Chapter 523: Unity of Knowledge and Action

That's right.

Unity of Knowledge and Action.

This was the Method Liu Zheng had come up with to resolve the current ideological issues in Liangzhou after racking his brain all night yesterday.

Liu Zheng had actually never stopped thinking about ideology. Especially after he confronted those Confucian scholars who revered Confucius at Wangbei Academy, he summarized his own remarks at the time—this state of mind was exactly like arguing with someone outside during the day; even though he won the argument, he suddenly felt at home that night that he hadn't performed at his best. He could have completely used a more mature doctrine to crush them.

This doctrine.

Was Wang Yangming's Heart Learning.

What is Heart Learning? There is naturally no need to go into detail here; only two points need to be mentioned. Wang Yangming is ranked alongside Confucius, Mencius, and Zhu Xi as the "Confucius, Mencius, Zhu, and Wang"! Harvard professor Tu Weiming once evaluated that Wang Yangming has been the source of living water for Confucianism over the past five hundred years. What does this "source of living water" refer to? Originally, the backwardness of Confucian thought was no longer suitable for the development stage of the Ming Dynasty at that time.

But Wang Yangming, through his own profound learning, forcibly revitalized it.

Inheritance and innovation.

With his theory of Unity of Knowledge and Action, he corrected Zhu Xi's view of knowledge preceding action.

Looking at the trajectory of the development of the history of thought, Heart Learning can be said to be the self-innovation of Confucianism, and also the last peak of Confucianism. In the academic circles of the Ming Dynasty, Wang Yangming's Heart Learning stirred up huge waves and became the magnificent mainstream ideology.

Therefore, during that time in the Ming Dynasty, Wang Yangming's Heart Learning was called the "learning to save the world," and this is not an exaggeration at all.

Some people might want to say.

Isn't Liu Zheng criticizing Confucianism?

What he was criticizing was actually the Confucianism that reveres the emperor and keeps the people ignorant. But Wang Yangming's Confucian thought advocated the equality of sages and ordinary people; he believed that sages and ordinary people are the same, and it is not that they know everything and can do everything. There is only one difference between a sage and an ordinary person, and that lies in whether one can discover the Innate Knowledge within one's heart.

Therefore.

When Wang Yangming's Heart Learning first emerged, it made a considerable contribution to the development of the Ming Dynasty. During that period, many of Wang Yangming's followers were able to consider the people, hoping that the imperial court could be people-oriented and pay attention to the joys and sorrows of the commoners. Since its spread in the Ming Dynasty, Heart Learning has been highly esteemed by people; it was like a huge divine axe that split open the feudal, rigid concepts that bound people's inner thoughts, shaking the status of feudal ideas.

Spiritually, Heart Learning supported the toiling masses; it opposed the exploitation and oppression of feudal society and gave hope to the people.

In his lectures, Wang Yangming once said, "Everyone Can Be Yao or Shun" and "Everyone Is a Sage"! He believed that everyone is equal, with no distinction between high and low, noble and base.

Thus, it can be seen that Heart Learning is already the highest level of Confucianism!

The People's Moral Standard thought that Liu Zheng proposed when he was at Wangbei Academy was certainly advanced. But looking at it now, it was still too sharp and too extreme. The influence of thousands of years of Confucian thought on society, scholars, and the people alike was still deeply rooted.

Therefore.

He now believes that Heart Learning is more suitable for the current Longyan.

On one hand.

Heart Learning can liberate the thoughts of the scholars of the Longyan Dynasty today, who have been imprisoned for thousands of years by various rules and regulations.

On the other hand.

Heart Learning can promote social development in terms of thought, philosophy, technology, and even politics and civilization.

In the current Longyan Dynasty, the development of Confucian thought actually leans more towards Song Confucianism and Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, which are too dogmatic. However, the viewpoints in Heart Learning such as "Extending Innate Knowledge," "Everyone Can Be Yao or Shun," and "Everyone Has Confucius in Their Heart" already have commonalities with the advanced democratic thoughts of the later Western world.

Even Wang Yangming's Heart Learning has had a far-reaching influence on Japan, the United States, and even Europe, but that is a discussion for another time.

Therefore.

Liu Zheng believes.

Heart Learning, which advocates political equality and values natural science, can almost save the current Liangzhou, and can even save the current Longyan.

Liu Zheng only felt.

With the rapid economic development of Liangzhou, work in the ideological aspect must also keep up.

Therefore.

He must bring out his trump card.

He searched his brain for any knowledge regarding Heart Learning and buried his head in writing furiously.

……

A day passed just like that.

The number of scholars gathering at the entrance of the Liangzhou Prefecture office grew larger and larger. At every time of day, one could see groups of travel-worn scholars, who didn't even know where they had rushed from, joining the ranks of those crusading against the Prefect Liu with faces full of righteous indignation.

"Prefect Liu, you must give us scholars of the world an explanation!"

"Prefect Liu, are you afraid?"

"I hear Prefect Liu is skilled in lecturing; why not come out and debate with us?"

"Rebellious, insulting the sages, spitting on Classical Studies—does Prefect Liu intend to be the enemy of the world?"

These people were still arguing and still making a scene.

Almost every one of them held a copy of a Confucian classic in their hands. This was the Classical Studies they revered! In their cognition, these Confucian classics were the mysteries of heaven and earth; Confucian classics determined the sages and imperial power! Confucian classics were the beginning and end of everything. In the cognition of these people, the Way of Confucius and Mencius was the only correct one from ancient times to the present, and from the creation of the world until eternity, it was absolutely correct and could not be changed or profaned!

The sage is the complete embodiment of morality, and the sage's classics are the most perfect and sound embodiment of morality. Therefore, to learn morality, one should study the sage's classics!

This Prefect Liu not only criticized the sage but also criticized Confucian Classical Studies.

Who could tolerate you?

The next day.

Great literary masters who disregarded the fatigue of travel even came to this Liangzhou Prefecture.

These people were then even more excited.

Great literary masters and great Confucian scholars from all walks of life arrived one after another.

The pressure on the Liangzhou Prefecture office became greater and greater.