What is ancient metaphysics?

Metaphysics is a theory that studies profound problems. It is a trend of thought that advocates Lao zi and Zhuang zi in Wei and Jin dynasties in China, which generally refers to metaphysics in Wei and Jin dynasties. The main representatives of metaphysics in Wei and Jin Dynasties are Yanhe, Wang Bi, Ruan Ji, Ji Kang, Xiang Xiu and Guo Xiang.

During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, Confucianism and Yin and Yang gods, which were highly respected by the ruling class, lost their function of deceiving the people, and metaphysics came into being. Metaphysics is a new idealistic philosophy system formed by the combination of Confucianism and Taoism. Metaphysics means abstinence and mystery. At that time, the scholar-officials called the Book of Changes of Laozi, Zhuangzi and Confucianism "San Xuan", and discussed some abstract and metaphysical problems on this basis, so what they talked about was called metaphysics; The form of debate is called "making it clear". Metaphysics is an idealistic philosophy based on "nobility and nothingness" of Laozi and Zhuangzi, combined with Confucianism, and defending the fundamental interests of the gentry. Therefore, metaphysics is a theory for gentry to cope with time-varying and a tool to stifle peasant uprisings.

Because there are different groups and factions among the gentry, metaphysics also forms different schools.

Yanhe and Wang Bi were the founders of metaphysics at the beginning of Cao Wei. The Analects of Confucius and the Theory of Morality written by Yanhe, Wang Bi's Notes on Zhouyi and Lao Zi's Notes are all important metaphysical works. They demonstrated philosophical categories such as existence, origin and end, unity and movement, and put forward an objective idealistic ontology that "nothing is the foundation of all things in the world". He also said that "nothing" is "Tao". Nothing and Tao, though invisible and nameless, is the source of all tangible and concrete things, and it is authentic objective idealism. In terms of political thought, they put forward the view that Mingjiao (feudal hierarchy, ritual and music education) originated from nature (metaphysical Tao and nothingness), in order to prove that Mingjiao is the product of the "nothingness" or Tao of the universe, which is inevitable. In this way, Confucianism's famous religion and Taoism's "nature" are skillfully combined, thus demonstrating the necessity and rationality of famous religion. It can be seen that metaphysics is based on the current political needs of Cao Wei

After the beginning, Sima Shi, who was in power, flaunted the famous religion and advocated ruling the world with Confucianism in order to usurp the Cao Wei regime. Some scholars who support Cao School are dissatisfied with the current situation and unable to openly resist. They used metaphysics as a tool to attack Sima's famous religion. The representative figures are Ji Kang and Ruan Ji. Different from Wang Bi and Wang Bi, they think that Ming religion and nature are opposite and advocate "letting nature surpass Ming religion". Ruan Ji drank wine and ate meat at his mother's funeral to oppose the "filial piety" advocated by Sima. He mocked the hypocrites who obey the etiquette as lice in their crotch, and satirized them for following the rules like lice, "Dare to leave the seam and dare not move out of the crotch", but they only made a living by biting people. Ruan Ji and others attacked the famous religion and refused to accept the ceremony, which was an open declaration of war against Sima Shi. Sima's real power will eventually soften Ruan Ji and kill Ji Kang. Ruan Ji and Yuan Zhen attacked Confucian dogma and exposed Sima's hypocrisy of advocating Zoroastrianism, which played a positive role. However, their thoughts were decadent, and they vented their personal dissatisfaction with the Sima family by attacking the ethics. They are not really opposed to ethics, but still belong to metaphysics.

The representatives of metaphysics in the Western Jin Dynasty are Xiang Embroidery and Guo Xiang. Different from Ruan and Ji, they all expounded their thoughts by interpreting Zhuangzi. They revised Yanhe and Wang Bi's thought of "not attaching importance" and thought that "being" existed naturally, not born out of "nothing", so they put forward the theory that "teaching by name is nature". Xiang and Guo applied this theory to politics, believing that everything that exists, such as social relations and political system, is reasonable and natural. It is believed that "seeking the big with the small can't be reasonable in the end, and the size is enough if each is in its proper place", that is, let the people listen to nature, keep the name and teach, and get its place. They also believe that "saints" "although in the temple, their hearts are no different from those in the mountains." This statement is to make the rulers have both the name of lofty and the reality of exploitation, and it is completely to defend the gentry's behavior of enjoying high officials and generous salaries, ignoring political affairs and pretending to be lofty. Xiang and Guo were supporters of Sima's regime in the Western Jin Dynasty, and the theory they preached was a philosophy that fully represented the interests of gentry and landlords.

When metaphysics prevailed in Wei and Jin Dynasties, various anti-metaphysics thoughts also appeared constantly. Bao Jingyan, a materialist thinker in Jin Dynasty, wrote "On No Gentleman", which is an outstanding representative. From the materialistic point of view that heaven and earth are material, Bao Jingyan thinks that heaven is above and earth is below, which is a natural phenomenon, and it doesn't matter whether it is good or bad. This has nothing to do with hierarchy. This is of progressive significance in the era of gentry's decadent rule.