I can't say research, I just figured it out. I found that the thoughts of the three schools are inseparable from the word "benefit". Many people will be surprised to see this benefit and say, have you vulgarized all these ideas? No wonder most people understand that profit is self-interest, and self-interest is often associated with selfishness. For example, Confucius once said: "A gentleman is righteous and a villain is beneficial." In fact, profit includes not only private interests, but also public interests, but generally speaking, people call it public welfare. Because in fact, all human activities are inseparable from the word "profit". Most of these three schools are public welfare, except Taoism, which is self-serving. Let's talk about this later. As for the other two, they represent the interests of their respective classes. Confucianism represents the interests of the ruling class and the aristocratic class, while Mohism represents the interests of small production workers. Let me talk about it.
First, Confucianism. After thousands of years of accumulation, innovation and change, Confucianism is quite different from Confucius' thought in those days. Confucianism, Confucius and Mencius before the pre-Qin period all hoped to maintain the established order and the interests of the old rulers. For example, Confucius said that "the rise and fall of a country benefits the people" (The Analects of Confucius and Yao Yue), and Mencius said that "people have a constant saying that all countries are based on the country, and the country is at home, and the home is at home." (Mencius Li Lou). This is entirely to restore the right to life of clan and tribal countries. Of course, Mencius preferred to have a benevolent ruler among the old rulers. "Mencius Liang Shang" He talked with Liang, and Liang asked him, "Is there evil in the world?" Mencius said, "It is scheduled to be one." Liang asked again, "Who can do it?" Mencius said, "Those who are not addicted to killing can be killed." Is this sentence correct? Qin Shihuang tried to contend with this sentence. He stopped killing and unified China. Unfortunately, it won't last long. History played a joke on Qin Shihuang, and his dynasty died the next year.
Since the Han dynasty, the system with Confucianism as the orthodox has been determined. Although the rulers in the early Han dynasty pursued the "technique of Huang Lao", they would think of Confucianism after the country became rich. Because Confucianism is supposed to serve the ruling class. Dong Zhongshu, a famous scholar in the Western Han Dynasty, completely transformed Confucianism into a theoretical tool for the ruling class to rule the people after integrating the theory of Yin-Yang and Five Elements. I chatted with Ren Hai the other day. He said that people who studied Confucianism in ancient times all aimed at being officials. Although I don't agree with this view, he also said that one of the characteristics of Confucianism is to serve the ruling class and maintain a stable ruling order. If you want to be an official, you have to read four books and five classics, and you have to agree with the ruling style of the ruler. At the same time, there is a deep-seated reason, that is, most of the scholars are well-off, and even if they are not landlords, their lives are very comfortable. None of the poor have enough to eat, let alone study. Then these scholars will naturally safeguard the interests of their own class after they become officials. In the Han dynasty, there were two very prosperous Confucian schools, one was called the ancient prose school, and the other was called the modern literature school. At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, Confucius was gradually deified due to the advocacy of Dong Zhongshu and the government. Today's literary school made up something called "Six Classics" to distinguish it from "Six Classics", saying that these were also written by Confucius. He touted Confucius as the incarnation of Tathagata. At this time, some people don't like these people. You have to get points for bragging. They advocated restoring Confucius' true colors. As a theoretical support, they claimed to have discovered the ancient books before Qin Zun. Specifically, it seems that a warlord in the Han Dynasty built a house and found some books hidden by Confucius from his old house. As we know, Qin Shihuang set fire to the world books, and later Xiang Yu set fire to Qin Shu, and all the world books were basically burned. The sinners who destroy culture should also add Xiang Yu. These people who advocated the restoration of Confucius' true colors formed the China Ancient School, and they had a big debate with Dong Zhongshu's followers, which promoted the development of ancient Confucian classics. By the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the stable social order was gone. The continuous military chaos and warlordism made Confucianism useless, so Taoism became popular again. I'll talk about this later when I talk about Taoism. After the baptism of Neo-Confucianism in the Song and Ming Dynasties, Confucianism became a tool for the ruling class to imprison people's thoughts in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. So in general, Confucianism represents the interests of the ruling class.
Speaking of home, Taoism advocates personal interests, that is, egoism. Why do you say that? This should start with the history of Taoism. Most of the earliest Taoist figures were hermits, such as the famous Chu Kuang Jie Yu. This is a group of people who are disappointed in society. They don't want to be an official or live in seclusion in the mountains. Of course, the reasons for avoiding disasters and chaos are not ruled out. They tried to break away from social life. Later, the representative figures among them found some rhetoric for this escapism. This man is Yang Zhu. People who haven't read the history of China's philosophy generally don't know this person. In fact, even the academic circles don't know his origin, including the year of birth and death and his native place. He's just a black man. "On Mencius Teng Wengong" said: "Yang Zhu's words are all over the world, and the words of the world do not belong to Yang, but to Mo." The life of such a famous figure cannot be verified, which is very puzzling. I guess it was those two fires, too. Yang Zhu's works have not been handed down from generation to generation. I don't know if he didn't write it or other reasons, so if you want to find his thoughts, you have to look in other people's books. Mencius said wholeheartedly: "Andy took it from me and pulled out a dime to benefit the world, not for his own use." This kind of thinking is called "everyone for himself". See, I'm talking about egoism? He also has a point of view called "it is not easy to benefit the world" ("Han Feizi Xianxue"). This idea is summed up as "light things for rebirth", which is Han Fei's original words. As can be seen from the above, Yang Zhu is an egoist. This thought has always been carried out by Yang Zhu, Laozi and Zhuangzi. The difference is that Yang Zhu just wants to escape. Lao Tzu found that it is almost impossible for people to leave society, so if they want to survive in society, they have to have a set of methods to avoid harm, so there is the Tao Te Ching. In Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu not only taught civilians how to avoid disasters, but also taught the monarch how to govern the country. It's not that he is keen on governing the country, that's not his intention. It's that your monarch is not good at governing the country, and any turmoil and mutiny will involve me. I don't want to follow your bad luck, so I help you, just like Lu Zhonglian. I'll help you and leave directly. I won't do it. As long as you fight, it won't affect my life. But in fact, there is no way in the world that you can never die or get hurt. Otherwise, you say, if I finish reading the Tao Te Ching, I won't die, or at worst I will die. Ha ha, Lao tze of course they don't think so. Laozi said, "I have a big patient, but I don't." (Chapter 13 of Tao Te Ching). There is a little hope of eternal life. In fact, it is Lao Tzu's sigh that I have taught others so much, but everyone has a body, and if there is a body, there will be death. I guess I want to study how to make my body disappear. It's a pity that his old man's house has already studied it? We don't know. According to religion, it should be successful. Because later, he flew over Hangu Pass on a green cow, and the official guarding the pass was Yin. He tried his best to get Lao Tzu to write books for him, so that he could live forever, and the Tao Te Ching. However, Yin turned it over and found that it was basically to teach people to avoid disasters, not the ultimate secret of Lao Zi, so he abandoned the official and Lao Zi to wander around, and in the end he might live forever.
But in reality, people did not see Laozi's longevity, only heard Laozi's sigh. So the following people continued to study Laozi's theory, and finally found that their temperature was not enough. At most, they developed a "spiritual victory method", which is Zhuangzi's theory. How did Zhuangzi answer the questions left by Lao Zi? He said that "everything is in harmony, and people are born" (Zhuangzi's Theory of Homogeneity), that is, if you regard yourself and everything as one, then life and death are the same, isn't it? Hehe, there is a funny saying in idealism that "being born can die, and being dead can live". Zhuangzi entrusted his soul to heaven and earth, which is "interacting with the spirit of heaven and earth alone". So since life and death are not taken seriously, Lao Tzu's problem is not a problem. I estimate that the reason why Taoism does not respect Zhuangzi and respects Laozi as the leader is not only because Laozi's ending is mysterious, but also because he completely shattered the dreams of those who want to live forever. Zhuangzi's theory is also the last stage of Taoist theory. Taoism begins with escape and ends with openness, which is also a good ending. So in general, Taoism pursues the maximization of personal interests. Civilians use it for self-defense, and monarchs use it to govern the country, regardless of class. Whoever uses it will pursue his own interests.
Finally, Mohism, as I said before, represents the interests of small-scale production workers. This is not nonsense, it is based on certain facts. Mohist school has three main viewpoints: frugality, fraternity and Buddhism. Among them, thrift is the foundation, Shang Tong is the guarantee, and fraternity is the method, so as to achieve "one country under the world". Let's talk about thrift first. Mozi, as a representative of small-scale production workers, attaches great importance to people's food and clothing. What he cares about is "hungry can't eat, cold can't put on clothes, and workers can't rest." Therefore, he advocates "non-happiness" and does not allow the rulers to enjoy it, because they "will gather the thick measures of the people" and bring a burden to the workers. Not only can't help production, but also can't defend the country. "It is not the harmony of five flavors, the sum of fragrance and fragrance, not far from the wonders of national treasures ... Gu Shengjun made clothes, saying: winter clothes are light and warm, summer clothes are light and clear, so stop. If all the charges are not added to the people's benefit, the Holy King will … "("Mozi frugality ") In today's words, clothes are used to cover the body, why are they dressed so well? Rice is for eating. Why do you eat so well? This house is used for living. Why do you have to live so hard? If you want to have fun, we must work hard. It is completely considered from the perspective of workers.
Then I will talk about the second point, universal love, which is also the core of Mozi's theory. I sum it up as supplier philosophy. Because the starting point of his universal love is for profit, that is, "both love and mutual benefit." No matter who loves whom, it's better. This is also the experience gained by small traders from daily transactions. For example, if I sell firewood, you sell rice, and I exchange firewood for rice, we both get benefits, which is profit. Mozi tried to integrate this narrow experience into his theory, resulting in universal love. Universal love is broad love, love for everyone. But I love you on the premise of being beneficial: "Therefore, although there are virtuous ministers, I don't love useless ministers, although there are loving fathers, I don't love useless sons" (Mozi's Dear Scholars). Since everyone wants to love each other, we should have a good talk. There is a saying in Taoism that "hide and teach thieves, smell and teach lewdness." What do you mean? In other words, if you don't collect things well, people will naturally be tempted to steal them. If you dress up and pose, people will inevitably think of lewdness. So the rich, you can give some of your things to the poor, and the others will be stolen, robbed or even killed. Everyone is the same, no one is jealous of anyone, I am not poor, and you don't have to worry about being robbed. Of course, I imagined all these words. I think Mozi has some utopian socialism. It is basically impossible for him to demand absolute average. Finally, he talked about Shang Tong, that is to say, to complete this huge plan of fraternity, we must have a unified command, and everyone should listen to one person, so that there will be no confusion. . This reflects his contradiction, that is, he should love equality and autocratic rule, which is unrealistic and reflects the limitations of small production workers.
Taishi Gong said, "All the world is bustling for profit, and all the world is bustling for profit." (Biography of Historical Records and Huo Zhi) Naturally, the ancients didn't cheat me!