Two Kinds of the Son of the Heaven in Pre-Chin Thought

Title

Two Kinds of the Son of the Heaven in Pre-Chin Thought

Author

Rur-Bin Yang

Page

99-136

DOI

Abstract

Politics is one of the main discourses in pre-Chin philosophical schools. Philosophers of defferen schools thematized the criteria of defferent effective Kingship and constructed various models of the ideal ruler. This paper holds that the most important image of Kingship are Yao-Shun and Yellow emperor in pre-chin China. Since Confucius, Yao-Shun have been constantly regarded as the unique ideal rulers. Nevertheless, Yellow emperor gradually emerged as an increasingly important character in middle warring states period. This paper uses some new materials of excavation in mainland China to explore the meaning of these two images of ruler. The main features of Yao-Shun were their status of ethical paradigm in Confucian tradition, as well as their insistence on the policy of shangrang transmission as the only legal method of government; both built up the ideal Confucian politics. In contrast, the significance of the image of Yellow emperor was his salient characteristics of empathy with Heaven, and the unique capacity of practicing the cycle of peace and violence. War is unprecedently regarded as one of the inevitable laws of nature. In conclusion, this paper holds that Yao-Shun stand for the moral politics whereas Yellow emperor embodies the power politics. These two figures evolved form mythical thankings, Yao being transformed from heavenly God of sun, Yellow emperor form combinations of heavenly and earthly God. The image of Yellow emperor was later adopted by one branch of Taoism and was combined with Lao Tzu to form the socalled Yellow emperor-Lao Tzu Taoism. This paper also discussed why the Yellow emperor-Lao Tzu School could be regarded as a positive philosophy of politics.

Keyword

Yellow Emperor, YaoShun, Son of Heaven, punishment-benefit, Shangrang transmission

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