The three words "to neutralize" come from "The Mean". "The Mean" says: "Joy, anger, sorrow and happiness have not yet occurred, and they are in the middle; It is said to be the sum of the middle sections. To neutralize, heaven is in the ascendancy, and all things are nurtured. In the Taoism of the Song and Ming dynasties, these sentences of "The Mean" have caused a lot of discussion. Cheng Mingdao said: "Heaven and earth are constant, with their hearts pervading all things and not hearts; The saint is always ruthless with his affection for all things. Therefore, the gentleman's learning, Mo Ruo is a grand duke, and things come and adapt. "The heart of a saint is like a mirror, like a stop to water, and it is a great foundation. Because it is a general public, it is also unbiased, and it is said to be unbiased. Because it is impartial, when it encounters things, it is happy when it is happy, angry when it is angry, sad when it is sad, and happy when it is happy. This is the so-called middle section of the hair and the middle section, which is called the sum. Zhu Zi said: "Joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, each has its own responsibility, and it has not yet occurred, and it is in the middle, without bias, so it is said to be in the middle." and its hair is all deserved, and there is nothing to be obedient, so it is called the sum. The meaning of this so-called is impartiality, not infallibility. The joys, sorrows, and sorrows that have been sent to the bottom can be over or off, and this so-called is "unsent", so not only is there no fault, but there is also nothing to say. It has not been issued, and later it has also become a common noun used by Taoists in the Song and Ming dynasties. They also often quote the phrase "Silent and unmoving, feeling and understanding". The heart of a saint is like a mirror stopping water when it is not released, it is "silent and immovable"; When it has been sent, joy, anger, sorrow and joy, each has its own right, and it is "feeling and passing".
The above is the explanation of Song Ming Taoist scholars for the two words in "The Mean". The bottom neutralization we talk about in this article is different from what the Taoists of the Song and Ming dynasties said, or it is not the same as what the "Middle Mean" says, but the bottom neutralization we talk about in this article is indeed two important concepts in Chinese thought.
and the same. "Chinese Zheng Yu" quoted Shi Boyun: "Fu and real creatures, the same is not continued." With his equalization and his sum, it can be abundant and returning. If you do the same, you will be abandoned. "To equal him is the sum of others", such as salty and sour, that is, another taste. Sour is the salty "he", salty is the sour "he", and with "he" equaling "he", that is, you can get another taste, this so-called "and real creature". Salty and salty are the same, if salty is added to salty, the result is still salty. This so-called "to the same", "the same is not continued" also. By extension, if there is only one sound, no matter how repeated it is, it cannot become music. If there is only one color, no matter how repeated it is, it will not be written. He must help him to succeed.
In the twentieth year of Zhaogong, the Duke of Zhao quoted Qi Hou to ask Yan Ziyun: "What is the difference between harmony and similarity?" Yan Zi said: "Different." And like soup. Water, fire, fermentation, salt, plum, to cook fish and meat, to pay for it, to slaughter it and it, all with taste, to help it, to vent its faults. …… If water is used for water, who can eat it? If the piano is single-minded, who can listen to it? The same cannot be true. This has been put forward again, and it is not as good as two concepts. Different substrate elements, when combined, can be made into another thing. However, the different substrate elements used to synthesize this substance must each have the right amount of each of them, not too much, not too little. If there is too much or too little, it cannot be a thing. Not too much, not too little, that is, nothing is too much. Nothing is wrong. Therefore, it is necessary to say it at the same time. What this said may not be Yan Zi's original intention, but it must be said at the same time, which is a certain bottom.
The above can be said to have the meaning of what is now called dialectics. The "he" of A is not A. A and non-A can become B. It can be said that opposites complement each other, from contradiction to unity. To become the first and the non-first of B, each must have its own proportion, no more, no less. A or non-A, if there is too little, it does not become B, and if there is too many, it cannot become B. The quantitative change of A and non-A can cause the qualitative change of the substrate it is formed. This can be said to be a change from quantity to quality.
A person's physiological and psychological requirements are multifaceted. All these basic requirements must be met to a considerable extent, and only then can a person maintain a sound body and personality. There are many physical or psychological diseases, which are caused by the repression of certain aspects of people's physical or psychological requirements. That's all we know. How can a person's physical or psychological requirements be "satisfied to a considerable extent"? How to be satisfied, to a considerable extent? How can it be considered more than a certain degree? If the satisfaction of a physiological or psychological requirement reaches such a level as to conflict with another physiological or psychological requirement, it is the satisfaction of such a requirement, which exceeds a considerable degree. More than a certain amount is too much. If the satisfaction of such a requirement has not yet reached this level and is suppressed, or if such a demand is not satisfied at all, then such a requirement has not been satisfied at all, and has not reached a substantial level. If it does not reach a considerable level, it is not enough. If the satisfaction of such requirements reaches a certain level, neither conflicts with other requirements, nor is it unnecessarily suppressed, and it is neither too much nor too much, then its satisfaction is the middle, that is, the middle.
For example, for some people, drinking alcohol is a very strong requirement. In ordinary cases, a person who drinks alcohol to such an extent that his physical health is greatly disturbed is that he is drinking too much. If he drinks alcohol to a certain extent and does not affect his health, but he refuses to drink alcohol due to other relationships (such as the prohibition of alcohol by the U.S. government), then his demand to drink alcohol is unnecessarily suppressed. In this way, the satisfaction of his demand for drinking is not enough. This so-called unnecessary, to the person himself; This so-called inadequacy is also said to the person himself. Drinking too much or too much is different from person to person. If a person drinks alcohol only to the exact extent that it does not interfere with the health of his body or unnecessarily suppress his desire to drink, then his satisfaction is the middle of the day.
If a person's physical and psychological requirements are all in this way, and they are all satisfied to a certain extent, but they are not in conflict, this state is called the sum. In terms of physiology, if a person obtains harmony, he can have a healthy body; In the psychological aspect, if you get a harmony, you can have a sound personality. In the old days, it was said that people were sick, which was "physical disobedience". This sentence is very reasonable.
A healthy body and a sound personality can be said to be a and. There are many different substrates in this and this. These elements, in their proper base weight, are "compatible" bases. But once the appropriate base amount is passed, it is "the opposite". If it is the opposite, then there is no harmony. For example, under normal circumstances, if a person eats three bowls of rice at a time, it is good for his health, but if he eats ten bowls of rice at a time, it will not only not be beneficial to his health, but also harmful to his health. The increase in food, for his health, is from quantitative change to qualitative change. The satisfaction of various requirements is in the right place, not in the right place, or more than in the right place, is too or less. In the meantime, there have also been changes from quantitative to qualitative.
Or you can ask: The first part of this book talks about respecting reason, doesn't it teach people to make reason suppress the physical and psychological requirements of all other aspects? In this we say that the function of reason is not to suppress the physical and psychological requirements of all other aspects, but to guide or control those requirements so that they can be satisfied. We say that there is moral rationality, and there is rational rationality. First of all, the rational bottom is reasonable, and its function is as mentioned above, which is obvious. If a person wants to drink, where to drink, and how to buy alcohol, all rely on the guidance of reason. The amount of alcohol that does not harm the body or the career depends on rational moderation. If a man drinks ten glasses of wine, he can be happy, and it will not interfere with the body or the cause, and reason can only sponsor this kind of satisfaction, and never prohibit it. Therefore, Confucius also said: "Only wine is immeasurable, not chaotic." ”
When we talk about the conflict between the physical and psychological requirements of human beings, we are only talking about a person himself. In terms of society, one person's physical or psychological requirements can also conflict with the physical or psychological requirements of others. The law of morality, for the requirements of people, set a boundary, so that people do not conflict with each other. In this respect, the physiological and psychological requirements of human beings, those who meet this boundary, are in line with the middle and the middle; Those who go beyond this limit are too much; Those who do not fall below this limit are not enough. There are a few sentences in the "Preface to the Poem", which says: "Affection is the end, and it is polite and righteous." Affectionate, human nature; Stop at etiquette and righteousness, and the zes of the first kings are also. "Affection" is to say that all aspects of human beings are physiologically and psychologically demanding, and "to stop at etiquette and righteousness" is to say that it is based on the laws of morality. It is human nature to be affectionate, and it is the sanction of society to stop being polite and righteous. People in the middle of society, everyone does this to some extent, and everyone should do this completely. The function of the so-called moral rationality is to make people know these boundaries, so that all aspects of people's physical and psychological requirements are in line with this aspect.
If all the physiological and psychological requirements of the people in a society meet these requirements, then the society is a sound society. A sound society can also be said to be a harmony. In this regard, the physiological and psychological requirements of each person in all aspects are also opposite, from quantitative change to qualitative change.
The satisfaction of people's physiological and psychological requirements is in line with the middle in itself, but in the social aspect, it is not necessarily in the middle, but it is either too much, or it is not enough. If it is too much, then society must sanction it, and its personal moral rationality should also be sanctioned. Therefore, it is common for some people's physical or psychological requirements to be suppressed. This repression, as far as these people are concerned, is unnecessary. But from a social point of view, it is necessary. This often causes a lot of confusion in the mind. Some people often confuse the necessity or unnecessity of these two aspects, thinking that what is necessary or unnecessary on one side is necessary or unnecessary in other ways. This "thought" is completely wrong at the bottom.
For example, a person's so-called leadership desire is particularly strong, but his talents are not worthy of being a leader. On his part, if his desires are not satisfied, he may go mad. On the personal side, his desire for leadership is quite satisfying, but on the social side, his desire for leadership is quite satisfying. In this case, society can only say to him: Your talents cannot be a leader, and if you are crazy because you cannot be a leader, we have to send you to an insane asylum. We can't say that there is anything wrong with this approach of society.
From a social point of view, the bottom requirement of "being affectionate" rather than "stopping at courtesy and righteousness" should be sanctioned. This kind of requirement is called desire by Taoists in the Song and Ming dynasties, or selfish desires, or human desires. They say that lust is the bottom of evil. This must be a good bottom, because the so-called desire, by definition, exceeds the requirements of the moral bottom law, and by definition it is the bottom of evil. Therefore, to say that desire is evil is to say that whatever is immoral is immoral. But later, anti-Taoist scholars, such as Dai Dongyuan, often said that people's physiological and psychological requirements are not allowed, nor should they be suppressed, but Song Ming Taoists love to suppress them. Therefore, the Taoists of the Song and Ming dynasties were "killing people with reason", which was too inhumane. This kind of debate is not to misunderstand the meaning of the so-called desire of the Taoists of the Song and Ming dynasties, that is, to fall into the ideological confusion mentioned above.
When we say neutralization above, we are speaking of a person himself, or of the relationship between the various individuals in a society and the society and others. If we talk about the relationship between various people in a society and other kinds of people, then there is also neutralization. The various people in the middle of the society refer to the people in the middle of the society who operate in various occupations. For example, being a school teacher, a businessman, and so on, are all so-called various people. The old saying "seventy-two lines, the line is the champion". The people of all walks of life, that is, the so-called various people. Each of these types of people has their rights and duties in society, as well as rights and offices in relation to other types of people. In ordinary situations, people are always too biased in seeking rights, and in terms of due diligence, they are always biased in terms of inadequacy. The same is true for all kinds of people in the middle of society. They tend to be too biased in demanding rights; When it comes to due diligence, it's always easy to be biased. What is the criterion for this so-called excesses or failures? There is a limit to the rights of all kinds of people, and beyond that boundary, they are in conflict with or interfere with the rights of other races in society. This limit is the middle, and if it meets the bottom of this limit, it is the middle, that is, it is the middle section, and beyond the bottom of this limit, it is too much. There is also a limit to the performance of their duties, and without this limit, the need of society cannot be satisfied. This limit is the middle, and if it meets the bottom of this limit, it is the middle, that is, it is the middle section, and if it does not reach the bottom of this limit, it is not enough. If all kinds of people in a society want rights and fulfill their duties, and they are all in harmony, then this society will be able to get peace. A society is not something that can be organized by just one kind of person, it needs many different kinds of people, and it needs to be "different". These differences, insofar as they are differences, are "opposites". But they all come together to form a society. Taken together, it is "mutually beneficial". Their interdependence, by virtue of their rights and duties, are in harmony with each other, so as to constitute a harmony.
Or it can be said that this is the one used by the ruling class in society to suppress the oppressed classes. According to the capitalist base, both the capitalist class and the working class are necessary for society, or at least the economic aspects of society. These two classes should help each other, not hate each other. Aristotle defended the Greek slavery system in a similar way. He said: Some people are born to be able to use tools, and some people are born to be able to use tools. can use the tool bottom as a master, but can only be a tool bottom as a slave, which is the most natural bottom. In China, Mencius also had a similar debate about the aristocracy of the time. Mencius said, "There are things for adults and things for villains." "Or labor, or labor. Those who work hard govern people, and those who work hard govern people. Those who govern eat people, and those who govern eat people. The common meaning of the world is also. According to this "general sense", there is a category of people in society who will always "govern people" and "eat people", and there will always be a class of people who will always "govern people" and "eat people". The former is the ruled class, and the latter is the ruling class. The ruling class will always use this set of theories to anesthetize the ruled, so that they will not only be ruled, but also praise the ruler's holy virtues and divine merits with sincerity and convincingness. Now that we talk about this set of theories, I am afraid that the ruling class will be suspected of "aiding and abetting."
When we say this, we don't mean class theory when we say all kinds of people. In a social system with a class base, the political or economic system makes some people, their children and grandchildren, in one class, and some people, their children and grandchildren in another class. In a slave society, slaves are slaves from generation to generation, and masters are masters from generation to generation. In aristocracy, the commoner generation is the commoner, and the aristocratic generation is the aristocracy. That is to say, in a capitalist society, from the political and legal point of view, there is no restriction on the laborer becoming a capitalist, but from the economic point of view, the laborer becoming a capitalist is second only to the impossible, if not completely impossible. If a person becomes a laborer, his children and grandchildren still have the opportunity to become a laborer, not 100 percent but 99 percent. But this is not the case with all kinds of people at the bottom of society, as we said above. If a person has been a teacher for 30 years, it is probably not easy for him to change careers. But his son can go into whatever he wants. For a society, these various people must have. A society must be made up of these various people. These various people, if they want to have rights and fulfill their duties, must be in harmony in order to obtain peace. This is more or less the case in any society, and it should be exactly the same, no matter what kind of society it is. This is true of a classless society, and it is also true of a classless society.
Because the principle of neutralization is universal to any kind of society, it is also used by class societies to maintain their class system. But this quote is wrong at the bottom. For according to this reasoning, society must need all kinds of people, not all classes. A society is a society with a class base, which is determined by the objective "potential". Under such a situation, some kinds of people must become a certain class, but when this kind of situation is gone, and a society can become a classless society, and a certain person of a certain class still wants to maintain his class, then the rights required by such people are too much and do not fit in. If they want too much power, they will not only fail to get peace, but will also be harmful to it.
For example, the person who is in power is also a kind of person at the bottom of society. But under a certain "power", this kind of person becomes a hereditary base, and therefore a class. Under such a situation, this kind of system is a necessary foundation for a society. But this is the end of the situation, and a society can do without a hereditary political ruling class, and in this class, the people still want their rights, then their rights are too much. Other people in the bottom of society, for their excessive demands, of course, can, and should be sanctioned. Such sanctions, if they are made by violence, are called revolutions.
From the foregoing, we can see that the underlying principles we have spoken in this article cannot be invoked by the so-called ruling class in order to anesthetize the ruled class. In fact, there are people who quote it like this, but it is a mistake to quote it like this.
"To neutralize" is applied in political and social philosophy, that is, to the rule of the people. "The Mean" says: "All things are nurtured and not harmed, and the Tao is parallel but not contradictory." The small German river, the big German Dunhua, the reason why this world is big. "This is the case in the life of man in a populistic society. We can say, "The reason why this populism is great." "In a society governed by the people, a person's life can be completely free to the extent that it does not interfere with the freedom of others. The boundaries of this range are the boundaries we have mentioned above. Those who do not meet this limit are said to be too little, those who exceed this limit are said to be too much, and those who meet this limit are said to be in the middle and in the middle. The same is true for all kinds of people in the middle of society. If all the people in the society, and all kinds of people, behave in a proper manner, then the society is a great harmony. Yamato is the so-called Taihe in the old saying. The precious basis of this kind of society is difference, not similarity. Combine many middle knots to form a great harmony. This Yamato is the ideal bottom realm of society. Human society is improving towards this ideal.
There is also the question of so-called internationalism and nationalism. Some people think that if internationalism succeeds, the characteristics of all nations will not exist. This "thought" is the bottom of the mistake. If true internationalism succeeds, not only will the differences of various nationalities still exist in the so-called world of great harmony, but everyone will have to respect their existence in particular. In the so-called world of great harmony, differences between individuals and nationalities exist, and everyone respects their existence. However, these many differences are all differences in the middle section. Combine these many knots to form a great harmony. This Yamato is the so-called Cosmopolitan world. Datong is not the same, but the so-called Taihe.
This is already a very high bottom realm. But above this realm, there is also the realm of what Song and Ming Taoists called "everything has its place" or "nothing has its place". This realm is also a harmony. However, this Taihe includes not only all the bottom people, but also all the substrates. Getting what you want is the bottom of happiness. For example, if a person is happy and happy, we say that he "deserves his place." This is the exact meaning of "deserved". The word "each" means "all things are cultivated and not harmed, and the Tao is parallel but not contradictory", and "harmony and difference". This realm is the ultimate rule of "neutralization". Therefore, it is said: "To neutralize, heaven is in the position, and all things are cultivated." ”
1939