Huang Yushun | Xunzi: The Most Thorough Confucianism After Confucius- On Xunzi's Concept of Benevolence and Social Justice

Xunzi: The most thorough Confucian ——— after Confucius on Xunzi's concept of benevolence and social justice

Topaz Shun

(Institute for Advanced Study of Confucianism, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, Shandong, China)

Published in Social Scientists, No. 4, 2015

Abstract: Xunzi put forward a set of social justice theories based on Confucian thought, in which the Confucian concept of benevolence has a particularly crucial significance. As a Confucian Xunzi, the relationship between his concept of "benevolence" and his theory of "sexual evil" is a problem that has not been touched on so far, and some even think that he is not a Confucian at all. In fact, Xunzi uses "benevolence" to explain all problems. He clearly put forward a series of ideological theories such as "benevolence begins with self-love", "love is profitable", "poor love in benevolence leads to conflicts of interest" (this is the so-called "sexual evil"), "benevolence in benevolence to resolve conflicts of interest problems", etc., thus penetrating some of the most basic theoretical links of Chinese justice theory. From this point of view, Xunzi can be called the most thorough Confucian after Confucius.

Keywords: Xunzi; Confucianism; Benevolence; Chinese Theory of Justice; Institutional Ethics

After the Qin and Han dynasties, especially since the Song Confucianism, Xunzi has always been quite controversial, and some people even think that he is not a Confucian at all, at least not a "mellow Confucian". But one of the points we want to make and prove here is that Xunzi was the most thorough Confucian after Confucius.

This involves a philosophical common sense that should be, but is often overlooked by philosophical circles: a thorough thinker or philosopher is a monist, that is, to use the only fundamental idea to illustrate how all things are possible, that is, the idea of ontology or origin, just as Christianity uses the one God to explain how all things are possible; in the same way, a thorough Confucian is also a monist, that is, to use the concept of benevolence to illustrate how all things are possible. The so-called "elucidation of how all things are possible" means that it not only clarifies how truth, goodness, and beauty are possible, but also how false, evil, and ugly are possible. In other words, this fundamental idea is to take responsibility not only for good, but also for evil, just as God is responsible for man's original sin——— it was he who let go of the serpent that led to man's original sin. Unfortunately, many Confucians often forget or do not understand this truth at all, and they deviate from the fundamental principle of Confucianism with benevolence as the only source. And Xunzi implemented this principle most thoroughly and clearly.

Xunzi's thought is often mistaken for opposing righteousness and lust, which is the good of falsehood and the evil of nature. Such an understanding leads to the question: "The benevolent love of goodness" is a kind of affection, so what is the position of the benevolent feeling in Xunzi's thought? The lust of "evil" is also a kind of emotion, so what is its relationship with the feeling of benevolence? In other words, what is the relationship between Xunzi's theory of "sexual evil" and his concept of "benevolence"? This is a problem that people are not yet aware of in Xunzi research, but it is precisely the key to accurately understanding Xunzi's thought. If justice and etiquette are based on the need to resolve the problem of conflicts of interest, then why do people have interests and why do they have conflicts of interest? The answer is by no means as simple as "born with desires". In fact, desire comes from emotion: we develop an emotional tendency toward someone or something, and we develop an intention for him or her or it. According to the logic of Xunzi's thought, if evil originates from desire, then desire comes from love. That is to say, Xunzi's theory of "sexual evil" is consistent with his concept of "benevolence", and only in this way is Xunzi Confucianism.

To this end, this article focuses on Xunzi's following very important but always neglected ideas: benevolence begins with self-love; love leads to lust; therefore, the inferior love in benevolence inevitably leads to conflicts of interest; but the one benevolence in benevolence resolves the problem of conflicts of interest by constructing social norms and their systems (rituals) through the application of the principle of legitimacy and the principle of appropriateness (righteousness), which is the basic theoretical structure of Xunzi's social justice theory of "benevolence and righteousness".

1. Benevolence begins with self-love

The Confucian "benevolence" consists of two aspects that are indispensable: the love of the natural inferiority, and the oneness of the benevolent beyond the love of the inferiority. He Lin pointed out: "Poor love" is an ordinary psychological fact, which is a very natural emotion; but the love of inferiority not only has a psychological basis, but also has the basis of forgiveness or the way of forgiveness, that is, it is not to love everyone universally, but to pay attention to a "push" word, to push oneself and others, this kind of love "probably starts from the love of the poor first, promotes and expands, with the old and the young, hungry and drowning, and the mind of the small self, that is, universal love or at least not far from the ideal of universal love." ”[1]

(1) Everything comes from benevolence

XunZi put forward a very profound idea, but not enough attention: good and evil, true and false, beautiful and ugly, conflicts of interest and their resolution, all stem from love. For the traditional Confucians of later generations, this kind of thinking is indeed a great rebellion and heresy; in fact, it is not true that only by adhering to such views and positions is the most thorough Confucianism. These ideas were already contained in the thoughts of Kong and Meng, but they were not clearly displayed until Xunzi. As scholars put it: Confucianism "The idea behind this institutional civilization is... A value system with 'benevolence' at its core"[2]. That is to say, Confucianism uses benevolence to clarify all problems, including the question of how "evil" is possible, and only in this way is benevolence and love the "great source" of everything.

Therefore, it is no accident that Sima Qian's "Biography of Xun Qing of The Chronicle of Mencius"[3] juxtaposed Xunzi and Mencius. Xunzi trained not only "Dharma scholars" like Li Si and Han Fei, but also Confucian disciples like Mao Gong, whose poetics later became the authenticity of Confucian poetics. The reason for this is that Xunzi thoroughly adhered to the core of Confucian thought, "benevolence", and thus set out to clarify all issues, including the question of "how evil is possible".

In insisting that benevolence is the source of all things, Xunzi is more thorough than Mencius. The reason why Xunzi criticized Mencius, and even "slandered with Mo Zhai and Huishi" ("Junzhai Reading Zhi Yang Liang Xunzi")[4] is that in his view, Mencius, like Mo Zhai and Huishi, only highlighted the "one-flesh benevolence" side of benevolence, but did not truly implement the "love has a difference" side of Confucian benevolence. This may seem incomprehensible, but in fact Mencius is exactly the same: although he talks about the inferiority of love (the last chapter of Mencius Tengwen Gongxia)[5], it is not carried through to the end, and the concept of "self-love" is not explicitly proposed. Some scholars even said: "Although the theory of Xunzi is contrary to Mencius, it is not detached from Confucianism, but is actually the true transmission of Confucius, Gai Mengzi does not take a new path, Xunzi returns to his origin." [6] The so-called "return to its origin" means to truly return to the great source: the benevolence that covers everything and explains everything.

(ii) Benevolence begins with self-love

Since benevolence is "pushing oneself and others", then the starting point here is "self", so the starting point of benevolent love must be love for oneself and self-love. Although the term "self-love" may have been first explicitly put forward by XunZi, the concept of self-love is actually the concept that Kong Meng already had: the Confucian ideas of "love has a difference" and "pushing oneself and others" have logically implied the concept of self-love. But for the first time, Xunzi explicitly raised the concept of "self-love.".

The logical starting point of inferior love, the starting point in the reality of life, is self-love. In Xunzi's thought, benevolence includes not only self-love, but first and foremost self-love. The Xunzi Zi Dao records the following dialogue between Confucius and his disciples:

The Son entered, and the Son said, "By, what if the one who knows?" What about the benevolent? The Zilu said: "He who knows makes people know himself, and he who is benevolent makes people love himself." Zi Yue: "It can be described as a soldier!" ”

Zi Gongjin, Zi Yue: "Give, what if the one who knows?" What about the benevolent? Zigong said to Him: "Those who know know people, and those who are benevolent love people." Zi Yue: "It can be described as a gentleman!" ”

Yan Yuanjin, Zi Yue: "Hui, what if the one who knows?" What about the benevolent? Yan Yuan said to him: "Those who know know themselves, and those who are benevolent love themselves." Zi Yue: "It can be described as a gentleman of the Ming Dynasty!" ”[7]

Here, in particular, attention must be paid to the kind of deterministic relationship in which self-love makes one love oneself. Only self-love can love others; only by loving others can people love themselves. Of course, this is not a sufficient conditional relationship, and we must not say that the self-lover must be able to love others, and the lover must be able to make people love themselves. But this is, after all, a necessary conditional relationship: without self-love, one cannot love one's own; without one's love one cannot love oneself. Therefore, Xunzi said: "Those who have a society cannot love the people, they cannot benefit the people, and they cannot seek the people's affection and love for themselves, and they cannot get it." Thus, Xunzi points out that even a saint is self-loving: "'A saint does not love himself'... This confusion is also due to the use of names with chaotic names. In short, self-love is the beginning of benevolence. It is in this sense that Yang Xiongcai said: "Self-love, benevolence to the most." (The Gentleman of the Law)[8]

The great significance of the concept of self-love is that this is not only a deepening of the concept of benevolence, but also directly explains in Confucian discourse the question of how "desire" and "evil" are possible.

Second, love leads to lust

The problem to be solved by the principle of justice (righteousness) and social norms and their systems (rituals) is the problem of conflict of interest, and the conflict of interest comes from desire, which is the logic of "desire to fight for chaos and poverty" in Xunzi's theory of "sexual evil". So where does lust come from? People often pay attention to Xunzi's "born with desires" and ignore his idea of "Ai Li" (Ai Ze Li Zhi).

(1) Profit from love

When discussing the effects of Confucianism and the Three Weis, Xun Zi put forward the concept of "Ai Li" (Ai Ze Li Zhi):

The will is fixed within, the etiquette is cultivated in the dynasty, the law measures the official, and the faithful and love are shaped. (Confucianism)

There are three powers: those who have moral authority, those who have the power of tyranny, and those who are arrogant. ...... Lilly is cultivated, the meaning is clear, and when it is wrong, Aili is ,...... The husband is the power of morality; the liturgy is not cultivated, the meaning is unclear, the wrong is from time to time, and the love is invisible, but its prohibition of violence is also observed, its disobedience is also judged, its punishment is heavy and believed, its killing is fierce and must be determined, and its thunder strikes it, like a wall of disgust,...... The husband is the power of tyranny; there is no heart for love, there is no thing to benefit others, and the day is the way of chaos, and the people are angry, so they are bound, tortured, and not with the hearts of the people,...... The husband is the power of arrogance. ("Mighty Powers")

In the "Three Weis" quoted above, it is obvious that the "Aili" mentioned above is the "heart of loving people" and "things that benefit others" in the following text. Therefore, when Wang Xianqian collected and interpreted the "Aili Ze Form", he quoted Yang Liang's note: "The heart of loving (people) benefiting people sees (now) outside"; he also quotes Hao Yixing as saying: "Everyone who loves people and benefits everyone has a law." It can be seen that the meaning of "love and interest" means "to love people and benefit people" ——— to benefit people by loving people.

This is in line with Mozi's thoughts: "Benevolence, benevolence, righteousness, profit." Love, this and; love, and love, and so. Love is not inside and outside, and what is loved is not outside and inside. It is benevolent, inner, righteous, and outer. [9] The Guan Zi has a similar idea: "Love, profit, benefit, peace, and the four paths come out." (The Pipe and the Cardinal)[10]

This is indeed the truth of life: we love a person, and we naturally want to bring benefits, benefits, benefits to him or her. If you love yourself, you desire self-interest; if you love your relatives, you want to benefit your relatives; if you love your neighbors, you want to benefit others; if you love things, you want things.

(2) Self-interest through self-love

In connection with the "self-love" idea above, Xunzi's "people" who love people and benefit people here obviously include "I" myself. That is to say, Xunzi actually has such a concept: if you love yourself, you will benefit others by loving yourself. Indeed, man is a human being, a self-loving and self-interested being, and a being who loves others and benefits others. Of course, Xun Zi said: "The "Biography" says: "Endangering others and self-sufficiency, harming others and self-interesting." He seems to be opposed to self-interest, but in fact he is not, what he is opposing here is not self-interest itself, but the kind of self-interest that is "dangerous" and "harmful". Xun Zi did not oppose self-interest, but advocated "righteousness before profit" ("Honor and Disgrace", "Wang Ba").

It should be noted, however, that Xunzi thought seems to have a contradiction in the question of the source of lust: on the one hand, it is believed that lust is human nature (the so-called "sexual evil"),but on the other hand, its "love" thought indicates that lust is motivated by benevolence, but benevolence is not human nature. In Xunzi's following argument, "benevolence" does not belong to the inner "human nature", but to the external "principle of things":

Whoever knows, so does human nature; it can be known, and so is the truth of things. ("Unmasking")

The reason why Fan Yu is Yu is that he is benevolent and righteous. However, the Law of Benevolence and Righteousness has the principle of knowing what is possible; however, everyone who can know the nature of the Law of Benevolence and Righteousness, and all of them have the tools that can be righteous and righteous, but they can be Yu Mingyi. (Sexual Evil)

But he sometimes seems to think that benevolence is nature:

Whoever is born between heaven and earth must know the flesh and blood, and those who know do not love it. (Treatise on Etiquette)

How can we understand this contradiction? In fact, this is a common phenomenon in the original period of Chinese philosophy (the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period of the Hundred Sons), and the construction of human nature was the metaphysical need of the construction philosophy at that time; but the setting of human nature was not necessarily the reality of life, and the philosophers at that time did not forget the real source.

In fact, there is also such a contradiction in Mencius's thought: on the one hand, in his view, the human nature of "sexual goodness" is innate or a priori, that is, "the place of heaven and me" ("Confession"),but on the other hand, he also points out that the "sex" of benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, and wisdom is actually obtained from the "feelings" of the "four ends" through "expansion and enrichment" ("Gongsun Ugly Shang"), and is "established" through "the one who first stands up to his greatness" ("Confession").

Later generations of Confucianism, especially Song Ming Theory, completely forgot about this emotional origin of life, and completely transcended and metaphysicalized; it was not until the Ming and Qing dynasties that Wang Chuanshan, to a certain extent, restored the concept of origin that Meng and Xun once had, proposing that "sex" is "born day by day" (Shang Shu Yinyi Taijia II) [11], pointing out that "sex" is actually generated in life situations.

(3) Love leads to conflicts of interest

From the above two points of benevolence, which begins with "self-love" and "love is beneficial", it is not difficult to conclude that inferior love inevitably leads to conflicts of interest. Although Xunzi himself did not explicitly put forward this point, according to the logic of his theory, this conclusion is obvious:

Suppose that the object of interest of A who loves A and wants profit is X; and the object of interest of B who loves B and also wants profit is X; then, obviously, there will be a conflict of interest between A and B, between A and B.

The question that the theory of justice seeks to address is: Should we resolve this conflict of interest according to the jungle law of the animal world? Or should this conflict of interest be resolved through the construction of human social norms and their institutional arrangements? Xun Zi regarded the former as a phenomenon of "strife" and called it "evil", and the latter as a construction of "righteousness" and "goodness".

3. The principles of benevolence and legitimacy

The above-mentioned benevolence leads to conflicts of interest, which is only one aspect of the matter; the other aspect of the matter is that it is benevolence that can solve the problem of conflicts of interest. This is because the benevolence spoken of in Confucianism not only has a "poor love" side, but also a "one-flesh benevolence" side; the latter is actually to transcend the former through "pushing and expanding". This involves the principle of legitimacy in the Confucian principle of justice. The Confucian theory of social justice has two principles of justice: the principle of legitimacy and the principle of appropriateness. [12] The principle of legitimacy is closely related to the oneness of benevolence: the love of transcendence and the pursuit of oneness of benevolence.

(1) The concept of "righteousness" based on benevolence

Xunzi does not have the words "right" and "right" that are used together. However, synthesizing Xunzi's thought, his so-called "right" and "dang" are both based on benevolence, that is, his concept of "righteousness" is based on benevolence. One of the hallmarks of Xun Zizhi as a Confucian is that the principle of legitimacy he proposed is based on benevolence. Xunzi pointed out:

A gentleman is not good at sincerity. Sincerity, nothing else, only benevolence is to keep, only righteousness is to act. ("Don't Go")

A gentleman treats benevolence with righteousness, then benevolence; righteousness with courtesy, then righteousness; etiquette as the end, and then etiquette. All three are connected, and then the Tao is also. ("Rough Outline")

Obviously, the so-called "sincerity" means "shou ren" and "deed of righteousness", and here is first of all "benevolence", and the premise of "doing righteousness" is "shou ren", that is, "benevolence" is the premise of "righteousness". Shou Ren And Righteous; Treat Kindness with Righteousness, And Act Righteous with Courtesy: This is completely consistent with the theoretical structure of "benevolence and righteousness" clearly put forward by Mencius. [13] Thus, "righteousness" and "benevolence" are closely linked: the principle of legitimacy requires that the establishment of social norms must be based on benevolence, and beyond the love of inferiority and towards the benevolence of oneness. This is the spirit of "forgiveness" advocated by Confucianism through the way of "pushing", and we propose or an institutional norm, the starting point of which should be Confucius's saying: "You want to stand up and establish yourself, and you want to reach people" (Yongye) [14]; "Do not do to others what you do not want" (Yan Yuan). This spirit of forgiveness is also expressed as "sincerity."

Therefore, Xun Zi affirmed that the direct basis of etiquette is the principle of justice, and its source lies in the feeling of benevolence. He said: "The liturgical one, the one who is long and short, the one who has more than enough, the one who has gained less, the one who loves and respects, and the one who nourishes the beauty of righteousness." That is to say, "ritual" is the result of "love and respect" and "righteousness", and here it is first and foremost "love".

We know that Xun Zi regarded "rituals" as "false" (artificial); but he did not blindly affirm "falsehood", and he even pointed out: "Sincerity removes falsehood, and so does the scriptures of etiquette." (The Treatise on Music) here is the opposition between "sincerity" and "hypocrisy." "False" corresponds to "ritual", while "sincerity" corresponds to "ritual scripture" rather than "ritual" itself. The "Persuasion" section says: "If the original benevolence is righteous, then the righteousness of the scriptures and the latitudes is also correct." The "Sutra" corresponds to "benevolence", and first of all it is "benevolence". In the following quotation, the "Sutra" also corresponds to the "Ren":

Take and then righteousness, kill and then benevolence, subjugate up and down and then be virtuous, merit to the heavens and the earth, Ze to be born of the people, husband is the peace of power and danger, Tang Wu is also; over-the-top and reasonable, harmonious and unsophisticated, not right and wrong, no matter the curve, stealing and gougy, confused and crazy, the husband is the sound of misfortune, flying honesty, evil is also. (The Way of the Lord)

Here, "kill and then ren" and "harmony without scripture" are opposites, that is, "benevolence" and "no scriptures" are opposites, so "benevolence" and "scripture" are consistent. In the following quotation, the "sutra" also corresponds to the "sincerity":

The troubles of mortals are hidden in one song and dark in Dali. To govern is to repeat the scriptures, and to be suspicious is to be confused. ...... The king of a chaotic country, the man of a chaotic family, his sincerity does not seek righteousness and takes it for himself, and he is obedient to the Tao and tempted by others. ("Unmasking")

To sum up, "Jing" means "benevolence" or "sincerity". The so-called "sincerity to falsification" is "benevolence to falsification" is "benevolence to disguise" However, this raises a doubt: if "ritual" also belongs to the category of "pseudo" (artificial), then does "de-falsification" mean "de-ceremony"? Can "rituals" be "removed"? Further, what is the relationship between this and the "keeping of benevolence and righteousness" mentioned above? In fact, as long as we relate to the idea of "courtesy has profit and loss" that Kong, Meng, and Xun commonly possess, the doubts here will be solved: the "profit and loss" of existing rituals is precisely the meaning of "de-ceremony" in some sense——— remove some old rituals. And the basis for this kind of "de-falsification" and "de-etiquette" is precisely "keeping benevolence and doing righteousness."

This is what we call "benevolence-based", or "benevolent and righteous-based".

Chen Hu asked Sun Qingzi, "Sir, the soldiers are often based on benevolence and righteousness. The benevolent love the people, and the righteous follow the reason, but why should they be soldiers? Whoever has a soldier for what he does, fights for it. ”

Sun Qingzi said: "Non-female knows also." The benevolent one loves and loves the other, so the evil man harms; the righteous follow reason, follow reason, so the evil man is also chaotic. The other soldier, so the prohibition of violence and the elimination of harm also, not the competition also. The soldiers of the benevolent, the gods of the beings, and the transgressors, if the rain falls, they are not to say joy. It is Yao Fa Yu Du, Shun Fa You Miao, Yu Fa Gong Gong, Tang Fa You Xia, Wen Wang Fa Chong, Wu Wang Hua Shu, these four emperors and two kings, all with the army of benevolence and righteousness in the world. Therefore, those who are close to him are kind, and those who are far away admire their virtues, and the soldiers do not have bloody blades, and those who come from afar come to serve, and the virtues are here, and the four poles are given. ..." (The Soldier)

However, the so-called "benevolence-based" or "benevolent-oriented" also needs to be distinguished. Scholars often understand the "benevolent love" mentioned by Confucianism only as inferior love, which is biased. In fact, the Confucian "benevolence" understood in its entirety should be: through the path of differential love, the purpose of oneness of benevolence is realized; the benevolence of oneness is actually the transcendence of the love of difference, and this way of transcendence is "expansion". This kind of oneness of benevolence, Xun Zi called "both love" ("Chengxiang"), "both love and love" ("Rich Country"), especially the Confucian repeated emphasis on "loving people" and "loving the people". This is the fundamental guarantee of the legitimacy of institutional norms, that is, the requirement of the principle of legitimacy.

(2) Guidelines for impartiality

Xunzi's "justice" goes far beyond what Rawls's Theory of Justice says about "justice as fairness".[15] In Xunzi and Confucianism, justice encompasses both just and appropriate; justice encompasses justice and fairness, and justice and fairness are not the same thing. The whole book of Xunzi talks about "justice" 4 times, and is discussed as follows:

Xun Zi talked about "justice" example one: speak with benevolence, listen with a learning heart, discern with a public heart; do not move the non-reputation of the people, do not rule the eyes and ears of the [Ye] viewers, do not bribe the power of the nobles, and are unfavorable to the words of the preachers, so that they can deal with the way without being inferior, vomiting without taking, profit without flowing, noble and just and despicable, and it is the discernment of the gentleman. “...... Etiquette is not ashamed, what compassionate people's words! This is also true. ("True Name")

Xun Zi is discussing the issue of "discernment" here. He advocated that discernment should be "noble and just" and not affected by other factors. As for what "justice" is, he mentions "benevolence" and "courtesy", and the first emphasis is on "benevolence". It can be seen that Xunzi's so-called "justice" is out of love. What is at stake here is not general benevolence, i.e., not inferior love, but one benevolence. In other words, an attitude of impartiality implies an attitude of equal treatment. If this concept is applied to the construction of social norms and their institutional arrangements, it is obvious that a just institutional norm is the kind of institutional norm that treats all equals. This is Xunzi's position on the question of the relationship between justice and benevolence.

Xun Zi on "justice" example two:

The saying goes: "The color of a good woman, the iniquity of the wicked, the righteous man, the acne of all men, the one who follows the way, the thief of evil." (The Way of the King)

Wang Xianqian's "Commentary" notes: "Iniquity", "acne", and "thief" all mean "harm". Xunzi pits "the multitude" against the "righteous man," who refers to the foolish, selfish man:

He who is foolish and unspeakable, and he who is ugly and unscrupulous. ("Non-Phase")

The Great Confucian ,...... Its poverty is also laughed at by vulgar confucianism; its generality is also ,...... The crowd rejoiced. (Confucianism)

Ambition is not free from selfishness, and the desire of people to take themselves as justice is also ,...... What is foolish is the ditch, and the people who wish to know themselves are also the people. ...... Zhi'an Gong, Practicing Anxiu, Knowing the Tongtong Class, if so, can be described as a great Confucian. (Confucianism)

The "justice" of this example is roughly the same as the "justice" in the previous example, emphasizing "benevolence" (love); but in addition, it further emphasizes "knowing" (wisdom): "Zhi'an Gong" means "knowing (wisdom) tongtong class".

Xun Zi talks about "justice" example three:

If it is fair, it is easy to go straight down. ...... Easy to be straight is easy to know. ...... Easy to know is clear, is the place of governance. ...... If the upper deviation is curved, then the lower is worse than the week. ...... It's harder to know than week. ...... It is difficult to know, it is not clear, and it is the cause of chaos. (The Right Theory)

Here "justice" is consistent with "easy straightness", and is opposed to "deviation" and "ratio week". The "partial qu" opposite to "Yi Zhi" refers to the partial private qu protection; "Bi Zhou" Wang Xianqian's "Collection Commentary" notes "Huai Private Relatives Ratio", that is, the lack of one benevolence, can not be treated equally. At the same time, "justice" here also emphasizes "knowing", and "easy to know is clear" is "wisdom".

Xun Zi talks about "justice" example 4:

The world is not ruled, please Chen Yushi: heaven and earth translocation, four times easy hometown. The stars fall, and the twilight is blind. Obscure Dengzhao, the sun and the moon are hidden. Impartiality and selflessness, the opposite is from the side. Love public interest, heavy buildings and sparse halls. ...... It is clear that it is clear that it is known, and it is also uncertain when it encounters it. The great deeds of righteousness that are desired by it are also obscured by the obscurity of the world. (The Endowment)

"Justice" here is also emphasized in the two aspects of "benevolence" ("zhi ai") and "knowing" (wisdom) ("knowing the light").

Roughly speaking, the "justice" that Xunzi refers to is the two aspects of benevolence and wisdom. This truth should not be difficult to understand: the benevolent love others, and the wise people are reasonable, so they can be just. And justice is fundamentally the benevolence of one body and the equal treatment of all.

There is a key word in this quotation that should not be lightly missed: "love and justice". This is related to the two issues discussed above: love is profitable; and the distinction between public and private. Love means that loving oneself is self-interested, loving others is beneficial to others; loving selfishness seeks selfish interests, and loving the public seeks public interests. "Public interest" is the opposite of "private interest", and Wang Xianqian's "Commentary" notes that "walk to the public to benefit the people". That is to say, the criterion of impartiality of the principle of legitimacy requires, first of all, that the construction of institutional norms must pursue public interests——— love the people, and benefit the people. In other words, it is justified to benefit the people, and it is improper to disadvantage the people. This is closely related to Xunzi's people-oriented thinking.

(3) Fairness guidelines

In the whole book of Xunzi, there is only one place where the word "fairness" is explicitly mentioned; however, Xunzi's discussion of "justice" and "peace" abounds, all of which involve the issue of fairness.

1. Xunzi on "fairness" and benevolence

Let's first analyze where he explicitly said "fair":

The fair one, the balance of duties; the neutralizer, the rope of listening. Those who have the law act in accordance with the law, and those who cannot do so will listen to it all; those who are partial to the party and have no experience will listen to it. (The King's System)

How to be fair? Xun Zi analyzed two situations: "Those who have the law, act according to the law; those who cannot, take the example of the class." We can also say that if institutional norms already exist and are just, then they should be handled according to institutional norms; if institutional norms have not yet been formulated or are not just, then they should be handled according to the principle of "class". So, what does "class" mean?

Xun Zi pointed out: When things arise, there must be a beginning. ...... Grass and trees grow, animals and animals are flocked, and things are also from their kind. ...... Etiquette, dharma no daibi, class of discipline also. ...... Lun is not comprehensible, benevolence and righteousness are not the same, and it is not enough to be good at learning. (Persuasion)

"Things are clustered in groups, and people are divided into groups", and all things are classified into groups; for human beings, the rules of etiquette and discipline are numerous, and those who can "one" and "pass" are benevolent. This is called "miscellaneous in the like, in one line of ten thousand" (the royal system).

Therefore, benevolence and righteousness are the foundation of human beings. Xun Zi also said: Although the kind of Gou Renyi is among the birds and beasts, if it is not white and black; if it depends on things and strange changes, it has not tasted it, and if it has not tasted it, it has not tasted it, and if it rises on one side, it will be a unified class and respond to it, and there will be nothing to be afraid of; if it is in harmony with the law, it is also a great Confucian. (Confucianism)

The "benevolence and righteousness" here more clearly takes "benevolence" as the essence of the "class" of man; first "citing the class and responding to it", and then "opening up the law and degree it", it is benevolence and righteousness that precede the ritual law. Rewards are not similar, then the vulgarity is frugal and the people are different. Therefore, the first king ming li righteousness with one, faithfulness with love,...... If it is like a tree, the branches and leaves must be similar. ("Rich Country")

Here it is also clear that "class", "one" are "love", "courtesy" (i.e., the righteousness of etiquette). Therefore, Xunzi said: "There can be no two kinds of classes, so those who know choose one and one." Xun Zi also said: "If a person cannot do so, he will be idle; if there is a law but there is no righteousness, he will be calm; according to the law, he will be deep in his kind, and then he will be gentle." ("Self-Cultivation")

Here, "deep in its kind" corresponds to "zhiqi righteousness". It is necessary not only to "have the law", but also to "deepen its kind", that is, to "aspire to its righteousness", which can be seen here that "class" means "righteousness". XunZi also said, "Gentlemen... Its travel is also similar to righteousness. (The Way of the King)

This is a more explicit expression of "class" corresponding to "righteousness". XunZi also said, "Gentlemen... Knowledge is clear and similar, and foolishness is the law. ("Don't Go"

According to the above explanations, "class" refers to "righteousness", and can "one" and "pass" the law. Then, only the fools who know the Dhamma and do not know the righteousness are the wise, and those who know both the Dhamma and the righteousness are the wise. Therefore, Xunzi said: "His words are similar, his deeds are courteous, his deeds are unrepentant, his dangers are in place, he migrates with the times, he looks up to the world, and he changes in a thousand ways. (Confucianism)

Here the first word is "class", followed by "etiquette", that is, "righteousness" is first "etiquette". This is completely consistent with Confucius's affirmation of the "Post-Ceremony" ("Painting after the Fact") (The Analects of the Eight Nobles). In short, for human beings, the essence of human beings is benevolence; and what is directly related to etiquette is justice.

2. Xunzi on "average" and benevolence

Xunzi points out that the average is not undifferentiated egalitarianism:

The "Biography" says: "The peasants divide the fields and cultivate, the Goods are divided and sold, the hundreds of work are divided and persuaded, the scholars and masters are divided into duties and listen, the kings of the founding princes divide the land and keep, and the three princes discuss with the party, then the Son of Heaven is only oneself." "If you go in and out, the world is not even, and it is not easy to discern, and it is the same as the hundred kings, and the great division of the ritual law." ("The King")

The peasants divide the land and cultivate, the Jia divides the goods and sells, the hundred work is divided and persuaded, the scholars and masters are divided and listen, the kings of the founding princes divide the land and keep, and the three princes discuss with each other, then the Son of Heaven will stop together; if he goes in and out, the world will not be even, and he will not be able to distinguish: it is the same as the hundred kings, and the great division of the ritual law is also. ("The King")

The "average" mentioned here is actually the distribution of benefits according to the division of labor. This is also known as "giving with courtesy" (The Way of kings). This "division" is the function of the ceremonial system: "Enjoy the contract, and the etiquette is different." (The Theory of Music) This is because:

From the desires of man, the situation cannot be tolerated, and the things cannot be supported. Therefore, the first king's case is to divide the etiquette and righteousness, so that there are nobles and lows, the difference between the elder and the young, the distinction between ignorance and ignorance, and whether they can or cannot be divided, all of which make people carry their own things and get their own suitability, and then make the name of how thick and thin they are, which is the way of husband and wife. Therefore, if the benevolent people are on the top, then the peasants will do their best to do their best, Jia will do their best to see the wealth, and the hundred workers will do their best to do their duty, and the princes above the scholar will not be able to perform their official duties with benevolence and knowledge, and the husband is said to be the most peaceful. Therefore, lu the world is not self-righteous, or the prison gate royal brigade, hugging the guan and attacking the garnet is not self-righteous. Therefore, it is said: cut and align, bend and go along, different and one. Husband is human. ("Honor and Disgrace")

The division is not biased, the trend is not one, and the multitude is not made. There is a difference between heaven and earth and up and down, and the Ming King is established and the state is under the system. Husbands and wives cannot do things with each other, and two unworthy people cannot do each other, but the number of days is also. The situation is in harmony and the desires and evils are the same, and if things cannot be swept away, they must be disputed, and if they are quarrelsome, they will be chaotic, and if they are chaotic, they will be poor. The first kings were evil and chaotic, so they divided the etiquette and righteousness, so that there were rich and poor, rich and lowly, and so on, which were enough to meet each other, which was the foundation of the world. (The King's System)

Therefore, the characteristic of "etiquette and difference" is precisely not egalitarianism, but difference. There are differences in the division of labor in occupations, so there are differences in the distribution of benefits. Xun zi believes that this is the fairest state of "supreme peace". This difference of "supreme peace" is not for private, but "for the public", just like the system of weights and measures, which is a fair standard measure:

Those who explore the hook, so they are public; if they are good at private, they are multiplied by the hundred officials and then deviated. Heng Shi and those who call the county, so they are peaceful; if they are good, then the subordinates are multiplied by the hundred officials and then the danger is. ...... Good manners, virtuous enablement, no greed, then the next will also resign, to the faithful, and to the courtiers. If so, it is in the small people,...... Do not wait for the probe to throw in the hook and public, do not wait for Hengshi to call the county and flat,...... The husband is said to be the most peaceful. (The King's Way)

The roper is straight to the point; the balancer is the level; the ruler is the square circle; the one who is polite, the extreme of humanity. ...... The liturgists take the property as the use, the noble and the lowly as the text, the number of differences, and the long killing as the most important. (Treatise on Etiquette)

It should be recognized that the distribution system of human society so far is based on differences in the distribution of benefits, which does not mean that it is unfair. It should be noted, however, that another more important meaning of this fairness that Xun Zi speaks of is "over and over" rather than "partial": "To divide and give with courtesy is to be pervasive and not partial." (The Way of the King) This has two main points:

First, institutional norms are not "biased" in the distribution of benefits. That is to say, the construction of social norms and their institutional arrangements are not for selfish purposes, but should be based on the "benevolence" mentioned above: benevolence; justice (just, just). In other words, justice is a necessary condition for fairness. So, how can the difference in the distribution of benefits stipulated in the liturgy reflect fairness? Xunzi's idea is to distribute benefits according to the division of labor in social occupations.

Second, institutional norms can be "repeated" in the distribution of benefits. That is to say, regardless of the difference of interests stipulated by the institutional norms, such differences of interest are limited, and the distribution of benefits should generally benefit all people in the community. This is actually the embodiment of the "benevolence of oneness", that is, the embodiment of the basic spirit of the principle of legitimacy.

To sum up, Xunzi uses "benevolence" to explain all problems. He clearly put forward a series of ideological theories such as "benevolence begins with self-love", "love is profitable", "poor love in benevolence leads to conflicts of interest" (this is the so-called "sexual evil"), "benevolence in benevolence to resolve conflicts of interest problems", etc., thus penetrating some of the most basic theoretical links of Chinese justice theory. From this point of view, Xunzi can be called the most thorough Confucian after Confucius.

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