In this dissertation I discuss Zhu Xi's inquiry into the Confucian way of self-cultivation, and his moral psychology that explains why and how one should practice such a way. / The Confucian notion of xin as a seed that grows on proper nourishment makes it necessary to practice "preserving and nourishing". According to Cheng Yi, this practice requires jing (seriousness/reverence). Zhu treats jing as a way of maintaining the mind as a whole. It can be practiced without objects, therefore must be practiced anywhere and anytime. It runs through all the other moral efforts. Without jing, the ideal xin falls apart; therefore jing is essential to the xin. Jing serves as a key to the identity of xin. Only through jing can all other moral efforts act on the xin. / While jing is to maintain the ideal xin itself, extending knowledge is the way to deal with things. Zhu Xi analyzes two elements of action, knowing and doing, and concludes that knowing should precede doing, just as we should know the way before we walk. He believes that the xin is endowed with myriads of li (principles/patterns) and motivational strength to act accordingly. One would be settled in doing what he should do, if one attains a genuine knowledge of the li. However, we should investigate things, because the xin tends to be covered by self-centered desires, lose sight of li, and become unaware of its non-ideal state. To see li in things is to perceive the good. The immediacy of value-perception proves that li is not attained from the external. / Why and how should we substantiate yi (thoughts) after we attain genuine knowledge? Such is the problem Zhu Xi had to puzzle out during the last years of his life. He solved the problem by reaffirming that genuine knowledge necessarily leads to action, but not to the purification of thoughts. The key to substantiate thoughts is to constantly aim at and concentrate on the target which the genuine knowledge has shown us. Extending knowledge is still considered as the pre-condition of substantiating yi, since the latter requires a clear representation of the good. / Zhu concludes his inquiry into the relationship between xin (heart/mind) and xing (nature) with the idea that heart/mind commands/comprises (tong) nature and qing (emotions). There are three connotations of "tong" and correspondingly three perspectives from which we understand xin, namely, as moral agency, as a functional unity, and as the totality of psychological states. The main idea is that xin is the moral agency, xing is xin's unity of functions, and qing is its particular functioning already realized. Unlike Cheng Yi, Zhu distinguishes xin and xing by emphasizing that xin is the moral agent to which good and evil are ultimately attributable. Xin is the master in its activated and calm states. This distinction between xin and the states in which it is situated enables him to describe different activities of xin and how they are integrated into the Confucian way of self-cultivation. To hold that xin is nothing but qi is to commit genetic fallacy and category mistake. / 鄭澤綿. / Adviser: Kwong-loi Shun. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 73-08(E), Section: A. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2011. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 290-302). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in Chinese and English. / Zheng Zemian.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:cuhk.edu.hk/oai:cuhk-dr:cuhk_345010 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Contributors | 鄭澤綿., Chinese University of Hong Kong Graduate School. Division of Philosophy., Zheng, Zemian. |
| Source Sets | The Chinese University of Hong Kong |
| Language | Chinese, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, theses |
| Format | electronic resource, microform, microfiche, 1 online resource (ii, ii, iii, 302 p.) |
| Rights | Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons “Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International” License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) |
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