An Analysis of Pre-Qin Confucian Ecological Thoughts
——A Perspective from Ecological Civilization

Sun Bingwen，Wang Xiuhong

(1.School of Foreign Languages Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan Hubei 430068 2.Maxism School Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan Hubei 430068)

The 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China put forward the construction of ecological civilization in a prominent position, along with the economic construction, political construction, cultural construction, social construction and the whole process, and strives to build a beautiful China to achieve sustainable development of the Chinese nation. The construction of socialist ecological civilization must be accompanied simultaneously by the construction of ecological ethics and ecological culture. “Book of Change”, “The Analects of Confucius”, “Mencius” and other pre-Qin Confucian classics contains rich and diverse ecological ideas. The ecological thought of pre-Qin Confucianism can provide useful ideological resources for the cultivation of ecological consciousness and the construction of ecological civilization.

Ⅰ.The Ecological Thought of Pre-Qin Confucianism

The main content of the Confucian ecology thought and the ecological culture of the pre-Qin Confucianism fall into the three parts: the holistic thought of “harmony between man and nature”; the thought of “benevolence for people and love for animals and plants” and “ecological ethics of respecting nature”; the thought of “conforming to natural environment and its protection”.

1. The unity of man and nature

The relationship between man and nature is the core of ecological thought. In the book “Chinese Philosophy Syllabus”, Zhang argues that the relationship between man and nature is actually the issue of “relationship between heaven and man”〔1〕in the traditional cultural structure of the oriental nation, that is, “the position of man in the universe”. It is concerning both the issues of meaning of life and human survival moral as well. The philosophy of “harmony between man and nature” proposed by the Confucian is the final answer to the relationship between them. The thought of “harmony between man and nature” was originally conceived in the Confucian thought of Confucius, Mencius and Xunzi, and later proposed by Dong Zhongshu of the Han Dynasty who put forward the concept of “the relationship between man and nature”. The holistic thought of “harmony between man and nature” is not only the fundamental of the pre-Qin Confucian ecological thought, but also the main line of Confucianism’s ecological thought.

The holistic thought of “harmony between man and nature” is more fully elucidated in the Confucian classics “Book of Change”. The book of “Shuo Gua Chuan” stated: “In the past, the sage wrote the book of change, in order to comply with the discipline of life, he established yin and Yang as two aspects of the heaven, established the rigid and the soft as the two aspects of nature, established benevolence and righteousness for humanity as well, which has three aspects, and double attributes”.〔2〕“Book of Change” treats the universe, the earth, the humanity as one unity, embodies holistic thought of “the harmony between man and nature”. “On Three Aspects” argument emphasizes that man is one of the three things: the universe, the earth, the humanity as a whole, this holistic thought lays the foundation for further study of nature and human relations. Xunzi proposed the theory of “difference between man and nature” on the basis of holistic thought of man and nature. In his book “Xunzi comments on nature”, on the one hand, Xunzi stressed that the difference between nature and man, “the operation of nature change follows certain rules, which will not affected by Yao’s existence, nor by Jie’s perish. Nature is the true law. It would be propitious to adapt it to the right social and political measures, and it would be a disaster to use the wrong social and political measures.”〔3〕To strengthen agricultural production, save money, nature will not make people poor; To maintain adequate food and clothing and follow the law of nature activities, nature will not make people sick; if people follow the nature law and make no errors, we will not have troubles. So the flood and drought disaster could not make people starve, the change may not cause illness, the nature of anomalous phenomena may not make people suffer. Here, Xunzi stressed that the difference between man and nature, both the objectivity of the Heaven and the natural law, but also that the subjective initiative of man. On the other hand, Xunzi also recognized “harmony between man and nature”, man is part of nature. “The human body has already been shaped, the spirit will also produce.Good, evil, joy, anger, sadness, joy and other emotions are contained here, which is called natural emotion.Ears, eyes, nose, mouth and body each have different functions, and contact with external objects which cannot replace each other and referred to natural sense. Heart is locatedin the chest, used to dominate the facial features, which is called the natural master. The sage keeps aware of his natural control, manages his natural senses, perfects the natural supply, conforms to the natural political principles, maintains the natural emotion and thus fulfills the natural merit. It can be said that Xunzi’s “harmony between man and nature” is the organic unity of “difference between man and nature” and “harmony between man and nature”. It can be seen from the classical literature of the pre-Qin Confucianism that Confucianism thinks that man and nature are not antagonistic, but are unified and closely linked to each other. This holistic view provides an ontological basis for the ecological and environmental protection from the perspective of ontological sense.

2． Ecological ethics idea of respecting nature: “Benevolence and love”.

“Benevolence to people and caring animals and plants” proposed by Confucianism, aim to achieve harmony between man and nature. “Benevolence” is the core of Confucianism. Confucius stressed that benevolent love, “Be thrift and cherish their resources, arrange people to grow in accordance with the season.”(“Analects and learning”) Based on people’s morality as the starting point, Mencius proposes “Benevolence to people and caring animals and plants” and elaborates the relationship between man and nature and develop the moral norms between the natural law and human nature. It requires the human society abide by the moral nature, and achieves harmony between man and nature through the development of interpersonal ethics and through the active use of human potential. Mencius argues: “The gentleman’s attitude to everything of outside world is love without offering benevolence; to his people, is offering benevolence without treating them as relatives. A true gentleman firstly should approach his relatives, and secondly offering people the benevolence and virtues; and cherish everything ultimately”.〔4〕(Mencius.) Here, Mencius will promote the moral norms of “benevolence” from the “relatives” to “people”, and extend to the field of “material”, so as to set “material love” as the basic requirements of the gentleman’s moral. “Mencius and Liang Hui Wang” had a record of a dialogue between Mencius and Qi Xuanwang. “Now even animals appreciate your honor’s favors, and yet merit is not reflected in the people, guess what the reason is?” This story tells us we should respect and love animal life equivalently, like the way we treat people; animals should be placed in the scope of love, respected and cared as one of the world “things”. Besides the animals, all natural things should be respected and we should follow the laws of nature to live and practice, not contrary to nature, in the name of the righteousness.

“Caring animals and plants” in the “Benevolence to people and caring animals and plants” is treasuring and loving everything, respecting nature is its inevitable requirement. The first principle of respect for nature is to respect life and cherish everything. “The greatest moral between man and nature is cherishing life” (Book of Change), which is, our nature and our earth has acquired the virtues of raising everything. In accordance with the requirements of nature law, human beings must respect nature, which in turn means respecting life. The life here refers not only to human life but to all natural life, including mankind. In accordance with the Confucian idea of “benevolence”, people should love their relatives, offer favors for the people, and love everything in the world. The second principle of respect for nature is advocating compliance with nature, following the laws of nature in agriculture and forestry activities. We strongly oppose against blindly intervening and arbitrarily destroying nature. The third principle of respect for nature is banning food that does not fit the season. “The Analects of Confucius-Party” contains: Confucius “ban food that does not fit the season”, that is, does not eat unseasonal food.

Obviously, the principle of respecting nature and caring all things does not necessarily advocate not using nature. “It seems universe, earth and man are the origin and solid foundation of all things. Born by heaven, raised up by earth, people have achieved self-fulfillment” (“Luxuriant Dew of the spring and Autumn Annals”). Harmony between universe and earth means the law of nature does not violate the law of man, and the law of man does not violate the law of nature, that is, the harmony between man and nature. (“Book of change”). As one of the three elements, man is not supposed to adapt to nature negatively, man can positively transform and use nature to protect the survival and development of mankind on basis of respecting nature. Respecting nature and loving everything does not mean “killing ban”. Confucianism advocates the rational use of creatures. In the eyes of Confucianism, the born man will be given natural things as gifts. The natural way of life inherently encompasses the use of plants and animals. “Humans are able to control the arrangement of things that are not of their own kind, and use them to support their own kind, which is called natural support. It is a natural political principle that man can make his natural things obedient to his needs which would be a blessing, and opposite to his needs which would be a curse” (“Xunzi’s theory of heaven”). Nature is a comprehensive unity, natural things use each other, survive and develop independently. The existence of “obedient category” and “opposition category” reflects the normal state of nature. Adaptation to nature is in line with the criterion for the protection and utilization of all things.

3. Adaptation idea of the natural environment utilization and protection

On the basis of respecting nature and loving everything, the pre-Qin Confucians put forward the nature adaptation idea of environmental management. First of all, Confucianism advocates “unseasonal ban” and strongly opposes blindly interfering with nature. Confucius objects to the non-protective use of animals, advocates “never fish with more than one hook, and never shoot a bird in the nest” (“the Analects of Confucius”), and “unseasonal hunting or logging is unfilial” (“Filial piety”). Mencius put forward his idea of “seasonal support”, advocates man acts in accordance with the laws of nature. He said: “if we farm in appropriate season, we will obtain abundant food; if we fish with fine nets in a big pond, abundant fish and turtles will be available; if we follow the law of seasonal harvesting, wood, food, fish and turtles will be always accessible and abundant, thus man could survive and have no regret at the funeral. There would be no regret for the people to live and die.” This means that farmers should follow the natural laws of “yin” and “yang”, engage in the regular activities of spring plough, summer hoeing, autumn harvest and winter production. Xunzi put it more specific: “we cannot enter into the mountains to cut down trees when plants are growing. Net and chemical medication should be banned in critical breeding period of fish and turtle and other creatures. The yearly seasons harvest time should avoid the appropriate growth time of sowing crops so people have enough food. The same story is true for fishing and woods. (“Xunzi king system”). In Mencius’s view, during the critical period of the growth of plants and animals, it is only forbidden to we should follow the laws of nature to ban hunting animals and cutting down plants in order to achieve environmental sustainability and achieve harmony between man and nature.

Confucians focus on “conservation”, that is, we should pay attention to the maintenance of natural resources. “Conservation” is very important, not only taking adequately, but also minimizing man’s request to the natural resources, maintain the original nature, so that a good ecological cycle system can be maintained in which all things in nature breed strongly, harmoniously and orderly. Mencius argues that “So if a certain cultivation is given, there is nothing vegetation that does not grow; if no cultivation is given, everything will diminish.” (“Mencius”) Xunzi exemplifies, “We take a crude catalpa as an example, people know exactly how to cultivate and help it grow up. Even if we cultivate the world’s vigorous plant with the treatment of drying it a day and cool it, it cannot grow up well. This metaphor indicates that perseverance is the key to success.” These views of the pre-Qin Confucians responded well to how to deal with the relationship between protection and use.

Ⅱ.Ecological Civilization-Civilizationation Form in forthcoming era

The Western philosophy of modernity, created by philosophors like Descartes, Kant in 18th century is still leading the global expansion of the modern industrial civilization. The greatness and its extreme mistakes of modern philosophy simutaneously lie in it. Modern industrial civilization has led to the dual crisis of human life: the survival crisis of human being and the meaning crisis of materialism. This double crisis is closely related to modern philosophy. The tangle of this double crisis may push mankind into the abyss of destruction. If the brilliant achievements of modern industrial civilization is unprecedental, then the crisis concerned is equally unprecedental. In ancient times, some civilizations (such as Mayan civilization, Babylonian civilization) were destroyed, but other civilizations were still flourishing. The destruction of modern industrial civilization may be the destruction of all mankind, and even the destruction of the whole earth biosphere. This possible destruction is intrinsically related to the fatal mistakes of modern philosophy.

In the forthcoming century, mankind is facing the choice of life and death. We must overcome the great mistakes of modern philosophy and realize a revolution of philosophy; we must reverse the development direction of modern industrial civilization and realize a revolutionary revolution. The philosophy of the forthcoming century faces far more complex missions than those of Descartes and Kant times. If the philosophy of the forthcoming century must be realistic, then it is the fundamental to introduce and promote a new civilization into reality-ecological civilization.

Ecological civilization is a new form of civilization that human beings have put forward after reflecting on modern industrial civilization. If we observe the evolution of human civilization from the perspective of primitive civilization, then as a kind of post-industrial civilization, ecological civilization is a new form of civilization and the highest form of civilization so far.〔5〕Ecological civilization follows the rule that human, nature, and society should develop in harmony. “Ecological civilization could be viewed as a new approach of human culture construction, which falls into three levels of culture: (1) spiritual level selection: ecological construction of socialist spiritual civilization; (2) institutional level selection: ecological construction of socialist political civilization; (3) Material level choice: ecological construction of socialism material civilization.”〔6〕

The concept of ecological civilization has been put forward from macro-historical perspective. The emergence of ecological civilization results from the evolution of human civilization, and represents a qualitative leap in the process of human beings’ comprehension and utilization of nature.Ecological civilization puts an emphasis on the overall and win-win harmonious development between man and nature, which oppose the traditional extreme anthropocentrism, promoting human prosperity by way of the depleting nature, and oppose extreme naturalism as well.Ecological civilization claims that man is the core of value, rather than the master of nature, the comprehensive development of mankind must promote harmony between man and nature and embody the ecological humanism. Ecological civilization is based on sustainable development. Therefore, ecological civilization is by far the highest level of civilization of mankind. In this social form, productivity is the sustainable development of advanced productive forces, culture is advanced culture of sustainable development, theory is advanced sustainable leading theory, lifestyle is advanced sustainable way of life, society is advanced and sustainable society.

The era of ecological civilization requires a new philosophy different from that of western modern philosophy. This new philosophy is ecological philosophy or ecology. With the change of the form of civilization, there must be a revolution in philosophy, that is, a transition of ecological philosophy to replace the Western philosophy of modernity revolution.

Ⅲ.The Value of Pre-Qin Confucian Ecological Thought in the Construction of Ecological Civilization

Ecological civilization involves four dimensions: the relationship between man and nature, the relationship between people, the relationship between man and society and the relationship between human beings and themselves. If ecological civilization is a transcendence of previous human civilization, it must have moral justification in these four dimensions.〔7〕The harmony between man and nature is based on the morals for nature. Morals for nature is form a ethical values that has formed during human beings’ moral interaction with nature. It has resulted from man’s deep reflection on the relationship between man and nature. Morals for nature first require people to respect nature and protect nature. The ecological thought of the pre-Qin Confucians is a good source of thought for the moral defense in the human and nature dimension in ecological civilization.

1. The value goal of “harmony between man and nature” is also the pursuit of ecological civilization

In the pre-Qin Confucianism, the relationship between man and nature is expressed in the proposition of the relationship between man and nature. “Nature” refers to the external world of human beings, that is, “the highest master” and “the highest principle.” “Man” refers to human or human society. “Unity” refers to the unity of nature and man. “Harmony between nature and man” is not just a philosophical proposition, it is an ethical principle.

From the perspective of personal settlements , the pursuit of the harmony between man and nature is actually a perfection and refinement of personality and the realm of man and nature, which Mr. Feng Youlan called “heaven and earth realm”, when people reached this highest level of life,they have acquired the most profound insights towards the value of life. They can always view his life as part of the universe, immune to the temptation of fame and fortune, and truly into a raelm of nature and man. People in the realm of heaven and earth never feel that the existence of life is alone and helpless, because in his view, it is not a purely individual existence, but process of universal movement, with heaven and earth as a whole, which means that he has acquired a most comprehensive and complete understanding towards the value of life and meaning, and this realm of life is actually completely integrated with the external world and the spirit pursuit of interaction with man and nature.

The highest realm of “harmony between man and nature” pursued by pre-Qin Confucianism is also the pursuit of ecological civilization. Ecological civilization views sustainable development as the future of mankind, which necessarily requires ecological sustainable development as the premise. Therefore, the ecological civilization is defined and marked as the harmonious development of man and nature civilization. That is, the ecological thought of pre-Qin Confucianism provides a good spiritual resource for the construction of ecological civilization in China.

2. The whole view of “harmony between man and nature” is conducive to overcoming the antagonism between man and nature

The ecological and environmental problems human beings are facing include fast population growth, unreasonable development mode of economy, and improper use of technology, which have resulted from the mechanistic philosophy and the way of thinking pattern of dualism and human Centralism. To solve the ecological and environmental problems, mankind must change the modern world outlook, values and ways of thinking, to overcome the opposition between man and nature, to change the attitude towards nature, to build new environmental ethics. The unity of man and nature will help us to change our attitude towards nature.

Pre-Qin Confucian ecological thought regards man and nature as a whole, which shows that human beings are only a node on the network of nature. Ecology tells us that nature is a harmonious, unified whole that is made up of interrelated and interacting elements. If the balance between different elements is disrupted, there must be negative influence on their development of things and the imbalance may cause the end of the elements. In the ecosystem, humans and other creatures have their own functions; people are not nobler than other creatures or have a higher status. Therefore, human beings should not just regard the natural world as the object and the object of transformation, they should not only consider nature as tools. If people can realize that nature has intrinsic value, and can look at and deal with development and environmental affairs from the perspective that man and nature is a whole, we can weaken or even avoid the opposition between man and nature, and achieve harmony between man and nature.

3. The idea of respect for life contributes to the cultivation of new environmental ethics

The pre-Qin Confucian “l(fā)ove all the people and animals” is a model of interpersonal morals extending to inter species morals. As we all know, man and nature are interdependent as a whole. In the face of serious ecological and environmental problems, mankind must change the attitude of arbitrary domination and use of all things in order to maintain the sustainability of ecosystems and nature. The proposition of “l(fā)ove all the people and animals” and “People are my brothers and all things are my kinds” in the pre-Qin Confucianism has reference value for us to change the attitude of treating nature and treating other objects in the universe. In accordance with the “l(fā)ove all the people and animals” point of view, humans should not only love themselves, but also love all things of the universe, and take them as friends. We should respect every form of life; respect their right to life and the right to development. If humans arbitrarily kill other creatures, it may lead to the extinction of species, leading to the destruction of the Earth’s biological diversity. Therefore, mankind must extend the ethics of morality to the whole of nature, consciously maintain the biological diversity, and achieve coexistence of all things in nature.

The realization of the harmonious relationship between man and nature requires new environmental morals. “Belem Declaration” clearly points out: ethics should pay particular attention to the relationship between mankind and the environment, which is dominated by universal principles, and its ethical norms can be new environmental ethics, which first require the protection of biological diversity. The basic requirement of this new environmental morality is to respect life and maintain biodiversity. The thoughts of pre-Qin Confucianism coincides with this new environmental moral requirement. Therefore, the above-mentioned thoughts of pre-Qin Confucianism are helpful to the cultivation of new environmental morality.

4. The thought of “Adaptation to nature” and “moderate utilization” corresponds with the intrinsic requirements of ecological civilization

At present, the severe environmental problems faced by mankind are the result of human development and utilization of nature without respect for the laws of nature. Facing the harsh reality, mankind must thoroughly reflect on their way of thinking and behavior, abandon anthropocentrism, attach importance to and follow the ecological laws, and take the road on which human and nature are in sustainable harmony.

It is a reasonable core of the ecological ethics of pre-Qin Confucianism to follow laws of nature, utilize resources moderately, and make the best of everything. These values can still serve as a reasonable and effective countermeasure for the utilization and protection of modern social resources. “Planned and moderate utilization” is respecting the laws of nature, and is the guarantee for sustainable development of natural resources. The change of mankind to nature must be limited to the extent that nature can bear, and that is the only way that harmony between man and nature is possible.

Admittedly, the pre-Qin ecological thinking also has its limitations. The ecological thought of pre-Qin Confucianism has the limitations of the initial stage of cognition, if examined from the perspective of ecological civilization. Ecological civilization is based on the reflection of the relationship between man and nature in the era of industrial civilization. The ecological thought of “harmony between man and nature” in the pre-Qin period emphasizes “harmony” but neglects “striving”. The ecological thought of pre-Qin Confucianism is simple understanding, while the ecological civilization is to respect the laws of competition, symbiosis and diversity etc. Therefore, we must draw lessons from the pre-Qin Confucian ecological thoughts with our own judgment.

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