Chapter 21 Public Morality (March 10, 1902)

What our people lack the most is public morality.What is public morality?The reason why the crowd is a group, and the reason why a country is a country, depends on this virtue to establish a person.Human beings are also good animals (this is the words of the Western Ruya Rituto).People are not groups, and animals prefer to choose.It is not just empty words and high-level talk about the group of the group, and then those who can make merit; there must be something that is concentrated and connected, and then the group is actually a move, if this is called public morality. The essence of morality is only one, but if it is published outside, the name of public and private will be established.It is called private virtue when everyone is good to himself, and public morality is when everyone is kind to others. Both of them are indispensable in life.Selfless virtue cannot be established, and there are countless humble, hypocritical, cruel, stupid and cowardly people, and there is no country.It is not too early to say that China's moral development is early, although it is partial to private morality, while public morality is almost lacking.Try to observe, the books of "Mencius", the wood duo of our people, and the ones from which morality comes from.Among the teachings, private morality ranks nine out of ten, while public morality is not as good as one.For example, the nine virtues in "Gao Taomo", the three virtues in "Hong Fan", the so-called gentleness, courtesy, thrift, self-restraint and respect, the so-called loyalty and respect, the so-called widowhood and regret, the so-called fortitude and dullness, the so-called knowledge of fate and words, the so-called "great learning" Knowing what to stop and being cautious about independence, avoiding deceit and seeking forgiveness, "Doctrine of the Mean" so-called studiousness and shame, so-called vigilance and fear, so-called song-making, "Mencius" so-called cultivating one's character with heart, so-called reflexive forgiveness, etc. There is almost no remaining accumulation, and it is almost ready to cultivate the qualifications of private (for public, it means that a person does not negotiate with others.).Although, only the qualification of a private person is enough to be a complete personality?It is impossible.Now try to compare the old Chinese ethics with the new Thai and Western ethics: the classification of the old ethics is called monarch, father and son, brothers, couples, and friends; the classification of the new ethics is family ethics, which is called society (that is, the crowd) Ethics is called national ethics.What the old ethics emphasized was the matter of one person for another person; It is proved by the scope of public law and private law.) What the new ethics emphasizes is the matter of one person to one group. (Using the classification of new ethics and summarizing the old ethics, there are three family ethics: father and son, brothers, and couples; social ethics one: friends; national ethics one: monarch and subject. It is absolutely not enough to fulfill the social ethics; the relationship between the monarch and his subjects is especially not enough to fulfill the national ethics. Inexhaustible responsibility. When it comes to the country, it is especially not the exclusive right of the monarch and his ministers. If we only talk about the righteousness of the monarch and his ministers, then it is a matter of propriety and loyalty in doing things, which are all two private matters of gratitude and service, and have nothing to do with the general. Isn’t it outside the scope of the so-called Yimin who don’t care about princes and lords? The wife must have these three ethical obligations, and then the personality will be completed. If China’s five theories are only slightly complete in family ethics, to social and national ethics, Ignorance breeds a lot. This deficiency must be made up for, and it is the result of emphasizing private morality and despising public morality.) The reason why a husband and a person treats himself, and a person treats others, must be moral Save, this Xi treats words!Although, this morality is part, not all of it.All those who are good at both public and private.

Private morality and public morality are not contradictory.However, since those who advocate it are biased, their end-of-life may hinder each other.If Weisheng's mother ridiculed Confucius for being a sycophant, Gongsun Chou doubted Mencius because he was easy to distinguish, and other people who are superficial learners don't know public morals, so it goes without saying;I really don't want to pick up fragments of the ancients who only said something and said it, and use it to criticize each other.To sum it up, for thousands of years in China, the system of widowhood has been the core of moral education.The scope is shrinking day by day, and those who speak and act outside this scope and want to do their best for the public interest of their own country, they are despicable scholars and lowly Confucianism, and they often resort to partial meanings such as "not in their position, not seeking their own politics" , to laugh at and squeeze out.False seeds are spread, practice is not victory, and the people no longer know what public morality is!Today's lady lives in a group and enjoys the rights of her group, that is, she should fulfill her obligations to her group;He is a oligarchy advocate, thinking that although I am not beneficial to the group, I am not harmful to the group, and those who know that it is not beneficial are harmful!why?The crowd benefits me, but I do not benefit the crowd. This is my responsibility to the crowd but not my compensation.If a husband negotiates with another privately, and pays what he should pay, it must be a crime in private morality, and it is said that the harm will spread to others.But those who lose the group can pretend to be good people, why not?If a group of people are all outspoken and domineering, how much can the blood of that group have?And these infinite debtors are eaten away day and night and divided up. There is consumption and no supplement, so how can it grow!However, the group must be dragged down by the bearer, and the result will be the same as that of the private sufferer, which is inevitable.There is no one else in China who is declining day by day. There are too many good men and women who enjoy their rights but do not fulfill their obligations. Everyone regards their obligations to the group of teachers as nothing. For the benefit of the group, but for the tiredness of the group, the husband's safety will never stop!

Parents are to their children, they nurture them, protect them and teach them, so the sons have the obligation to repay the kindness of their parents.If everyone fulfills this obligation, the more children there will be, the more obedient the parents will be, and the more prosperous the family will be;It is called unfilial piety, and this is the most important thing in private morality, and it is also known by all people.The group is to the people, and the country is to the people, and its kindness is the same as that of parents.If there is no group and no country, then my life and property will have nothing to trust, and my wisdom and ability will not be attached, and this body will not be able to stand in the sky and the earth for a day.Therefore, the obligation to serve the community and the country is shared by all flesh and blood.Anyone who renounces this responsibility, no matter whether he is a good person or a wicked person in terms of private morality, is a thief of the group and the country.For example, if there are ten sons in a family, some of them are shaved off and become monks, or they play games and drink alcohol. Although one seeks the way and the other is a rascal, their natures of good and evil are very different.Knowing this meaning, anyone who is self-sufficient and self-sufficient is in the same category as unfilial piety.It is not an exaggeration to say that he has committed a crime of treason and immorality against his own group.

A certain fable was told that an official died and was punished by Pluto, his soul said: "I am not guilty, and I am a very honest official." ! Knowing nothing outside Lian is the king's crime." So he fired it.Those who want to regard restraint as their unique virtue do not know that they have fallen into this law and cannot be forgiven.The three words most popular among modern officials are Qing, Shen, and Diligence.A husband who is clean, prudent, and diligent, aren't they noble personal virtues?Although, those officials who are entrusted by a group of people to manage affairs have their own obligations to the group and also have obligations to the entrusters. The words "clearness, prudence, and diligence" used to be enough to cover these two responsibilities?This is all due to knowing that there is private virtue, but not knowing that there is public morality.Therefore, the lack of progress in politics and the replacement of Guohua are all due to this.It is true that the officials stand in the position of public officials, but it does not matter to private individuals.No one in our country regards state affairs as his own, because the principle of public morality has not been invented.

And the commentator also knows the origin of virtue?Morality is established, so it benefits the group.Therefore, due to the differences in the literary fields of the groups, the suitable morals are often different, and what is required is to be able to strengthen the group, be good at the group, and enter the group.The British Constitution considers treason to violate the monarchy (all monarchies are the same): the French constitution regards those who seek to establish a monarch as treason; .Its moral appearance is the opposite, but its spirit is the same.What is one?Said: It is only for the common good of a group.Even the barbarians in ancient times regarded women as common property as morality (women in a group belonged to men in a group, and there was no marriage system. The ancient Bada still did not get rid of this trend).Or regard slaves as non-human beings as morality (the ancient sages Plato and Ali Tudou did not think that slaves were not human beings; before the American and South American War, Europeans and Americans did not regard this as a bad virtue.) Contemporary philosophers still It cannot be called immoral.Because of his situation at that time, it is only appropriate for those who benefit the group. However, there is no moral spirit that does not arise from the interests of a group. If it is contrary to this spirit, even the most good person may sometimes become the most evil. (For example, the system of freedom is the most beautiful today, but it is the most evil when it is transferred to the barbaric and undeveloped groups; the rule of autocracy is the most beautiful in ancient times, but it is the most evil when it is transferred to the civilized group. It is an example.) Therefore, public morality is the source of all countries. Those who benefit the group are good, and those who do not benefit the group are evil. ) This principle is accepted by all the world, and it is also the one who has not been confused for hundreds of generations.As far as the appearance of its morality is concerned, the proportion is different with the progress of the group. If the literature and field of the group are different, the reasons for their interests are different, and the reasons for their morality are also different.Virtue is not one that remains unchanged. (My words are quite shocking, but the order of virtue mentioned is not the origin of virtue. Its origin is eternal and unchanged. Readers are welcome Misunderstood. What is the origin? It is also called benefiting the group.) It is not a number. The ancients thousands of years ago were able to establish a certain format to cover the world and all generations. (The items of private morality have changed less, and the items of public morality have changed more.) However, we were born in this group, and we are born in this group today. A new kind of morality, in order to solidify our group, be good to our group, and enter our group. If it is not what the former kings and sages seldom said, they are self-painted and dare not enter it.Knowing that there is public morality, how can the new morality come out, and how can the new people come out! (Scholars in today's world who talk about the reform dare to talk about new things: but dare not talk about new morality. This is because the slavishness of the academic world has not gone away, and the heart of loving the group, the country, and the truth has not been sincere. Those who think of morality, the menstruation The sky, the rivers and the earth, have never increased or decreased since time immemorial. The sages and sages of the past have revealed their mysteries to the fullest, and they have taught future generations to ensure that there are so-called new and old ones. As everyone knows, morality is something that is due to nature. Half, and half because of human affairs, there is development and progress, following the great example of natural evolution. The former philosophers were not born today, and how can they formulate morals that are in line with today? It is also clear that Confucius and Mencius have to be revived. Hey. Today is the transitional era, the green and the yellow are not connected, the profound and subtle meanings of the former philosophers may be lost and not revealed, and the simple morality passed down by the customs will not be enough to attract the hearts of the future, and there will be people who hate the clichés and discard them all. It is still possible to speak out of obscurity, but if you discard it in conjunction with morality, it will be a disaster, which is extremely extreme! Now this disaster has come to an end. The teacher is a Confucianist, or worried about it, so why do you want to hold on to the rest of the Song and Yuan Dynasties? To curb its flow, do you know that there is no escape for the superior and the inferior, and there is no way to escape. Praising the [抔] soil to siege Mengjin, and fertilizing a cup of water to save the salary, although I exhaust my talents, how can I do it. If it is not as good as it is today, it is urgent to consider ancient and modern Chinese and foreign Those who invent a new kind of morality advocate it. I am afraid that the more prosperous the intellectual education in the future, the worse the moral education will be. The western and western material civilization will be imported into China, and 400 million people will become beasts at the same time. Woohoo! The theory of moral revolution, I know that I will be criticized by the whole country. Gu Wute hates my lack of talent. If I challenge a duel with ordinary people in my life, I will not be afraid, and I will not give up. There are people who love the group, the country, and the truth with a sincere heart. Huh? I would like to hold the whip for it to study this issue.) The great purpose of public morality is to benefit the group, and thousands of reasons are born from it.In the following subsections of this theory, almost all of them can be guided by the word "Liqun", and they are consistent.Therefore, this section only discusses the urgent task of public morality, and the method of implementing this public morality is discussed below.