetry·Jie Nanshan" says: "A gentleman is like a bargaining power; a gentleman is like a barbarian, and it is against his anger."
A gentleman governs like walking on ice in the abyss. Only by being cautious can the people feel at ease; a gentleman governing a country is like a bowl of water, fair and just, and people's hatred and dissatisfaction will be eliminated.
Beginning in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, ideas that conformed to the hearts of the people became the basis of political legitimacy, and became the basis and standard of measurement for political justice.
"Guoyu·Zhou Yuxia" expresses: "If you speak morality to the people, and the people are loyal to the people, you will be at home. To win the people's heart, to reproduce the righteousness, so that you can do everything without any harm, and you will be happy." Baijiazi School has developed the political concept of "people's mind".
Lao Tzu said: "The saints are always unintentional and take the people's hearts as their hearts" (Silk Book One and Chinese Simplified "Lao Tzu" Chapter 49), Mencius said: "Good governance gains the people's wealth, good education gains the people's hearts" ("Mencius·Zhuxinshang" ).
After continuous evolution, the political expectations expressed by the "People's Mind Theory" have become the symbolic symbols of Chinese political culture.
China News Agency reporter: How does Chinese political philosophy explain the relationship between the origin of political power and the will of the people? How to win "people's hearts"?
Wang Zhongjiang:
East and West have different interpretations of the origin of the universe and everything.
The further you look back, the more prominent the mythological and religious explanations; the further you look back, the more obvious the philosophical and scientific explanations.
The explanation of the political origin of early Chinese civilization was not single.
The religious explanation says that the monarch was established by heaven to ensure and protect the interests and well-being of the people.
"Mencius·Lianghui King" quoted "Shangshu·Thai Oath" saying "Heaven descends from the people, to be the king and the teacher".
"The Fourteenth Year of the Zuo Zhuan·Xianggong" records Shi Kuang's words, "The king who is born and built by the people, makes the Si, shepherd, and does not lose his sex."
God first created mankind and at the same time created the monarchy.
This kind of explanation can be called the "heavenly theory" of the monarch.
In philosophy, politics is regarded as the result of natural evolution. The Zhouyi Preface to Gua Biography says that “there are heaven and earth and then all things, there are all things and then there are men and women, there are men and women and then there are couples, there are couples and then there are fathers and sons, there are fathers and sons and then there are kings and ministers. , There are monarchs and ministers and then up and down, and up and down and then there is a mistake in courtesy and righteousness."
On May 20, 2016, Zhang Gong, a young man born in the 90s in Nanjing, rode a public bicycle to greet the bride Xu Siyuan in a green and low-carbon way.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Yang Bo
Tianli theory believes that the Tianli monarch is not to meet the needs of the monarch, but to meet the needs of the people.
There is an article in Guodian Chujian, "Gong Lu Mu asks his thoughts": "The heavens live the people, not for the king; the heavens establish the king, and the people are also considered." "Shen Zi Weide" also expresses: "The emperor thinks the world , If you do not establish the world, you think the emperor is the son of the emperor; the ruler of the country is the country, but the ruler is not the ruler.” This is consistent with the "public world view" of the scholars.
"Lu Shi Chunqiu · Gui Gong" said: "The world is not the world of one person, but the world is the world."
Of course, in fact the monarchy is not established by heaven, nor is it purely natural evolution. It is related to the creation of human beings.
The article "Xunzi · Evil of Nature" said: "The ancient saints used human nature to be evil, thinking that they were dangerous and unrighteous. The law is governed by the law, and the heavy punishment is forbidden, so that the world is governed by the rule and is in harmony with the good." "Lü Shi Chunqiu · Relying on the Lord" also has similar thoughts.
In Chinese political thinking, the emperor represents the will of heaven to rule the world.
There are two arguments that are not contradictory.
One is that the will of heaven is the will of heaven, and it is the self-evident highest justice; the justice of the emperor's words and deeds lies in the will of heaven, and the will of heaven naturally conforms to the will of the people.
The second is that God does not have its own will, which originally came from the will of the people.
There is a sentence in "Shangshu": "Tian sees itself as the people, and heaven listens to itself and the people".
This sentence comes from "Thai Oath", which was quoted by "Mencius · Wan Zhangshang".
God does not have audiovisual independent of the people. What it sees and hears is what the people see and hear.
"Shangshu" also says that "the people will do what they want, and the sky will follow them."
How can we win the hearts of the people?
Mencius's answer is: "You have the right heart: get together with it as you want, and don't do anything you evil" ("Mencius·Li Lou").
In line with the people's aspirations, first of all, it is to develop the economy, promote commercial circulation, and satisfy the people's material life.
In ancient societies, it was to fully guarantee farmers' agricultural production and achieve low taxes.
Confucius advocated for the people to lead a prosperous life, Mencius advocated politics out of love ("benevolent governance"), and advocated the land system to ensure that the people lead a secure life ("the property of the people"); Laozi proposed four principles for a good life. One standard: eat well, dress well, live well, and make peace ("Enjoy food, serve well, live in peace, live in peace").
On the basis of material life, the governor must also strive to satisfy the public's spiritual life needs.
Confucianism pays attention to the cultivation of people, their spiritual development and personality development.
On December 28, 2021, representatives of returning residents took a group photo in the new community.
On the same day, the resettlement houses of the relocating residents in Lingdatang Community, Changqing Street, Hefei City, Anhui Province entered the public distribution stage, and the demolition and resettlement residents will gradually move into new and well-equipped residential communities.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Han Suyuan
To be in line with the people's aspirations as a whole is to satisfy the aspirations of the people in both respects.
"Book of Rites·University" says: "What the people do well is good, what the people hate is evil" and "what the people do is contrary to what they like, but the people do not follow."
If governance is not in line with the people's will, the heavens will deprive him of his right to rule because of "destiny is perverse."
If governance is not in line with the people's will, the public will resort to the right to resist.
China News Agency reporter: How does Western civilization explain the origin of politics? What are the similarities and differences between the eastern and western interpretations?
Wang Zhongjiang:
Western civilization also has different interpretations of the origin of politics.
Aristotle believed that politics is the result of natural evolution.
"The growth of city-states stems from the development of human'life', but their actual existence is for the'good life'. Early social groups at all levels grew naturally, and since all city-states are the result of this growth process Completion should also be a product of nature" ("Politics").
The power of politics stems from human needs.
In this process, the intelligent person becomes the governor, and some others become the governed.
Vico believes that politics and its governors are established from the authority of the clan of the family and its father.
The ruins of the Acropolis in the center of Athens, the capital of Greece.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Sheng Jiapeng
An important theory of western civilization explaining the origin of society is called contract theory. There are different versions, Hobbes version, Locke version, etc., as well as the Rawls version in contemporary times.
Contract theory generally assumes the natural state of mankind, and the establishment of the state is a contract made to get rid of this state.
In order to obtain some rights, everyone has to transfer part of his rights to establish a country and be governed by human representatives.
Hume believes that the further development of man must establish politics and society. In the beginning, people with strong morality and ability become governors by means of open or tacit agreements.
This is a version of "weak contract theory".
Western political contract theory has something in common with China's political sacred writing theory. For example, the establishment of a state is to satisfy the wishes of the public and its own rights and interests.
In contract theory, people are willing to transfer part of their rights and the state monopolizes violence and other powers for their own needs for security, peace, and interests; while in China, the saints also use this as a means to satisfy the public when they create a monarch. Basic desires and needs.
A big difference between the saint writing theory and the contract theory is that the saint writing theory emphasizes the politics of sages' personality and exemplary politics, and emphasizes the rule of man; the contract theory emphasizes the governance of the system and the rule of law.
China News Agency reporter: What role do you think the people's heart has played in promoting the improvement of the government governance system?
Wang Zhongjiang:
The current political philosophers believe in principle that the state and government are tools rather than ends. They are both established for the wishes and interests of the public, and they develop and change in order to better satisfy the wishes and interests of the public.
As an important political idea, the "popular mind" of classical China is still effective for establishing a good contemporary political life.
The hope of the people is the direction of politics.
The government must continue to improve in accordance with public opinion, governance must listen to public opinion and continue to improve, and the system must continue to adapt to public opinion and continue to improve.
Following public opinion and public opinion is the starting point for all governance of the government, and conforming to public opinion and public opinion is the criterion for all governance.
(Finish)
On the evening of October 1, 2019, a party to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China was held in Tiananmen Square in Beijing.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Sheng Jiapeng
About the interviewee:
Wang Zhongjiang, a native of Ruzhou City, Henan Province, a member of the Communist Party of China, a PhD in philosophy from Peking University, has successively served as a researcher at the Henan Academy of Social Sciences, director of the Institute of Philosophy, a researcher at the Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, adjunct professor at Henan University, and Tsinghua University School of Humanities and Social Sciences Professor, currently professor of the Department of Philosophy of Peking University, and president of the Chinese Confucius Institute.