HIST 11B Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Palace Entertainment, Foot Binding, Zhou Dunyi
Document Summary
Major song dynasty thinkers: zhou dunyi, zhang zai, cheng hao, cheng yi, zhu xi. Borrowed daoist cosmology: uncarved block, shaped into yin and yang. Li = patterns/principles found in nature and the universe (school of principle) Qi = material essence/ether/life force (school of the way) Explains why humans deviate from path of good; problems with qi account for selfish desires. Need self-cultivation in order to improve moral self. Zhu xi: became jinshi at age of 18. Denied that political power had authority over values. Golden past in antiquity, slowly deteriorating, want to re-establish connection. Rulers don"t have monopoly over morality opposition at central court. Offered a theoretical explanation of the nature and locus of true values. Denied worth on the basis of pedigree, literary fame, or examination success. Reinterpretation of confucian ethics based on personal tastes. Adopted a concept of unity as an ultimate good. Moral unity can exist despite lack of political unity.
