Re: China: Mandate of heaven?

On Fri, 23 May 2008 04:56:31 +0800, Raymond wrote
(in article <nbnb34p765ngcu7nbb9em7u5oodi14nls3@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>):

> Only an idiot would use western philosophical mindset to understand
> Oriental wisdom. And we have just found one.

Weird. Not a single word of Mr. Fung implies using a western philosophical

mindset to understand Oriental wisdom.

BTW, I thought you sup****ted Mao. It was his fondest wish to eliminate the

influence of Con****ius's "backward ideas".

Maybe you should read what Mao said.

In the half-century history of communist China, however, Con****ian thought

was not always celebrated as an enduring symbol of Chinese civilization.
In 
one famous passage written in 1969, the Great Helmsman Mao Zedong boasted 
that he had outdone by ''more than a hundredfold'' the first emperor Qin 
****huang, who buried alive 460 Con****ian scholars and burned their books.
''I 
think he [Qin ****huang] killed too few Con****ian scholars,'' wrote Mao.
''All 
those Con****ian scholars were indeed counter-revolutionaries.''

While he wholeheartedly denounced Con****ianism, Mao admired the political 
philosophy of Legalism, expounded by Han Fei, a rival of Con****ius. In the

midst of the Cultural Revolution, from 1966 to 1976, Mao even launched a 
nationwide campaign ordering everyone to study the Legalists.

In contrast to Con****ianism, which stresses benevolence and the im****tance
of 
morality, Legalism emphasizes the absolute power of the state over its 
subjects. Everyone except for the ruler can be punished, and law is a tool
to 
keep the population under control.

http://www.atimes.com/china/AI15Ad01.html


> On Wed, 21 May 2008 10:39:35 -0700, "Albert K. Fung"
> <akwfung@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> 
>> A regrettable slight of hand ....
>> 
>> "Metaphorical" in the humble posting, should have been "meta
>> -physical". The eminent Con****ianist, Xun Zi, was widely ac-
>> claimed as pivotal, in the transformation of China's seminal
>> school of thought.
>> 
>> And propel it into philosophy ....
>> 
>> Regards,
>> 
>> Albert K. Fung
>> Casa Tres Palmas, Santa Ynez, California, USA.
>> 
>>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> 
>>>> 天道有常，不為堯存，不為桀亡 .... (荀子/天論篇)
>>> 
>>> pan6pcpc:
>>> 
>>>> Do you really understand the sentence above ?
>>>> It means "The nature has its own rules,which does not depend on
whether
>>>> the emperor is cruel or kind".
>>>> 
>>>> And you maybe know these:
>>>> 子曰:未知生,焉知死?
>>>> 子曰:未能事人,焉能事鬼?
>>>> 子不语怪力乱神。
>>> 
>>> Just a few points of fact ....
>>> 
>>> Nature, is not the Chinese notiion of heaven. The former, is
>>> passive and amoral. While the latter is anthropomorphic, and
>>> benevolent.
>>> 
>>> Dao, is far more comprehensive and encompassing than rule.
>>> 
>>> A more appropriate translation is: "The Heaven, moves in its
>>> consistent ways and does not entertain favoritism."
>>> 
>>> As to the quotes from the Con****ian Analects, one must under
>>> -stand that the gentleman from Qufu does not have an body of
>>> work that amounts to a philosophical system.  His followers,
>>> the likes of 荀子, labored hard to give the school of thought
>>> a metaphorical foundation, among other theoretical contribut
>>> -ions. Without which Con****ianism would just be a collection
>>> of inconsistent moral imperatives.
>>> 
>>> And contradictory ethical dictums ....
>> ---
>> Posted via news://freenews.netfront.net
>> Complaints to news@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 
Love, Jim
(I often delete parts of the previous post and I often remove excessive 
crossposts.)


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