Chapter 4 The first reason

one Now let’s talk about the first topic, that is, the word "reason".The word "reason" has become the most common saying in Chinese society.We can say that the main topic of Chinese thought is to explore truth.We can also say that Chinese culture is a culture that especially respects principles.Chinese history is a history that yearns for truth and advances.Chinese society is a society that attaches great importance to reason.The Chinese nation is a nation that attaches great importance to truth.Therefore, the Chinese often criticize everything with the word truth.What is the reason for this?What's the point?Another example is asking, are you being reasonable?This question is very serious in Chinese terms.Another example is that it is unreasonable to say that there is great rebellion and immorality. Those are extremely serious words.Isn't the word "reason" commonly found in the hearts and mouths of everyone in today's Chinese society, and it is extremely valued by the Chinese?But what is the so-called truth that the Chinese people attach so much importance to?Isn't this worthy of our attention for some discussion?

According to common usage, the word "reason" has been mixed into one, and the semantics seem to refer to a standard of rules.In the general thinking of the Chinese, it seems that the universe (this refers to the natural world) and even the world (this refers to the human world), the physical and the physical, and all activities should have a rule of thumb, and there is indeed a rule of thumb , following.But what is the specific content of this standard of regulation?How can our human knowledge and ability recognize this rule and criterion?This is a big question that has been solemnly raised in the history of Chinese thought and continues to be discussed.

If we further analyze carefully, the words "Tao" and "Li" have two meanings, and should be studied and understood separately.Generally speaking, ancient Chinese thought emphasized Dao, while later Chinese thought emphasized principle.Mostly before the Eastern Han Dynasty, preaching was emphasized, and after the Eastern Han Dynasty, reasoning was gradually emphasized. "Song History" has "Tao Xue Zhuan", and later generations are called Song Dynasty scholars.In popular speech today, we combine these two words and confuse them into one concept.This is exactly what Chinese thinkers have solemnly proposed and carefully discussed over the past two or three thousand years.

two Now let's talk about "Tao" first.What exactly does Tao refer to?Saying: "The Tao is made by doing it." This is like saying that the road is made by people.Han Yu in the Tang Dynasty said in the "Original Dao": "From what is to what is called Tao." This means that Tao refers to a road from here to there.It can be seen that Tao should have an ideal and goal to be yearned for, and add human behavior and activities to achieve this ideal and goal.Therefore, Tao must be determined by our ideals and must be completed by our actions.People's actions must have their purpose. This purpose is achieved by practicing the whole process. If you look back, the whole process is the Tao.Therefore, the Tao is actually where the desires of life lie. It must be progressive and active, and it must have its inner purpose and ideal.

From the deduction, the Tao is made by doing it.Whoever walks will be called his way.Therefore, there are many kinds of ways.For example, the way of heaven, the way of authenticity, the way of ghosts and gods, the way of humanity, etc.That is to say, as far as the human way is concerned, since it is called the way from what is to it, there can be many different ways from one to the other.And from this to that, from that to this, all can be called the Tao, so there can be opposite and opposite Taos.Therefore, the kingly way, the overbearing way, the great way, the small way, the way of a gentleman, the way of a villain, the way of Yao and Shun, and the way of Jie and Zhou can all be called the way.Arm Ru said, you go your way, I go my way.Confucius said: "The way is different, do not seek each other." "The Doctrine of the Mean" also said: "The way runs parallel and does not contradict."

Moreover, Taoism sometimes does not work. Confucius said: "The Tao is not feasible, and you can float in the sea on a stern." This refers to the Daoism.Zixia said: "Even though the path is small, there must be someone who can see it, and if you go far, you will be afraid of mud." This refers to the small way.He also said: "The way of a gentleman is long, and the way of a villain disappears. The way of a villain is long, and the way of a gentleman disappears." Because there are opposite and opposite ways, if everyone fights for which one to follow, this one will not work for a while.So there is the so-called right way and no way.No way is actually walking a way that should not be taken, but not taking the way that should be taken. This is tantamount to no way to go, so it is said that there is no way.

The above said the meaning of the word.Why do we say that pre-Qin thought is more important than preaching?For example, "Mencius" talks more about Taoism, and the Six Classics also often talks about Taoism, but less about reasoning.Zhuang Lao also repeated Taoism, so later generations call it Taoism.But the book has repeatedly talked about reason, but the word "reason" in the book is mostly seen in foreign miscellaneous articles.In the seven chapters of "Inner Chapter", there is only the phrase "according to the law of heaven" in "Health Master".If it is said that the foreign miscellaneous chapters came out later, then the concept of reason, although proposed by Taoism, is still a late Taoism.Another example is "Han Feizi·Jie Lao Pian": "The Dao is the reason of all things, and the basis of all principles." , can be classified as late Taoism.They all mentioned the word Li, and said it together with the word Dao, but the status of the word Li was obviously lower than the word Dao.

Another example is "Yi Xici": "Easy and simple, but the principles of the world are obtained." Ye.” This is the most important word in the scriptures.However, "Yi Zhuan" and "Xiao Dai Ji" are not serious, they are both late, and they are also influenced by Taoism.Then Zheng Kangcheng of the later Han Dynasty commented on the phrase "Tianli is destroyed" in "Yue Ji", saying: "Li is still like nature." It can be seen that until the Confucianism in the Eastern Han Dynasty, they still valued nature and Tao in their hearts, and the concept of "Li" was not fully understood. revealed, so then the sex to explain the rationale.Xu Shuzhong's "Shuowen Jiezi" said: "Reason governs jade." He also said: "Knowing the principles can make a difference." Divide and refine.Confucianism in Confucianism values ​​people rather than heaven, so it only talks about the truth without talking about reason.But in Song Confucianism, it also emphasized the word Li, but said that "Xing is Li", and then began to reverse the above-quoted phrase "Li is like Xing", and use Li to explain Xing.This is an excellent example of the difference in the importance of the concept of Li characters between ancient China and later generations.In addition, such as Gao You's annotations in "Huainanzi·Yuan Dao Xun", saying: "Li is the way." The word concept is not clear, and it is not important to see, so it is explained by Tao.But in the Song Confucianism, they all explained the truth.

three At the beginning, the word "Li" was specially proposed, which became a prominent concept in the history of Chinese thought and became an important topic of discussion in the history of Chinese thought. It started with Wang Bi during the Three Kingdoms period.In Wang Bi's commentary, he said: "There must be a reason for everything in the universe."Anything in the world must have its own reason, and it is by no means random.Arrogance means that there is no reason why it is so, and it becomes like this casually.You should know that Mr. Zhuang also only talks about nature. This rational word was specially proposed by Wang Bi, and it is not mentioned in this book.Even in "Yi Xi Ci Zhuan", it only said: "One yin and one yang are called Tao", and also said: "What is below the metaphysics is called the instrument, and what is above the metaphysics is called the Tao." This means that all things in the universe are created by The qi of yin and yang gathers and disperses, separates and combines, and only then can there be a variety of images.What has an image is called a utensil, so a utensil is a form.As for how the qi turns from yin to yang, from yang to yin, how it gathers, disperses, separates, and those movement activities are just a process.The process is ever-changing, it goes away but does not stay, and it has no image to refer to.Therefore, it is said to be metaphysics, and this metaphysics is Tao. "Yi Xi Zhuan" only talks about this, but Wang Bi puts forward the concept of a principle in addition to the original concept of Tao, saying that everything in the universe has its own reason.This is a new point of view, but in the later history of Chinese thought, it had a great influence.

Wang Bi went on to say: "There is a lineage in the order, and there is an origin in the meeting. Therefore, if you look for it from the unification, even though there are many things, you know that you can control it. From this point of view, even though the righteousness is broad, you know that you can be famous. Also." That is to say, everything in the universe has a reason why it is so, and everything is extremely complicated, since everything has a reason for everything, wouldn't it be too many and complicated without reason?But what Wang Bi meant was not the case.He said that the principles of things seem to be many and complicated, but if we arrange them and combine them, they will become a unit (that is, the same origin) and a sect (that is, the same destination), and only then can we see everything in the universe. Behind all things, there is a most primitive and basic principle, which is the birth of all phenomena in the universe.This is really a great theory, and later Chinese thinkers diverted their attention to this issue.

Guo Xiang's commentary also said: "Everything is rational, but it should be followed." In the past, Taoism focused on the word "Tao", so Lao Tzu said: "Tao is born, and virtue is born." He also said: "Man follows the earth, the earth follows the sky, Heaven follows Tao." Everything in the universe is born from Tao, so everything in the universe should follow Tao, that is, obey Tao.And Guo Xiang said that everything in the universe has reason, so it should follow the reason.This is a bit different in terms of expression.Wang Bi and Guo Xiang were Taoists in the Wei and Jin Dynasties. In fact, they can be said to be new Taoists, which are different from the old Taoists in the pre-Qin period.Secondly, we want to mention Zhu Daosheng, a great monk in Buddhism later on, that is, the famous Shenggong in later generations.He also said: "The reason cannot be separated, and the language of enlightenment is extremely clear. With the enlightenment of non-duality, it is in harmony with the principle of indivisibility, which is called epiphany." up.In the past, people only talked about seeking Dao Ming Dao, but Zhu Daosheng shifted the focus to talk about enlightenment.His earth-shattering "sudden enlightenment" theory in Buddhism was originally based on the inseparable view of reason.Later, in the Huayan sect of the Tang Dynasty, the theory that things are not hindered and everything is not hindered evolved.Since every thing in the universe has a reason behind it, and those principles can be unified and united without division, it is natural to see that there is no hindrance to the reason, or even no hindrance to everything.Since there is no hindrance to reason and no hindrance to everything, why should there be a distinction between form and form, and why should there be a difference between entering the world and leaving the world?As a result, Buddhism gradually became the law of the world, and opened up the Confucianism of Song Confucianism in later generations. Song Confucians were called Confucianists, they valued the concept of reason, and they knew it without asking.That is why Zhu Zi said: "As far as the universe and all things are concerned, there is only one principle. If there is this principle, there is this world. If there is no such principle, there is no such world." Zhu Zi's words seem to be repeating Wang Bi's opinion. It just translates Wang Bi's classical Chinese into a style.In terms of its content and meaning, there is no big difference between Zhu Zi and Wang Bi.So Zhu Zi also said: "Today I will examine one thing, and tomorrow I will examine one thing. Once you suddenly understand it, the surface and interior of all things will be fine and rough, and the overall greatness of my heart will be clear." Zhu Zi's words are very similar to Zhu Daosheng.Although investigating things is gradual, understanding is sudden.Only its principle is inseparable, so there is a state of enlightenment once it is suddenly penetrated, and the surface and inner essence of all things can be inexhaustible, and the overall great function of my heart can be incomprehensible.May I ask what is the big difference between what Zhu Zi and Zhu Daosheng said? Therefore, although the concept of Lizi was put forward by Taoism in the pre-Qin period, it was not until the new Taoism in the Wei and Jin Dynasties that it began to develop brilliantly.Buddhism also developed a new Buddhism because of grasping this point of view, and later Song and Ming Confucianism, they paid attention to rational characters, and obviously integrated into the two viewpoints of Taoism and Buddhism, thus creating a new integration of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. Confucianism. Four The above roughly shows that Chinese thought above the Eastern Han Dynasty emphasized preaching, and Chinese thought below the Wei and Jin Dynasties focused on reasoning, and simply cited some empirical evidence.As for more detailed proofs, you can seek them out from books, and I think there is no need to say any more. According to the above statement, if we want to reason with others, if we want to talk about the truths that we Chinese have traditionally valued, we should naturally understand some general content of Chinese intellectual history.Now let me go a step further and make a more detailed comparison of the two words "Tao" and "Li" according to traditional Chinese thought. The way is natural, that is, there is a way only when people walk, and if no one walks, it does not become the way.Therefore, Tao can be chosen. For example, I love to go this way, and you like to go there.If there is a certain road that is easy to walk, then everyone will go to that road, and over time, this will become a great way.Therefore, big talk is common, and it can be said to be natural.For example, you need to rest after eating. If you don't rest, you are prone to stomach problems. Therefore, it is natural to rest after meals.Because it is natural and everyone is like this, it becomes normal.As for reason, it is a reason.Why do you have stomach problems?Because it does not rest after meals, this is why.Since there is a reason, it is inevitable.If you don't rest after a meal, you will inevitably suffer from stomach problems.The reason and necessity of this item, we say it is reasonable.So Tao is to teach people what to do, and reason is to tell people what to do.Why should this be so?Because it is often the case.It can be said that Changran is called Tao.It can also be said that of course it is called Tao.And reason is inevitable.For example, two plus two equals four. This is called the theory of mathematics, but it can only be said to be the principle of number, but it cannot be said to be the way of number.Another example is that when Christians spread the teachings of Jesus, we call it evangelism, we call it evangelism, but we cannot say it is preaching or teaching.It can be seen that even in today's common language, the words "Tao" and "Li" are clearly distinguished. Only reason is the reason why things are, so reason should exist before things.For example, two plus two equals four. This is a mathematical principle, that is, before human beings understand this mathematical principle, that mathematical principle should have existed long ago.Another example is that an apple falls to the ground, this is a physics, we also call it the principle of universal gravitation, but before Newton invented the principle of universal gravitation, that principle should have existed long ago.Therefore, reason can also be said to be natural, while Dao is the beginning of human beings, and it is not natural.Therefore, two plus two equals four, which is a mathematical theory.If I first have two and want to make four, I must add two more. The behavior and activity of adding two to make four can be said to be Tao.Therefore, Dao needs to be completed after actions. Therefore, some kind of business behavior and activities must have been added to the concept of Dao.As for reason, there is no need for cause, no need for behavior and activity, but it already exists. Therefore, Tao can be created. Confucius said: "Man can expand Tao, but Tao cannot expand people." If there is no human activity and behavior, there will be no Tao.That being the case, how can Dao come to Hong Dao, but people are on Hong Dao.In simple terms, roads are opened and built by people, and people can open and build a way that is convenient for people, so it is said that people can expand the way.But even if there is this way, if people do not walk on this way, it still means that there is no such way, and this way will eventually be destroyed.So it is not Daohong people.This is the only way, so we not only talk about the great way, but also talk about the way of practice, the way of understanding, and the way of goodness.In short, Dao cannot be separated from human affairs, and cannot be separated from human behavior and activities.If there is no way, one can be created.If the road is too small, it can be widened to make it a road.The initiative of Tao lies in people. But reason is not the case. Man can only discover and invent reason, but cannot create reason.In the past, people did not understand the principle of airplanes, but now people have discovered and invented them.But people can only invent the theory of this airplane at most.It cannot be said that man created the principle of airplane.Because the principle of airplanes is the reason why airplanes are, before there are no airplanes, there should be the existence of the principles of airplanes.Human beings can only create airplanes based on the already existing principles of airplanes, but human beings cannot create airplanes first because they want to build airplanes.All creation depends on reason, and reason cannot be created where there is no reason.Therefore, Tao is to be created and completed by people, and its initiative lies in people.But reason exists prior to things, and does not wait for people to create it, and its initiative is not in people.Therefore, the principles first exist and remain unchanged.Dao creates life, changes constantly.This is a big difference between Dao and Li. In other words, reason prescribes everything, and Tao accomplishes everything.Seeking completion is not limited to one method and one route, so the Tao belongs to many and can be changed.The principle that prescribes everything is unique, absolute, and unchangeable.That is to say, take tea or coffee to quench thirst, tea can quench thirst, and coffee can also quench thirst, so some places drink tea, or some places drink coffee.There are many ways to quench thirst, and they can be different, but the reason why they can quench thirst is the same.The reason why tea and coffee can quench thirst is the same reason.Therefore, although there are many ways, the principles are the same.Although Tao is changeable, reason is pre-determined.Before humans invented tea and coffee as beverages, the principle of how to quench thirst already existed.After humans invented drinking tea and coffee, there was no increase in the existence of this thirst-quenching principle.Before the invention of tea and coffee, the existence of this thirst-quenching principle did not diminish.Therefore, reason is unshakable, while Tao is as flexible as possible.As long as it meets the principle of quenching thirst, in addition to tea and coffee, human beings can also invent new beverages in the future.But its reason is unique, absolute, and unchanging, so common sayings only talk about rationality and unreasonability.In short, it's just right or wrong.If it fits, it's right, if it doesn't fit, it's wrong.If it is not in line with the principle of quenching thirst, that is, it does not quench thirst.If it is not in line with the principle of taking off, it will not take off.The Dao can be varied and flexible, so we usually only say that it is close to the Dao, or farther than the Dao, or that it is not far from the Dao, but we don’t talk about whether it is in line with the Dao or not. Fives Now let's try to go a step further and talk in another direction.It exists prior to things, unique and immutable.Although we cannot create principles, we can discover and invent principles.In other words, principles are knowable.Since the reason has already been there, and it is always there without changing, we may not know the existence of this reason today, but we will gradually know it.The study of Gewuqiongli was established from this.But the Tao is not there at all, it is still waiting for a certain active person to create the Tao through the action, and the Tao can always change, so the Tao is unknowable.For example, if he is thirsty, how can you know that he will find a drink, and how can you know that he will drink tea instead of coffee?This is another great difference between reason and Tao. It is said above that reason pre-determined and can be known, but how can people ever know the reason that all things exist and have already been determined?In fact, this statement is just a truth, and it is impossible for human intelligence to recognize this truth and prove it.Human beings only think that everything in the universe has its own reasons. In the universe, there are no things that exist without reason, and things must not appear without reason.Since things appear, they must be accompanied by reason, so we say that reason exists before things.If reason exists without prior things, wouldn't it be possible for unreasonable things to appear in the universe?If this universe allows things that appear and exist without reason, then this universe may be round with many angles, and it may be lifeless and dead, all unimaginable.Tomorrow's universe may become an unknowable universe, and human beings will not be able to live in this universe with peace of mind.There will be nowhere to focus, and nothing to do.Fortunately, there is a reason for everything in this universe.Even though there are still many unspeakable truths in the knowledge of human beings today, all things always exist like this, waiting for people to slowly think, explore, and discover.And since everything has reason, it must first come from a principle.This principle was called "Tianli" in Song Confucianism. Why do we say that all principles in the universe must first come from one principle?Because if there are two principles or more than two principles in the universe, then these two principles will inevitably form two universes, and these two universes will always conflict, and it will still be an uninhabitable and unimaginable universe.Therefore, the universe is only a complete one, so the principle that forms the universe must first be only one principle.We can only say that "Tao runs parallel without conflicting", but we cannot say that "reasons coexist without conflicting".If there is no contradiction, then it can be understood, and it is still the same reason.Therefore, in terms of reason, there must be reason in the universe, and it seems to exist before things, and there should be only one reason in the unified sect, that is, the principle of heaven, the largest and all-encompassing reason, always exists in this way.Otherwise, if this principle does not exist first, or if more than one principle exists, or if it exists but is still changeable, the universe will be an unimaginable thing after all, and it will not be able to allow people to live in peace for a day.And can't survive.Therefore, as far as human reason is concerned, it is necessary to believe that in this universe, there is a pre-existing and ultimately knowable reason.Confucianism in the Song Dynasty put forward the concept of "Tian Li" and the concept of "Li comes first and then exists", to the effect that this is all.In fact, this statement is still only a purely abstract theory, and cannot be concretely verified.In fact, Wang Bi had already exhausted this statement, even in Song Confucianism, he could not escape the scope of what Wang Bi said.So a statement.It's just as it should be, and I can't say it specifically.To be specific, it comes down to phenomena again, and it is not the absolute and unique Dali that existed before the universe. six Speaking of this, it is inevitable to involve another new problem.Everything in the universe is the same, but not the same.Some Taos belong to humans, but some Taos do not belong to humans.This kind of way that does not belong to human beings is obviously greater than the scope of human way in terms of the whole cosmology, so it is also more important.The ancient Chinese called all these Taos "the Tao of Heaven".And what is the sky?This is again unknowable. "Mencius" said: "Those who do nothing but do it are called heaven." We clearly see that there is such a way, but we don't know who is behind the way, so we attribute it to heaven.Life is from the knowable (the way of humanity) to the unknowable (the way of heaven). It can also be said that the unknowable (the way of heaven) produces the knowable (the way of humanity), and the known is always surrounded by the unknowable (the way of heaven). .In other words, the realm of heaven is higher than that of man, and man can never escape from heaven.Therefore, people who seek to understand the way, practice the way, be good at the way, and grand the way must first know what is unknowable. This is the so-called knowledge of heaven and destiny in Confucius, Mencius and Confucianism. The so-called knowing the sky and knowing the destiny, in simple terms, is to know what is unknowable.This theory is also advocated by Taoist Zhuang Zhou.But people's hearts are unwilling to be surrounded by this unknowable, and always want to break through this unknowable and achieve the knowable.Lao Tzu has this idea.Therefore, Lao Tzu tried to invert the position of Tao above the sky. He said: "Man follows the earth, the earth follows the sky, the sky follows the Tao, and the Tao gives birth to the heavens and the earth." Woolen cloth?This question must be answered and resolved.So Laozi said: "Tao follows nature." In Laozi's meaning, he only said that Dao is just like this, and there is no initiative behind it, so it is called nature.Since the Tao itself is in this way, there is no need to ask who is its initiator.However, as far as the meaning of the above-mentioned word Dao is concerned, Dao must have an initiative behind it.If you say that you are like this, and Taoism is natural, then Taoism itself seems to have no rules and principles.The theory that Taoism follows nature is too flimsy and elusive, so Wang Bi was forced to come up with a word "Li" to make the problem easier to solve. Because although the way of heaven is unknowable, the law of heaven is knowable.There should be an active person behind Tao, and reason is the reason why everything is so, and there is no need to seek an initiative behind reason.This statement, when it comes to Song Confucianism, makes it even clearer.Zhu Zi said: "Emperor is ruled by reason." This means that even God must follow reason, so reason becomes God's master.If it is said that God can create the world and all things, God must also create according to reason.God created the world, but could not create the reason for the creation of the world.The principle stipulates everything, and at the same time it can also regulate God, so God can only create the world according to this principle.Or you can say that God himself is the reason for the creation of the world, but the highest position of God can only end here.Therefore, Zhu Zi wanted to say that reason is God, and God is ruled by reason.Therefore, Song Confucianism said that the principle of heaven was higher than the status of heaven.The word Tianli in Tianli has only become an adjective of the word Li, which is completely different from the way of heaven that the ancients said. If we talk about the way of heaven, it means that heaven walks its way and walks its way.Just like the cycle of the sun and the moon, the coming and going of the cold, the sun goes down, the moon rises, summer is over, and winter is coming, this is where the sky goes its way.But we can only know that heaven is doing this, but we don't know where heaven is going to go, and we can't guarantee whether it will always do this.In other words, does heaven have a will and a plan, and what exactly is its will and plan?This is an unknowable.But if we talk about nature, although the unknowable problem of heaven may not exist, nature should also have a reason. We cannot just say it is natural, let alone ask its reason.In this regard, Guo Xiang's thinking is not as good as Wang Bi's.Because of Guo Xiang's notes, nature is more important than reason.And Laozi's thoughts are not as good as Zhuang Zhou's.Because Zhuang Zhou said, there is still one day left, and Lao Tzu wants to erase that day lightly, and only one remains. "Yi Xi Zhuan" inherits Lao Tzu's thoughts, and there is only one way, and there is no sky anymore.That's why Wang Bi was forced out.Now when it comes to reason, it is obvious that it is different from Tao.Causes are pre-determined and unchangeable.Just like at this moment, when you listen to my speech, you don't know what I have to say next.But if you look at my sloppy calculations, you don't need to read them. As long as you understand the formulas, you will definitely get the answers.Whether you act or I act, if you don't answer this way, the calculus must be wrong. seven When we say this, doesn’t it mean that the spirit of poor reasoning of Confucianism in Song Dynasty is far better than the spirit of enlightenment in Confucianism of Qin Dynasty?This is not always the case.Having said this, we have to move on to another issue.We only hear about "the way of heaven" and "the way of humanity", but we have never heard of "the way of things".We also only hear about "natural principles" and "physical principles", but few people talk about "human principles".It can be seen that if the focus is on preaching, then heaven and man are in opposition.If you focus on reasoning, it becomes the opposition between heaven and things.Human beings are only included in things, and there is no place for them to stand on their own.When it comes to the way of heaven, heaven is unknowable, so the status of heaven is high, and the status of human beings is also high.If we talk about the principles of heaven, we can know the nature of heaven, not only the status of heaven is lowered, but also the status of human beings is also lowered.Because there must be an initiative behind the Tao, human beings themselves are also the initiative of the Tao, and there is the so-called human way.Therefore, "heaven" and "man" are opposed, and the status of man is exalted.Due to the opposition between heaven and man, it is possible to achieve the realm of interlinkage between heaven and man, and the unity of heaven and man. This is the highest realm for ancient Chinese people to seek to understand the way.As for all things, they cannot take the initiative, so there is no way of things, and the way of things is included in the way of heaven.As for reason, it first prescribes everything and rules everything.Human beings also have to accept the rules and dominance, so human beings are also included in things and become only one thing.Therefore, there is only astrophysics, where "heaven" and "things" are opposed, and there is no place for human beings.Moreover, the sky becomes only one thing, and it also accepts its regulation and control.If this is the case, the heaven, earth and all things are integrated into one body, and only reason is higher than it. In this way, the rational world is actually just a materialistic world.Not only is there no God, but there is no man either.This universe is governed by only one principle, and this principle can only be sought on things, so it is said that "gewuqiongli".Therefore, this rational world is actually still a world that human beings cannot bear.Therefore, emphasizing Tao and emphasizing theory will inevitably form two views of the universe and two outlooks on life.In the universe of Tao, there are many possible changes in the process of creation, and some places can be decided by people.The universe of reason has been stipulated in advance, and within this regulation, there can be no changes, no one can make other claims, and there is room for other activities. But which view is right?I think, according to the Chinese people's point of view, that is, according to the history of Chinese thought, the universe could have these two views.From a certain point of view, the universe is dynamic, can be created, and allows people to intervene and make decisions.From another point of view, the universe is fixed and regulated, and no one is allowed to intervene in making decisions.The universe is like this, and so is life.In other words, in this universe, some are knowable, while some are ultimately unknowable.The universe is by no means completely unknowable, but it is by no means completely knowable either.This universe is by no means completely unreformable, but it is by no means completely reformable either.This universe is limited, but within its limitation, there are infinite possibilities.The universe is like this, and so is life. I think the principles of the universe and life that the Chinese talk about should be as above.Therefore, if we want to ask, is this world, according to the Chinese view, the world of Tao?Or is it the world of reason?It would be better to say that this world is a world in which principles are united and complement each other.However, the ancient Chinese used more thought in the concept of Dao characters.On the other hand, Chinese people of later generations have used more thought in the concept of Lizi.Therefore, although there are differences between Wang Bi and Guo Xiang and Zhuang and Lao Li's theories, they are still similar in general.Although Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi differ from those of Confucius and Meng Li, they still share the same fundamentals.Confucianism, Mencius, Zhuang and Lao still have a lot in common, and this has become the commonality of Chinese thought. Eight Now if we compare Chinese thinking with Western European thinking, let us only look at it in a rough way. I think that the Chinese preaching is somewhat close to the spirit of Western religions.The Chinese reasoning is somewhat close to the spirit of Western science.This is just like Jesus taught preaching, but not theory, and physics cannot be called Taoism, that is to say.In Chinese people's thinking, it is believed that there should be an inner natural way to follow in the whole universe, and there should also be a master. Although this master is unknown to human intellect, human beings can still understand it based on what they know. The above is unknowable, and the unity and connection of the two is where the religious spirit of the Chinese lies. The Chinese also believe that the universe is governed by an inevitable principle, and this inevitable principle, as far as human knowledge is concerned, can be studied at any time, any place, and everything in order to achieve a state of enlightenment. This is where the scientific spirit of the Chinese people lies.China does not have its own religion and loves preaching. China does not have a complete set of science like the modern West and loves reasoning.In the West, religion and science have parted ways and are struggling to reconcile.But in China, it is believed that Dao is reason and reason is Dao.Dao and reason, although sometimes they should be discussed separately, and sometimes together, it seems that although they can be separated, they do not need to be strictly separated.If we follow Zhu Zi's spirit of "getting things and poor principles", we will become science.If we follow the spirit of Confucius, "Innate virtue comes from me, and those who know me are from heaven," it will become a religion.Precisely because the Chinese hold a cosmology that "reasons unite and complement each other", the boundaries between religion and science are blended and harmonized in Chinese thinking, and there is no great conflict.In general terms, it seems that the Chinese place more emphasis on preaching.Westerners tend to seek reason. In the Middle Ages of the West, because the religious spirit was too biased towards one path of development, the so-called dark age appeared on the other side.In the past two hundred years, due to the rapid development of new science, it is still too partial to development, and it is out of touch with society and humanities, which has led to various problems.There is also a generation of thinkers who try to use various laws and regulations in natural science to speculate on the entire universe, so materialist philosophy is all the rage.If you judge from the perspective of Chinese thought, you will only see the world of reason, but not the world of Taoism.Still only see one aspect of this universe and ignore the other.In particular, they tried to apply the laws of natural science to the humanities.The most extreme ones, such as Marx's materialist dialectics, and its purely economic view of history, everything is destined, and the status of the individual is completely obliterated.He does not know that in human society, personal factors play an important role.And all activities and creations of human beings, within the provisions of this limited universe, allow infinite possibilities.He paid attention to physics and neglected humanity.As I said above, he erased the human element in the concept of heaven, leaving only the material element.At most, they only see the principles of heaven, but not the way of heaven.Therefore, the god element in the concept of heaven, that is, the unknowable aspect of human intelligence, was erased. Only in China, not purely rational, do not think that purely rational speculation can solve all the mysteries of the universe.The Chinese believe that the universe, in addition to the rules of reason, still has the operation of Tao.Human nature is originally from the sky, but it can still communicate with the sky and be in harmony with the sky.Therefore, in humanity, there is also a part of God.In the sky, there is a part to know.And partly unknown.In man, too, there are parts that are knowable and parts that are not.In this unknowable part, however, there remains the possibility of human activities in many ways.Therefore, the universe can still be created step by step, not all pre-determined.It is up to people to open up the situation, rush forward, and create a new way.Such theories have a religious spirit and are not accepted by purely scientific viewers.This is an opinion worthy of attention obtained through continuous discussion throughout the history of Chinese thought.