Wang Tingxiang's ideological giant

First, advocate independent thinking and oppose the old saying.

First of all, Wang Tingxiang's basic attitude towards academics is to advocate independent personality, think independently and oppose old theories, which is strikingly similar to his academic rival Wang Yangming. Wang Tingxiang said, "If you say,' Confucianism is the first principle in the world, and all are good, but you can learn to keep it', you are endless, and you are a disciple of Meng Lang, which is called a false way; If we say that' later generations can't reach the ancient Confucian scholars', that means we don't know how to create strangers, but we are all on the same track in ancient and modern times. Those who measure the world by themselves are also called pseudo-people. It is vulgar, your ears are expensive, and you are a book rather than a heart. Why do you look to the generosity of saints? "

In fact, these words can reveal Wang Tingxiang's conceit and self-confidence. He is confident that his intelligence and wisdom will never be lost to those so-called pre-Confucianism and saints. Those who insist that "later generations will not reach the ancient Confucianism" are only low in their own level, and those who judge the world by their own opinions under the "middleman" are called pseudo-people. In other words, people who are just below average judge the world according to their own level and slander others.

He said, "Generally, modern scholars are not complacent in their thoughts and experiences, and everything is dominated by bullying. It regards the words of the ancients as Confucianism. A conclusion that will never be published. He obeyed, echoed and changed his face, thinking that he saw the Tao. " In a closed letter, Wang Tingxiang ridiculed that those who "only believe the words of Confucian scholars" are chickens. "The scholar is in the Tao, not the God in my mind, thinking that choice is the foundation, while the words of the former Confucianism are believed, not the chickens of faith."

Comparing these views of Wang Tingxiang with those of contemporary Wang Shouren, there are striking similarities.

Wang Shouren said, "Fu Xuegui is in your heart, your heart, and your heart. Although his words came from Confucius, he did not dare to think that they were true. " "The husband's way, justice is in the world, learning and public education are in the world, not for Zhu's personal gain, but for Confucius' personal gain."

The striking consistency between materialism and idealism in the Ming Dynasty in liberating people's personality and advocating people's independent thinking is the result of the ideological atmosphere and the general trend at that time.

2. Thorough materialism

Wang Tingxiang is a thorough materialist and atheist, so he analyzed and refuted many traditional ideas including Zhu Cheng's Neo-Confucianism. Wang Tingxiang inherited China's ancient materialistic thought of Qi, and thought that Qi was the source of all things. He put forward that "there is nothing above vitality, no way and no reason" and criticized Zhu Cheng's Neo-Confucianism. "Since the Southern Song Dynasty, Confucianism has only advocated Tai Chi and evil spirits. For example,' there is no Tai Chi for a reason.' For example,' this is the only reason at the source, ahead of everything in the two qi and five elements.' For example, there was nothing at that time, and only this principle had the breath of everything in the world. Well, it's upside down, so it's not. "

He said: "Everything is based on Qi, and there is no independent reason. Nature is out of nothing and doing nothing. This kind of gas has been there and has not been extinguished. " In this passage, "this qi is always there, but it has not been extinguished." It is equivalent to putting forward the principle of immortality and conservation of matter in the universe. He further added this view: "It is because of the accumulation and dispersion of qi, but it is not extinct. ..... ice in the sea, cold and ice, gathering also; Melt into water and disperse. It is scattered, the ice does not exist, and the water in the sea is harmless. " He revealed that Neo-Confucianism in Song Dynasty was as idealistic as Laozi and Zhuangzi. "Scholars' reasoning ability makes people angry, which is Laozi's Taoist heaven and earth." "Lao zi and Zhuangzi said that heaven and earth are born, but Rusong said that heaven and earth are the only ones. This is a face change. What's the difference between Lao Zi and Zhuangzi? "

Third, complete atheism.

In view of the view that there is a master between heaven and earth, Wang Tingxiang asked, "I want to know what the so-called master is? Tangible colors? Organic axis? Suppress the Twelve Gods from making pills, as Shu Wei mentioned? Otherwise, it will be a bit empty! " He said, "Heaven's leisure is hard to know, and personnel are easy to see. Those who are in danger of national chaos, those who fail to repair the salt policy, those who lose the hearts of the people, are dereliction of duty in the world. How to treat God's great contempt? Who sees the wrath of the Emperor of Heaven? "

Wang Tingxiang believes that auspicious luck and disasters are the result of natural laws, and are independent of people's subjective will. He said, "The sun and the moon are thin. Star latitude and wisdom, angel lee can push backwards. ..... It can be inferred that it is a certain degree of heaven. Of course, it should be political people, not false? This is meaningless. "

Fourth, the idea of historical evolution can be compared with Marxist historical materialism.

Wang Tingxiang's theory of historical evolution, even in the era of the birth of western Marxism, is full of progressive colors. In fact, it is equivalent to proposing that history is constantly composed of old systems rather than new systems, and each system has its own unique laws and cannot be applied to other systems. Wang Tingxiang said in the second part of Shu Ya: "Confucianism says that there is everything between heaven and earth, but reason is immortal, which is almost nonsense. Manage intangible quality, get peace and decay? On the basis of its actual situation, it is necessary to let the land be cut, usurp the land after cutting, stop feudalism and set up counties and counties, which should be appropriate before rather than after, ancient rather than today, and timely and reasonable. The deceased are all dogs, not bad. "

Translated into vernacular Chinese, that is to say, everything between heaven and earth is destroyed by Confucianism, and only reason is immortal, which is purely meaningless nonsense. There is no form at all. How can we talk about decay or not? According to the reasonable facts, then, after concession, it is deforestation, after deforestation, it is usurpation, and the theory of breaking ground to build buildings and establishing feudalism in counties and counties applies to the past system, not to the future system, not to the ancient theory, not to today, and the theory is constantly adjusted according to the changes of time. The past is like a grass dog, isn't it going to rot?

Fifth, the concept of a more ambitious world.

Wang Tingxiang said in his book: "God, there are thousands of countries in the world, and the changes of astronomical phenomena are reported by the king of China, which is biased. I think millions of countries should respond, and the good and evil of the monarch's administration may not be unified overnight. "

The meaning of this passage itself is to refute the view that heaven and man are connected, and to oppose linking the changes of the stars in the sky with personnel politics. In other words, he believes that there is no scourge at all, and the astronomical phenomena have nothing to do with personnel. Dong Zhongshu's so-called theory of correspondence between man and nature cannot be justified and contradicts itself. Wang Tingxiang believes that "there are thousands of countries in the world", that is, there are many countries in the world. If the change of astronomical phenomena is a condemnation and warning to the monarch of China, it is too biased to God. If all countries perceive the change of astronomical phenomena, then the management of good and evil in all these countries cannot be so neat and consistent.

It is worth noting that in China's traditional concept, the so-called world is centered on China, other small countries are all around China, and only the monarch of China is the most distinguished. Wang Tingxiang clearly stated that "there are thousands of Qian Qian countries in the world", and China is just one of these hundreds of countries. It is considered that if the change of astronomical phenomena is reported by the King of China, it is "partial", that is to say, God is too eccentric. Why take care of China alone?

This concept can explain that the intellectuals in Ming Dynasty had a very broad understanding of the world at that time, and their vision was quite grand. They no longer focus on China, but realize that China is only one of many countries in the world.

Sixth, the concept of natural biology is comparable to Darwin's concepts of natural selection and survival of the fittest.

Wang Tingxiang also clearly pointed out that nature is the law of the jungle and the survival of the fittest. Everything in nature is not designed by human beings, and human beings are just one of all things in nature, just smarter than other animals, so they can control the trend and eat other creatures. Wang Tingxiang said, "Everything in the world must be doing something else. What is the heart of heaven? Strong food is weak, thieves are small, wise and stupid, and things have to be different. What is the heart of heaven? " "Character is born. Only one. No size, no stupidity, no longevity, each born with the grasp of qi, so the transformation of heaven and earth is also public. ..... But people's spirit is in things, and people's intelligence is smart enough to make things, or drive them away, or restrain them and serve them, or kill them and eat their flesh. What is the meaning of heaven? The natural ear of things. Therefore, bullying, violence, ignorance, everything is natural, although the sky is nothing! "

The meaning of this passage is: nature produces people and all other creatures according to the same law. No matter the size of the body, no matter the stupidity of the spirit, no matter the length of life, life activities are only carried out according to their respective material bases. The reason why the law of heaven and earth changes is fair is reflected here. ..... People are smarter than other creatures, so smart that they can exhaust all other creatures to control them, drive some creatures away from human beings, others are enslaved and enslaved, and some eat their meat. Is god willing to do this? It's just the inevitable trend of things, so it's the same in the world. The strong bully the weak, the many oppress the few, and the smart kill the stupid. Even heaven is helpless and cannot be changed.

Wang Tingxiang also refuted the teleological concept that everything is created by human beings.

He said, "Grains are like grains; Grass that hurts the stomach also eats people? Chickens and dolphins seem to be the same; What will scorpions look like? A lady takes things as the sky, which means that heaven is her life. However, the tiger and the wolf rob people to eat, saying that heaven gives birth to people for the tiger and the wolf? " The meaning of this passage is: the whole grain seems to conform to this teleological concept, so does Herba Lysimachiae exist for human consumption? Chickens and dolphins seem to be very suitable. Do poisonous snakes, scorpions and other poisonous insects exist for people? If people eat it, they deliberately say that God gave birth to these things, and then tigers and wolves catch people and eat them as food. Can it be said that God gave birth to man for tigers and wolves?

It should be said that Wang Tingxiang's thought is far more advanced than that of contemporary European thinkers. In fact, Darwin's theory of evolution is the product of19th century, and Wang Tingxiang put forward the idea of natural selection, survival of the fittest and the law of the jungle 300 years ago, which is quite valuable. Without the invasion of Qing Dynasty, Wang Tingxiang's thought could be inherited, so it is not impossible for China people to put forward the viewpoint of evolution before Darwin.

7. Criticism of China's traditional concept of five elements.

Wang Tingxiang severely criticized China's concept of five elements after Qin and Han Dynasties. He said: "Those who are dissolute to Yin and Yang will falsely claim the heaven, and those who are proficient in the five elements will be fascinated by the Lord." . Wang Tingxiang explained China's early Five Elements Theory with historical materialism. He believes that the early theory of five elements means that these five things are "popular in heaven and earth, to the point of civil use, and one day is indispensable, which is the basis for the holy king to govern the world." In other words, he thinks that Jin Mu's fire, water and earth are actually the five things that need to be paid attention to the people's livelihood and well-being of the country. As for Fu, he will take care of other things, such as the root of all things, climate change in heaven and earth, and personnel changes.

He thinks:

Gold actually refers to casting and smelting metals, making weapons and tools;

How to cut and use forest wood correctly;

Water is a problem of ditch and tunnel irrigation, water conservancy dredging, drinking water for people and animals and flood control;

Fire is an indispensable thing for cooking, barbecue, cooking, heating, even melting stones and smelting pottery.

Soil is the foundation of plants and crops, is produced by resources and minerals, and is also the basis for people to live and work in peace and contentment, so the land management of mining fields is also very important.

For those who involve Fu Hui, who is arbitrary in the five elements, and mystify their views, Wang Tingxiang criticized that "since the political decline of the Holy King and heresy, there are only people who use the five elements to distribute the four seasons and twelve branches, those who use the five internal organs to match the five elements, those who use the latitude of the stars to name the five elements, and those who use the five elements theory to create characters." It's all vanity and wisdom, and confusion about Tao. "The sharp edge of criticism here clearly points to Dong Zhongshu's theory that five elements coexist, to Zhou Dunyi and other Neo-Confucians in the Northern and Southern Song Dynasties explain the changes of Yin and Yang with five elements, and to Zou Yan in the Warring States Period explaining the changes of dynasties with five elements.

Eight, refute some superstitious fortune-telling thoughts with the relationship between contingency and inevitability, which has the bud of probability thought.

Wang Tingxiang thinks that even if fortune-tellers can meet by chance, it's just a coincidence. If they talk too much, it will happen. But once they meet, people will think that they are amazing and spread everywhere. If it is wrong, it will be ignored and forgotten, and it will not spread everywhere.

His exact words were "Deacon's so-called" five elements in the world are strange ". What a difference! Guy talks a lot, but he can learn the middle ear You don't need five elements to be surprised. Let's take ten scholars as examples, and the servants hang on to them according to their literary talents. They point out that in the next day, officials will be officials, and their resumes will be in the middle, smooth and dangerous, and their methods will be random. If they are tested another day, they will be 30% to 40% and 20% respectively. What is this? This is what all scholars have. If you think the sky is soaring, you can't pass the exam. If you don't win, people don't pass it on: if you win, God doesn't pass it on. However, if the five elements are false and strange, why are they different? "

In addition, it is recorded that Guo Pu used cockfighting to predict good or bad luck in Jin Dynasty, and "fighting good or bad luck with pigeons" was successful. Wang Tingxiang said, "Why pigeons? Everything is predictable. Good or bad luck, ordinary people, fighting noise, and a sense of physical property are all practical things. Is there no coincidence between us? If you are a god, you will often get it, but you won't believe it. " In other words, using cockfighting to predict good or bad luck will always be effective by accident. Once acquired, it will be considered magical, but it is unbelievable in reality.

Nine, the theoretical explanation of dreaming content.

Wang Tingxiang also put forward his own theory on the cause and content of dreaming:

He believes that the content of people's dreams is influenced by two factors, one is the feeling of people's bodies when they sleep, and the other is the repeated thinking of people when they are awake, that is, Dream Theory II: Those who have feelings for epiphany and those who have missed it. What is an epiphany? All the five internal organs and six bones are conscious, so the qi is clear and smooth, and you can travel in the sky ... thunder swells in your ears; Take it when you are hungry and give it when you are full; Heat is fire; Cold is water. Push this also, the feeling of five internal organs. "What is the feeling of missing? Tao is not in people, and thinking cannot be absolutely disturbed. Therefore, the first and last thing is thinking before waking up, that is, after waking up, it is a dream, a dream is thinking, and thinking is a dream. Where are the old shoes? What you do during the day and dreaming are also a sense of Xi; Anyone who has never seen or heard of it is a feeling of evolution; Talk about strange ghosts and gods ignoring images, see terraced fields and heavenly palaces, …… change repeatedly, suddenly fish suddenly people, sleep and forget, dream in a dream. Pushing this kind of thing is also nostalgic. "

X. Wang Tingxiang's scientific research practice.

Wang Tingxiang himself has a deep study of natural science, paying great attention to observing things, breaking old theoretical concepts and being able to verify them with experiments. Ordinary people say that snowflakes are hexagonal in winter and pentagonal in spring. Wang Tingxiang "see Chun Xue has sleeves, all six out". According to an ancient book, the soil bee is barren. Every year, Wang Tingxiang takes out the soil from the hive for inspection, observes the soil bee's fertility, and then fills the nest with other kinds of insects. After the soil bee is formed, it is regarded as food. Wang Tingxiang "observed for many years, it's all true".