Wang Yangming (1472-1529), known as Shouren and Yangming, was a famous thinker, philosopher, military strategist and educator in the Ming Dynasty of China. Wang Yangming's philosophical ideas have had an extremely far-reaching impact in history, not only in China, but also in Japan, South Korea and other places.
Wang Yangming's psychology was developed on the basis of Confucianism, and on the basis of criticizing some concepts in Confucianism at that time, he put forward the idea of "the unity of knowledge and action". This idea holds that knowledge and action are not two isolated processes, but a unified whole, and that knowledge must be directly transformed into action, which in turn is the test of knowledge. Wang Yangming also believes that the heart is reason, and external objects are all reflections of the mind, and in order to understand the world, we must first know our own heart. He proposed the concept of "to the conscience", which refers to the discovery and return to the inherent goodness and moral perception of the human heart.
One of Wang Yangming's most famous remarks is: "Those who know begin to act, and those who do know succeed." This sentence emphasizes the close connection between knowledge and action, and believes that knowledge without action is incomplete, and that knowledge is completed and verified through practice is true knowledge.
Wang Yangming's theory of mind was significantly different from other Confucian schools of the time. The most important schools of Confucianism at that time included Cheng Zhu Lixue and Lu Wang Xinxue. Represented by Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi brothers in the Northern Song Dynasty and Zhu Xi in the Southern Song Dynasty, Cheng Zhu Lixue emphasized rational speculation and commentary on the classics, and paid attention to moral cultivation and rational understanding of the cosmic order. Zhu Xi put forward the method of "learning from things", believing that rational cognition should be obtained through in-depth research on things.
In contrast, Wang Yangming's theory of mind emphasizes the importance of the cultivation and practice of inner mind, which is different from Cheng Zhu Lixue's emphasis on classics and rational understanding. He believed that true understanding is through the process of inner self-realization, not just the interpretation of words and scriptures.
In Wang Yangming's view, everyone has their own heavenly principles in their hearts, and this concept was further developed in the later period of Wang Yangming, who emphasized the immanence and subjective initiative of conscience, put forward the concepts of "unreasonableness outside the heart" and "tempering in things", and emphasized the cultivation of conscience in daily life and practice.
Wang Yangming's doctrine was of extremely important practical significance at that time. He lived in the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, which was in turmoil both socio-economically and politically. Wang Yangming not only made ideological achievements, but also made significant political and military contributions, leading the army to quell many rebellions and implement a series of political reforms.
In general, Wang Yangming's psychology emphasizes the heart-oriented and practice-oriented, forming a new school of Confucianism that focuses on personal inner cultivation and active participation in social practice. His ideas not only provided important ideological resources for the philosophical and cultural development of later generations, but also had a long-term impact on many fields such as politics and education. Wang Yangming's teachings and remarks are still regarded by many people as a guide to life and practice.
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