What should the civilized world look like? Peaceful coexistence, harmony and etiquette, equality and mutual assistance, fairness and justice, ......?
Civilization is not the highest form of the human world.
Today let's look at civilization from another perspective and look at the development of humanity. Actually, we'll find it very interesting.
What does civilization mean?
Civilization is an expression of collective survival in relation to barbarism. For example, etiquette, such as contracts, such as rules, such as knowledge....... We have become accustomed to looking at the difference between civilization and barbarism from a progressive, forward, developmental perspective.
But if we look at civilization from another point of view, it actually means a kind of degradation. Etiquette, contracts, rules, institutions, knowledge, ideas, and so on are all called the sum of the forms of mutual relations between people.
To describe it in plain language: maybe your heart is dirty and dark. But I don't care, I can't do it. As long as your outward manifestations are reasonable, then this is civilization.
We will find an interesting universal pattern: why good things are always ephemeral. Many poets, writers, and artists have always sung and praised eternity. But why don't these beautiful things last forever?
This brings us to the two forms of existence of man, or the two forms of existence of the universe: gods and civilizations.
The civilization we are talking about today is the management and restraint of one of these forms of existence.
The short time a flower blooms is the most beautiful, after which it withers and decays.
A person's original intention, children are the most beautiful and happiest years, and the rest of their lives are just trapped by life.
A society is happiest and most beautiful in the first period of development, and then it is also a process of continuous decay. History is visible.
What is the idea of human civilization mentioned above?
Formal evolution: flowers, people, society. All we can observe is a formal shift from good to down. So what is the starting point of human civilization? Retain this goodness or perpetuate this goodness or slow down the decline of time. This is the way of thinking about civilization.
All human activities we engage in today are based on this line of thought. Therefore, whether it is the spirit of the rule of law, the rules and regulations, or the rules of conduct, ...... the spirit of the rule of law, which is a kind of management and constraint on behavior.
People say that they should be polite, civilized, and ...... quality, which is based on the need for human beings to behave civilly towards each other. In other words, I can't control your ideology, I can only control your behavior and performance.
Thus, from this point of view, Confucianism is the highest form of civilization at the beginning of the first stage of human existence, after the death of the first stage of human existence. It's a rise after a fall.
The rule of law, as it is called today, is also the highest form of human civilization after the demise of the moral stage. Again, it's a rise after a fall.
From a physical point of view. A ball falling from the highest point to the lowest point will go to the second highest point, and then it will fall again, and then it will fall again. But each time the high point of ** will be lower than the height of the previous stage.
Therefore, when we look back at the historical stages of the development and evolution of human society. Humanity is in the third stage of the process of falling from the high point to the **. This high point is what we call "legal civilization" today.
God "is a commonality, not an individuality, and therefore cannot be selfish." The so-called "justice, equality, freedom......What is the premise? Selfishness and self-need.
There is absolutely no denial of justice, equality, or freedom. It's just that people's understanding is one-sided. For a system, there is no need for justice, equality, or freedom. These needs come from the needs of the individual – and the needs of the self. Because I feel unfair, that's why I need to be fair and just. The premise of this starting point is: self-need. Not system requirements.
The people have no appetite, it's just natural. I don't know how to live happily, I don't know how to die evil, so I don't die; I don't know my relatives, I don't know what to do, so I don't have love or hate; I don't know how to rebel, I don't know how to go wrong, so I have no stakes. They have nothing to cherish, and they have nothing to fear. Do not drown in the water, and do not heat in the fire. There is no pain in the tart, and there is no itching in the fingers. Take the air like a real track, and sleep empty like a bed. The clouds and mist do not look at it, the thunder does not disturb its hearing, the beauty and evil do not slip its heart, the valley does not hesitate, and the gods are just walking".
There are two stages in the development of human society: First, the world of gods. 2. Civilized society. There are two stages of civilized society: 1) moral society and 2) rule of law society.
Let's look at ethics and the rule of law. Morality is a kind of self-restraint, and the rule of law is a kind of external constraint and institutional constraint. In this sense, the rule of law is a step backwards from morality. That is to say, you can't self-discipline and self-manage, so use external forces, systems and rules to strongly restrain you.
From an economic point of view: if you need to be constrained by external forces, you need to consume energy and pay a price. Self-management and self-restraint are much cheaper. The flip is true: if the rule of law is an advance relative to morality, it must constantly consume energy and costs in order to maintain this form of institution. This in itself violates the law of nature - entropy --- form that lasts the longest at the least cost --- is cost-effective. At the same time, for the internal society, it reflects a deepening of contradictions: a person gives more, does not mean that he has more freedom, but that what he has is managed and constrained.
As mentioned earlier, there are two forms of human existence. Due to the general tendency of modern philosophy towards materialism. Therefore, our focus on civilization is materialistic, and therefore our norms for civilization are behavioral, which is the center of modern human civilization.
There is a stage before the civilization of the rule of law - the stage of moral civilization. The means adopted at this stage are generally the management of people's "thoughts". Only when your mind is educated and assimilated, then you will be able to self-discipline and self-manage. This is "virtue", human virtue and virtue. But this is not the way of man - the way of nature, the way of doing.
Why talk about the form of human existence? Because this actually means that human beings live in an objectively existing environment (nature) on the one hand, and on the other hand, they actually live in the subjective living environment (society) created by human beings. This is the human environment --- the civilized environment of human beings.
Humanity has survived in the first divine environment, humanity has survived in the second moral environment, and now we survive in the third environment, the rule of law.
Each environment brings a different sense of experience. But today we can't experience the first humanistic environment and the second moral environment, what we can experience is the third legal environment. Maybe it will be in Phase 4 soon.
So what exactly is the first environment?
The world of the gods! Zhuangzi has a very famous article that people have read before - "Ku Ding Jie Niu". There is an extraordinary point of view mentioned in this: "Ministers meet with God rather than with their eyes, and officials know what they know and God wants to do."
The human civilization mentioned above is at the present stage a constraint on behavior. What does "behavior" mean? It is the work of the various organs of the human being. Our hands and feet, our mouths and ears, our brain behavior – thoughts ,......
The gods stop knowing and God wants to do" - the self-action of the organs ceases, and the God of man comes out. It is often said that the pen of God is the work of God. In other words, what is written and painted now is a work of action, a work of organs, and a work of thought.
The life of a human being is also the life of the actions of various organs.
All desires are the satisfaction of desires for the actions of the human body.
A universally controversial topic: that is, a person, if not restrained, does not ...... edification, then will he develop in a good direction, or will he definitely develop in a bad direction. Of course, the good and the bad here are relative.
In this regard, human behavior is actually the same as natural behavior. Otherwise, humanity does not need civilization. That is, as long as it is not managed, there is no cost, and no energy is consumed. Whether it is a person or a thing, it will naturally be in a process of fading - this is the principle of nature, the force of nature - entropy.
Therefore, at the beginning of his work, "Liezi" wrote a very important "world view": all things are self-generating and self-evolving. The evolution of the whole world is two processes: one is born and the other is transformed. Transformation is change, digestion, degradation.
The concern of today's civilization is that if it is not restricted, educated, and managed, the general behavior of human beings will degenerate and degenerate. That's why civilization is needed. This is the perspective of philosophers and sociologists today.
What exactly is a person's "god" in?
The "gods" mentioned here do not refer to the various omnipotent "supergods" in the legends of Liyang. Refers to another form of human existence, which is the ancient Chinese naïve worldview.
Lao Tzu also said: "Heaven and earth are immortal because they do not generate themselves." Immortality here does not refer to the immortality of the body, but to the immortality of God.
What is God?
A thing that exists, but it has no boundaries, no dimensions, no qualitative characterization, and cannot be understood from the perspective of the existing scientific worldview. But we can try to interpret it from other perspectives.
"God reigns over all" may be an exaggeration. But let's try to understand it from another angle.
The human body is a system, and even a universe, without exaggeration. Who is in charge of the proper functioning of this system? Each organ has its own functions and behaviors. Just like in a society, everyone has their own thoughts and actions. But who's keeping the whole system running? Collaborate with each other and deploy in a unified manner.
This is the "God" of man. It dominates the normal functioning of all organs, tissues and even cells of the human being, unifying the cycle. Otherwise, it would be impossible for man to survive without this kind of domination.
On the other hand. There is one thing that does exist, and it governs human life, aging, sickness, and death, as well as all physiological operations. When the individual organs believe in its existence, it emerges and guarantees the rational operation of the entire human ecosystem. When each organ has its own needs, its own thoughts. It will go away, and the whole system will gradually ** and eventually collapse.
So why are there two forms of human existence? exists in the form of a whole system - god; Exists in the form of the ego - man.
To put it plainly: if you think of yourself as a system, a universe, you are God. If you think of yourself as an individual, a thing, you are a human being. You manage your own cosmic space, you are omnipotent, what is it if you are not God? You regard yourself as a member of society, a speck of natural dust, you are a human being. That's why you have to be fair, you have to be right, you have to be ego, you have to be selfish and you have to be lustful.
This is the oldest and most simple understanding of "God". It's just that later it mutated, was alienated, and deified.
People have also discovered and created some "gods" in history. Like what.......
He doesn't need any instructions, constraints, or management. As long as he is there, the whole system will be able to run itself and achieve unity.
1. Circularity and integrity. People call it ecology.
Man is born with a "god." This is called the innate god. In ancient books, it is said: refinement, Qi and god", which refers to the evolution process before the appearance of a person's body. After the appearance of God, "God" took over the growth and development of the entire human body and dominated the operation of the entire human ecosystem.
So from this point of view, is God omnipotent? Because it dominates a small universe of the human body, hundreds of millions of cells, tissues, and organs, and maintains the unified operation of the entire system. Without his presence, the whole system will collapse and disintegrate, which is called death.
Back to what we call human civilization. The first stage of human civilization - the "god" stage.
At this stage. Human beings believe in the existence of "God". There is no need for the restraint and management of "God", and people can consciously surround themselves around "God", live in harmony, and perform their duties; There is no distinction between high and low, I don't know how to live happily, I don't know how to fear death, and I don't know how to be one.
At this stage, God goes first, and the Judge stops. The behavioral functions of the various organs are not disrupted, are **, are **....The innate god reigns sopreme. The people are in harmony and peace, the people are small and the people are widowed, there is no desire, there is no greed.
After birth, human history entered the second stage of "transformation". As humanity has evolved, people have not been able to find the "gods" they once believed to be true. Then I felt that everything was fake, and that there was no such thing as a "god".
The first stage of "transformation" is after the destruction and desecration of the "gods". People have no faith, and greed and selfishness begin to rise. There was chaos in society, and there was no order. Struggles, rivalries and wars arise.
After a long period of slaughter, people of insight finally realized the consequences of this problem: "Without gods, there is no self-functioning of the whole system".
What to do? The stage of human civilization began to regress from the stage of gods to the stage of civilization. And began the first process of the civilization stage: the moral society, that is, the creation of "gods". All the ideas and cultures at this stage are the foreshadowing of the creation of "gods". It is necessary to enable people's minds to move from a chaotic state of freedom to a stage of faith with faith and self-restraint.
Heaven does not give birth to Zhongni, and eternity is like a long night" - Confucius appeared, and morality appeared. Human civilization has begun to enter the normal process of a new stage of civilization.
What is the biggest difference between human society after it has moved from an agricultural society to an industrial society? Productivity is different. And what does productivity mean?
An ability. From a positive point of view, the great progress of human productivity has solved the problem of human beings' food and clothing survival since ancient times. This is a great advance of civilization. But on the flip side, the tremendous progress in productivity means a rethinking of human capabilities.
In the final analysis, people's belief in "God" is due to their own lack of ability. Because I don't have that ability.
Nowadays, due to the great development of various tool technologies, the capabilities embodied in technology have brought a great impact on people's world view. So people don't need to believe in God anymore, people turn their heads and believe in technology, and believe in technology. In the end, it's the cult of power.
So today there is no faith, and there is no need for faith. But what does it mean to have no faith in God--- chaos, where the strong are kings and the power reigns over everything. All ethics and morality are subordinated to technical capabilities.
Human society has re-entered a chaotic time, and the lethality of various technological advances caused irreparable damage during World War I and World War II.
In the aftermath of the war, people learned from the pain and re-entered into new thinking. Without faith in the invisible gods, the visible gods (technology) will dominate the human race. This ability to be seen and touched is terrifying. Humanity must reinvent "God" to manage and plan for the second phase of human civilization. This is the emergence and advent of the "rule of law society".
This "Dharma" is the new "God." All persons are equal before the law. Does it mean that people have to prostrate before the law? Take the rule of law as the spirit and the law as the criterion.
But what is the background and premise of the rule of law? Chaos, disorder, unconscious, selfish, greedy, ....... Therefore, it must be forcibly or forcibly restrained and managed by law.
This inevitably brings several hidden dangers in the future: 1. The damage caused by strong constraints. These include the abuse of power, corruption, expansion, .......
2. The strength itself consumes a lot of resources. This kind of resource can only come from the contribution of the individual, which will inevitably cause contradictions and conflicts between the individual and the society. There are costs to the operation of society, the implementation of laws, and the management. The more rules in the society, the more systems, and the more laws mean the higher the cost, and the cost comes from? That's the contradiction. At the same time, this also means two exits. One is external expansion, and the other is internal exploitation.
3. Everything that is used by people will inevitably become in the end: people play a role for them.
Systems, rules, laws, and so on are designed and created to serve people, and they were originally designed with the original intention of being used by people. But what is the result? People must obey laws, systems, and rules, and people use "systems, laws, and rules."
Institutions, laws and rules are all tools used by human beings. But then it becomes a tool for people to become institutions, laws, and rules. The rules are on top, and people are on the bottom. The "laws, rules, and institutions" created by man have become new "gods" who once again govern all human behavior.
We feel that the innate God is false, so we abandon it. Later we felt that "man-made gods" were also unfair. Because when "someone is a god", it fundamentally violates the civilized contract that everyone is equal. So people created a god the day after tomorrow - the "legal system".
Innate things don't believe, artificial things don't equal. But without the existence of "gods", the whole system would collapse. So people had to build something else. It can not only satisfy the agreement that everyone is equal before him, but also effectively bind the norms of behavior between people - this is the rule of law.