On “Ecological Confucianism” and Its Theoretical and Practical Significance

Abstract

Since Confucian philosophy is essentially an ecological philosophy, the concept of “ecological Confucianism” can indeed be established. Confucianism divides nature into four types of objects, namely, animals, plants, land, and mountains and rivers, and presents ecological understanding and treatment measures for these elements across the three dimensions of religion, morality, and politics and law. Ecological Confucianism features a category system composed of concepts such asqi气(a vital force), tong 通 (communication), he 和 (harmony), sheng 生 (life), shi 时 (time), dao 道 (Way) and ren 仁(benevolence). It also encompasses an ecological view composed of ecological ontology, ecological theory of kung fu, and ecological theory of visionary world. Furthermore, it carries a history of development with intrinsic logical connections. Confucian philosophy advocates for spiritual harmony, interpersonal harmony, social harmony, and international harmony, which are all based on the harmony between humanity and nature. Ecological Confucianism can not only facilitate the understanding of Confucian philosophy and even Chinese philosophy, but also contribute to advancing the breakthroughs of philosophy itself. It prompts us to reconsider the concepts of “subject” and “object,” and rebuild the theory of subject-object relationship, thus leading to the second enlightenment within the realm of world philosophy.

Key words： ecological Confucianism; Confucian ecological philosophy; subject-object relationship; second enlightenment