During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there was a magnificent ideological and cultural movement in Chinese history - a hundred schools of thought contended. This ideological controversy not only laid the foundation for the development of ancient Chinese thought and culture, but also had a far-reaching impact on later generations. So, why did the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period become an era of "a hundred schools of thought contending"?What kind of stage has this controversy gone through?
1. The background of the contention of a hundred schools of thought.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, society underwent epoch-making changes. The Zhou royal family declined, the princes competed for hegemony, and the society was in turmoil. During this period, the advent of iron tools and ox farming in the economy led to a great increase in productivity, and the decline of the royal family in politics led to the rise of various vassal states, and the cultural prosperity also showed a scene with economic and political changes. The background of this great social change provided the soil for the rise of the hundred schools of thought.
Second, the stage of the contention of a hundred schools of thought.
Rise stage. The rise of the hundred schools of thought can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period. During this period, thinkers such as Lao Tzu and Confucius began to appear, and they put forward their own ideas and laid the foundation of the hundred schools of thought. This stage is characterized by the beginning of the formation of various schools, but not yet a complete system.
2.Boom stage.
In the Warring States Period, the prosperity stage of the hundred schools of thought came. During this period, not only did more thinkers and schools of thought appear, but each school began to penetrate into their own ideological propositions and formed a complete theoretical system. At the same time, various schools of thought also began to compete and communicate with each other, forming a diversified ideological pattern.
3.Fusion phase.
With the unification of the Qin Dynasty, the integration phase of the hundred schools of thought began. During this period, although Qin Shi Huang adopted the policy of burning books and pit Confucianism, suppressing the situation of a hundred schools of thought, after the Han Dynasty, the trend of integration of various schools of thought gradually strengthened. This stage is characterized by the gradual integration of various schools of thought on the basis of competing and exchanging with each other, forming a new system of thought.
3. The influence of the controversy of a hundred schools of thought.
The influence of the controversy of hundreds of schools of thought is far-reaching. First of all, this controversy laid the foundation for the development of ancient Chinese ideology and culture. In the course of the controversy, various schools of thought exchanged and fused with each other, and finally formed three major ideological systems with Confucianism, Taoism, and Law as the core, which became an important part of ancient Chinese thought and culture. Secondly, the ideas and propositions of the hundred schools of thought have had a profound impact on later generations. For example, Confucian ideas such as benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faith are still widely inherited and applied todayTaoist ideas such as rule by inaction have also been borrowed from modern enterprise management. In addition, the way of thinking and values of the hundred schools of thought have also had a profound impact on later generations.
To sum up, the reason why the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period became an era of "a hundred schools of thought contending" was because the background of great social changes provided the soil for the rise of various schools. The stage of the rise, prosperity and integration of the hundred schools of thought constituted the core content of ancient Chinese thought and culture. This controversy not only laid the foundation for the development of ancient Chinese ideology and culture, but also had a far-reaching impact on later generations. Therefore, an in-depth study of the ideological propositions and historical evolution of the Hundred Schools of Thought will help us better understand the connotation and spiritual core of Chinese culture.