Political thought in ancient China
Chinese civilization has enriched human political thought, with very in-depth contributions, so the “thinker” appears as a basic unit of analysis expressing the “idea.” One of the most influential thinkers of China was (Confucius) (551-469 BC), the work of (Confucius) in several stores For documents in Chinese aristocratic palaces. Confucius lived in the shadow of the collapse of the empire and the transition to the eras of the autocratic aristocracy in ancient China, a stage of political disintegration and conflict between the states or what is known (the era of the Warring States) (475-220 BC). This period was characterized as a flourishing period for philosophy and thought, although it A period of political turmoil. During this period, various currents emerged, and the call for a return to adhering to moral values arose as the only way out of the crisis through political reform. Confucius belonged to the reformist trend and considered his thought reformist. Confucius's social philosophy is based on morality and virtue, and the transfer of thought from the divine to the humanities, so he was interested in dealing with worldly matters with a view to returning to a prosperous past under the Chu empire. Confucius worked on paying attention to heritage. He studied ancient books and ideas passed down from generations. He collected and investigated the Chinese heritage books known as the Five Classics: History, Songs, Rituals, Spring and Autumn Annals, and Variables. These books became the foundations of Confucian teachings. Confucius emphasized that It is well known that (Confucius) refused to write down his views in his life, the books attributed to him - the dialogues or selections, the great teachings and the doctrine of the middle - were all written by his students and followers, it is his followers who recorded his heritage The intellectual (Minciusi), the author of the book named after his name, which must be viewed by everyone who adheres to Confucianism, even though (Minciusi) came after (Confucius) by about a century. (Confucius) did not claim prophecy, yet a measure of holiness was added to his personality and teachings, so that he called his books (the sacred books) and allowed offerings to be offered to him after his death. It is proven that (Confucius) was keen to spread his ideas and teachings, and was able to collect his money from an estimated 3000 students. himself with authority, and he stated that his goal of traveling is to spread his teachings and ideas: (a constant quest and a valuable effort in the hope of advancing thought and staving off the misguidances of rigidity and fanaticism, and not the goal of fame and bragging about eloquence), (that all misguided ideas that deviated from a sound thought bear the seeds of an imminent danger, There is no way to ward off danger except by correcting the idea and purifying the understanding from the taint of falsehoods. Confucius adhered to the advice of rulers and the principles of transactions.
Confucius is not considered a political thinker as much as a social philosopher, despite the interference of his political ideas in the entirety of his moral educational teachings. In his opinion, politics depends on ethics that is based on education. The ideas of (Confucius) are partial and limited within the framework of his moral teachings that are characterized by humanity. Humanism according to (Confucius) is the highest moral value: (If people united around humanity, evil would end in the world). Confucius' view of nature was characterized by optimism and the unity of the human race. One of his ideas is a wish that the world would become a single republic in which talents would rule. Confucius did not address the emergence of the state for his focus on the family as the basic unit in the state, so he focused on the extended family, and the role of the state in achieving happiness for individuals. Genealogy across generations. (Confucius) was interested in heritage and society, in his perception that the beginning starts from the smallest unit, which is the family. In Confucius's opinion, man begins with the smallest unit, which is the family. With regard to his actions, especially with other human beings, and with regard to the memory he leaves behind.
The essence of Confucius’s social philosophy is based on human sympathy and love for others: (What you hate for yourself, you don’t love for others). Applying Confucius’s moral philosophy is built in the family, from which the individual sets out in a network of complex relationships leading to the relationship between the ruler and the ruled that is based On the same transaction values. (Confucius) gave education the greatest importance, making it based on the principle of equality and equal opportunities: (Everyone has the right to education equally, as well as continuity, self-payment, and a qualified teacher). with understanding. Confucius encouraged critical analysis, so he paid attention to the method of dialogue that he followed as an entrance to the delivery of his moral philosophical message that is based on the role of the mind and the education of the senses. His educational program: (inherited rituals, music, archery, equestrianism, and ancient literature, including calligraphy and arithmetic). Confucius explained the necessity of linking the idea with the application, as he was not a philosopher isolated from society calling for utopian ideas. Corruption of government leads to the corruption of the family system and its dissolution, which leads to corruption of government. Reform can only be achieved through the reform of souls, considering morals the only entrance to politics. This is why he gave the government an ethical and political role that goes along with the dissemination of education among individuals, considering this to be in the politics, which he gave a wide meaning. Politics according to (Confucius) is not limited to assuming positions and exercising official authority or the relationship between the ruler and the ruled. He has a special vision about the basis of governance in the light of his moral system:
The philosophy of governance in the opinion of (Confucius) is based on the commitment of each person to his role and his competence with perfection: (The basis for me is that every priest must adhere to his temple, and every Sheikh must adhere to his own way, the prince has his emirate, the minister has his position, and the father has his responsibility as the son must obey him). Confucius was interested in reforming (nominal categories) to match the work with the title of the position, in order to avoid social chaos, so his theory was known as (Jan Ming) and considered the first principles of government. He adopted the principle of competence in assuming positions, i.e. specialization and competence. He opposed the principle of heredity in governance, and called for the ruler to become the ideal and role model. He urged his people to work hard and to take lofty morals as the basis for his rule: orbits of orbits and planets). Confucius laid down nine principles for how to govern and state policy, which are: (1) Self-discipline 2- Reverence for rulers 3- Relationship with relatives 4- Reverence for high-ranking ministers 5- Courtship of the common and simple 6- Reverence for the status of small officials and encouraging them to progress 7- Closeness To the traveling craftsmen and those with simple professions 8- Accommodating the stranger, the wayfarer 9- Obedience to the emir with sincerity and trust.
The importance of (Confucius), in human political thought, is that he developed and renewed the heritage, and formulated a philosophical trend and ideological doctrine that continued throughout history and kept pace with the ages with development and advancement. It is worth noting that despite the decline of Confucianism in the early twentieth century, it quickly returned to confront the external threat to the state. The facts confirm that (Confucianism) managed to withstand and extended its influence to Japan and Korea. Not only that, it competed with the ideology of Western liberalism.
الفكر السياسي في الصين القديمة
رفدت الحضارة الصينية الفكر السياسي الانساني ، باسهامات غاية في العمق ، فيظهر "المفكر" كوحدة تحليل اساسية معبرة عن " الفكرة" ، فمن ابرز مفكري الصين ذوي التاثير (كونفوشيوس) (551-469 ق.م) ، عمل (كونفوشيوس) في عدة مخازن للوثائق في القصور الارستقراطية الصينية . عاش (كونفوشيوس) في ظل انهيار الامبراطورية والانتقال الى عصور الارستقراطية الاتوقراطية في الصين القديمة ، وهي مرحلة تفكك سياسي وصراع بين الدويلات او ماعرف ( بعصر الدول المتحاربة)(475-220 ق.م)، تميزت هذه الفترة بانها فترة ازدهار للفلسفة والفكر رغم انها فترة اضطرابات سياسية ، ففي هذه الفترة قد نشأة تيارات مختلفة فتعالت الدعوة للعودة للتمسك بالقيم الاخلاقية على انها المخرج الوحيد من الازمة بالاصلاح السياسي. انتمى (كونفوشيوس) للاتجاه الاصلاحي ويعتبر فكره اصلاحي ، ففلسفة (كونفوشيوس) الاجتماعية قائمة على الاخلاق والفضيلة ، ونقل الفكر من الالهيات الى الانسانيات ، فاهتم بتناول الامور الدنيوية بغاية العودة الى ماض مزدهر في ظل امبراطورية ( تشو). عمل (كونفوشيوس) على الاهتمام بالتراث ، فدرس الكتب القديمة والافكار التي توارثتها الاجيال ، فجمع وحقق كتب التراث الصيني التي عرفت بالكلاسيكيات الخمسة : التاريخ ، الاغاني ، الطقوس ، حوليات الربيع والخريف ، والمتغيرات – فهذه الكتب اصبحت مرتكزات تعاليم الكونفوشيوسية ، اكد (كونفوشيوس) بانه مجتهد وليس مبتدعا وانه مجرد ناقل للتراث وقائم على احيائه ، المعروف ان (كونفوشيوس) رفض تدوين اراوءه في حياته ، فقد وضعت الكتب المنسوبة اليه – المحاورات او المختارات ، والتعاليم الكبرى وعقيدة الوسط – كلها قد وضعت من جانب تلاميذه واتباعه ، فمن اتباعه الذين سجلوا تراثه الفكري ( منشيوسي) صاحب الكتاب المسمى باسمه والذي لابد من الاطلاع عليه لكل من ينتظم في الكونفوشيوسية ، رغم ان ( منشيوسي) جاء بعد (كونفوشيوس) بنحو قرن من الزمان. (كونفوشيوس) لم يدع النبوءة ، ومع ذلك اضيفت الى شخصيته وتعاليمه قدر من القداسة ، بحيث اطلق على كتبه( الكتب المقدسة) كما سمح بتقديم القرابين له بعد وفاته . الثابت ان (كونفوشيوس) حرص على نشر افكاره وتعاليمه ، واستطاع ان يجمع حواله ما يقدر بنحو 3000 تلميذ، كما ظل يتجول مع اتباع من مكان لاخر ناشرا تعاليمه ، وباحثا عن حاكم يقبل تطبيقها ، ولم يشتغل (كونفوشيوس) في منصب كبير يذكر ، ولم يربط نفسه بالسلطة ، وقد ذكر ان هدفه من التنقل هو نشر تعاليمه وافكاره :( سعي دائم وجهد قيم املا في رقي الفكر ودرءا لضلالات الجمود والتعصب وليس الهدف الشهرة والتباهي بالفصاحة) ،( ان كل الافكار الضالة التي حادت عن فكر قويم ، تحمل بذور خطر داهم ، ولا سبيل الى دفع الخطر الا بتصحيح الفكرة وتنقية الفهم من شائبة الاباطيل) . تمسك (كونفوشيوس) بنصح الحكام واصول المعاملات، اما الحرب والصراع ، فلا شأن له بها ، فقد كان داعية قيم واخلاق كمدخل للسياسية.
The new China that was formed after the revolution led by Chairman Mao Zedong, however, adopts neo-Confucianism in its political behavior more than its commitment to the Marxist-Leninist approach and its rigid rules. Perhaps this is the reason why it did not meet the fate of the Soviet Union and gave it a measure of flexibility and the ability to absorb shocks.
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