DONG Zhong-shu’s philosophy of history as imperial ideology(PDF)
《长安大学学报(社科版)》[ISSN:1671-6248/CN:61-1391/C]
- Issue:
- 2018年04期
- Page:
- 14-24
- Research Field:
- 长安学
- Publishing date:
Info
- Title:
- DONG Zhong-shu’s philosophy of history as imperial ideology
- Author(s):
- DENG Rui
- School of History and Culture, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710062, Shaanxi, China
- Keywords:
- DONG Zhong-shu; historical theory; imperial ideology; philosophy of history; Roman Empire
- PACS:
- B234.5
- DOI:
- -
- Abstract:
- DONG Zhongshu’s Gongyang interpretation developed a set of speculative philosophy of history, the essence of which was an imperial ideology intertwined with political conditions at that time. To study DONG Zhongshu’s philosophy as an imperial ideology, this article employed literature survey method and analyzed the historical background for the origin of his philosophy from 4 aspects. This study holds that DONG’s Gongyang interpretation has 3 features: he raised a historical view subject to heavenly mandate, explaining the determining factors for historical development through a heavenpeople unity perspective, and justified the validity of imperial power as a divine will from heaven; he raised the circulative rule called “three unifications”, putting emperors at the center of history and argued that imperial powers last forever; he also raised the view of a changeable history to echo with development of political reforms. DONG’s philosophy of history, combining “three unifications” with the “grand unification” theory, was generated along with the consolidation and expansion of the imperial power of West Han Dynasty. This is especially true compared with the contemporaneous Roman Empire, which by contrast did not have a highly systemized view of history. In nature, DONG Zhongshu’s philosophy of history was an imperial ideology that served the political objectives for the period, justifying the legitimacy of imperial governance as well as paving the theoretical foundation for the development of imperial power and political reforms.
Last Update: 2018-10-16