Jun-tzu is one of the normative concepts of Confucianism.

Jun-tzu is the standard of the Confucian personality, the bearer of the totality of the Confucian virtues. It is opposed to the "insignificant person", "little person" (xiao ren), the embodiment of selfish pragmatism, unable to go beyond the scope of his practical specialization and overcome spiritual and moral limitations. The standard of a "noble husband" was needed as a model, so that then "by means of a human, to straighten a person ... just like the ax is cut down with an ax according to the model that is right in front of your eyes." The perfection of jun-tzu is so significant that Confucius himself did not dare to call himself "who mastered the path of a noble man", or accepted this title with great reservations:

Master said: How can I become a sage or a benevolent person? I just study without satiety, enlighten tirelessly. This is the only thing I can say about myself. "

In Confucius, the concept of junzi is associated with the personality of a ruler or a representative of the social upper classes (meaning "noble man"); in the course of historical development, it acquired a more general character (it began to be understood as a "perfect husband").

The concept of "noble husband" has two interrelated meanings in Confucius - belonging by birthright to the upper strata of society, to the nobility, and an example of human perfection. Belonging to the nobility in itself does not guarantee perfection, although it presupposes it, for it gives a person the opportunity for self-development. To achieve perfection, however, a lot of spiritual work on oneself is necessary, which is difficult to expect from poor commoners who are not capable of assimilating wisdom. It turns out that human perfection, in principle, is available to everyone, but it is the responsibility of the upper strata of society, on which the life of the state depends.

A noble husband seeks to know the will of Heaven, the right way ("Tao"), to be always humane, sincere and truthful in words and thoughts, honest and magnanimous in actions. He always behaves with dignity, serving elders with due respect, taking care of the younger and respecting his people. He cares about the peace and prosperity of the people. His philanthropy is manifested in the fact that he respects and cares for the common people, strives to be fair with them, and not cruel. Confucius gives the right advice for building friendly relations between people: “Do not do to people what you don’t want for yourself, and then both in the state and in the family you will not be“ feeling enmity. ”He is not sad and does not feel fear, because he there is nothing to be ashamed or afraid of, since he is doing the right thing.

A noble husband knows the value of knowledge and learns all his life, for the most important vice is not to love to learn.

At the same time, true wisdom is not at all inaccessible even to ordinary people, for it is contained in one word. To the student's question about whether it is possible to be guided by one word all his life, Confucius replied: "This word is reciprocity. Do not do to others what you do not wish for yourself."

Thus, a noble husband is an ideal normative model of a person who combines spiritual, moral greatness with his inherent right to a high social status. He is opposed by a low person ("xiao ren"), who is not able to listen to Heaven, because he always looks not up, but down, thinks only about his own benefit, cannot adequately endure adversity and is inclined to blame others for them, and therefore is inclined to strife. The support of the state is precisely the noble men who participate in the principle of humanity ("jen"), who have comprehended the need for strict observance of the established order, rituals, rules, ceremonies ("li"). It is their duty to instruct the people on the path of order and virtue through teaching and example and, if necessary, using force.

(Chin.): "worthy", "real", "perfect", "noble man", with his behavior maintaining order and balance in the world. He must have five qualities, five constancies that make him a "perfect husband": zhei, and, li, xiao, zhi. - the standard of the Confucian personality, opposed to the "insignificant person", " little man"(Xiaoren) - the embodiment of selfish pragptism, unable to go beyond the scope of his practical specialization and overcome spiritual and moral limitations. In Confucius, this concept is related to the personality of the ruler or representative of the social top; later it takes on a more general character ("perfect husband"). The most important quality of chun-tzu is “non-equipment,” which means, on the one hand, spiritual, moral and behavioral autonomy, and on the other, adherence to Tao.

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JUN ZI

JUN ZI

JUN ZI (Chinese - noble man, perfect husband; original - "child of the ruler") - chinese philosophy, the standard of the Confucian personality, first presented in * Lunyue ”, the bearer of the totality of Confucian virtues. Synonyms - “ great person”(Yes),“ humane person ”(ren ren, see Ren). It is opposed to the “insignificant person”, “little person” (xiao ren), the embodiment of egoistic pragmatism, unable to go beyond the scope of his practical specialization (“instrumentality” -), to overcome spiritual and moral limitations. In Confucius, the concept of "tszun tzu" correlates with the personality of a ruler or a representative of the social top ("noble husband"), subsequently acquires a more character ("perfect husband"). In the hierarchy of human beings, Jun Tzu is below the “perfectly wise” (”he), but with his“ grace / virtue ”(de) he is able to influence“ little people ”just as the wind affects the grass. Its most important thing is “non-equipment” (bu qi), that is, on the one hand, spiritual character

mental and behavioral, c - adherence, rather than objective realities (qi). Endowed with “the knowledge of predestination (min)”, Jun Tzu stoically adheres to its path, which assumes active “concealment” during the triumph of Tao in the Celestial Empire, withdrawal from affairs - in the absence of Tao.

Lit .: Confucianism in China. M., 1982; Human problem in traditional Chinese teachings. M., 1983; Personality in Traditional China. M., 1992.

A. I. Kobzev

New philosophical encyclopedia: In 4 volumes. M .: Thought. Edited by V.S.Stepin. 2001 .

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Jun Tzu: a noble man

Jun Tzu: a noble man

"Lunyu" begins (1, 1) and ends (20, 3) with statements that talk about the need to learn and about a noble husband. These two interconnected thoughts permeate the entire work, testifying to the fact that the teachings of Confucius are at the same time a program of personal self-improvement. If we talk about a form of social practice that is adequate moral philosophy Confucius and sanctioned by her as the most worthy, then it can be expressed in one word: "learns." In this case, of course, it comes about learning as a special stage and method of socialization of the individual, the inclusion of children, adolescents and young men in adulthood. To learn is to live in a mode of ennobling growth.

The most important categories of philosophy and ethics of Confucius ("ren", "li", "wen", etc.) are at the same time traits of an ideal personality called a noble husband. In a sense, Confucius is only interested in questions about who a noble husband is and how one can become one. This is the ideological dominant of the teaching, which at the same time became the compositional basis of the composition.

The concept of a noble husband ("tszun-tzu") is mentioned in "Lunyue" almost as often as the concept of philanthropy ("ren") - 107 times. A noble husband is an ideal person, not in the sense of the unreality of a perfect person, but in the sense of the embodiment of the ideal. This is a personal model that is a working evaluation criterion; it is quite comparable with certain living individuals. One can speak of an ideal in at least two senses: a) as an internal image of a thing (a typical example: an ideal point) and b) as a kind of distant in time or outward state (such is, for example, the idea of \u200b\u200bparadise). The image of a noble man is ideal in the first sense: he does not exist outside of empirical noble men, and at the same time is not embodied in any of them in an exhaustive way.

In Confucius, the concept of a noble husband has two meanings: belonging to aristocratic classes and human perfection. Belonging to the aristocratic class does not guarantee human perfection, for it is achieved in the process of persistent spiritual work. At the same time, not only privileged individuals can claim human perfection. Above, we have already cited Confucius's judgment that there should be no differences in origin in teaching (XV, 38). However, human perfection, which, from the point of view of natural potencies, may be open to all people, is a specific duty of certain estates. The concept of a perfect person, or a noble husband, is contradictory. The question of whether this or that person is perfect, by definition, can only be attested by himself. But if he himself attests to his perfection, then this just indicates that he is imperfect. The way out of this paradox proposed by Confucius is as follows: there are certain estates that are noble, perfect in the sense that human perfection is for them a social purpose and obligation. Consequently, a noble husband is empirically real as a constant effort of certain individuals to become noble, to live up to their purpose.

Confucius has a "noble husband", on the one hand, a descriptive concept denoting a certain class of people. "If a noble husband is not solid, he will not enjoy authority ... do not be friends with someone who is no match for you" (I, 8) - we read in Confucius; it is obvious that here we are talking about class affiliation. On the other hand, the concept of a noble husband is axiological, it denotes an empirically difficult to achieve or completely unattainable ideal of a person. Tzu-lu asked about a noble husband. Master replied, "Cultivate yourself to be reverent." [Tzu-lu] asked; "And it's all?" [Teacher] said, "Cultivate yourself to bring peace to other people." [Tzu-lu] asked, "Is that all?" [Teacher] replied, “By cultivating yourself, bring peace to the people. Wasn't that what Yao and Shun were concerned about! " (XIV, 42). From this fragment it is clear that a noble man means such a person's perfection, which is poured into a perfect society, which was excessive even for Yao and Shun - ideal, according to Confucian ideas, rulers of antiquity. Confucius also did not consider himself a noble man; such self-esteem is significant, especially against the background of the fact that by the students who composed the "Lunyu" the image of the Teacher is presented as if he were the most noble of noble men.

The noble husband is the focus of all perfections, the personification of Confucian ideas about the ideal person. He seeks to learn Tao, the right path, thinks about being sincere and truthful in words, honest and respectful in actions, is not ashamed of his actions: “Without knowing the will of Heaven, you will not become a noble husband” (20, 3); "A noble husband only cares about the observance of morality" (IV, 11). He is philanthropic, possesses "ren", philanthropy has a moral significance for him, it is more important than water and fire: "A noble man, even during the meal, does not leave philanthropy - it is always with him: when he is in a hurry and when he has difficult times" ( IV, 5). He is just, limits himself to the rules of ritual, does everything properly, clearly realizing that only ritual transforms natural aspirations into human actions: “A noble man always proceeds from a sense of justice. This is manifested in the fact that in deeds he follows the Rules, in speeches he is modest, completing deeds, truthful. This is just such a noble man ”(xv, 17). He is constantly learning, for only "he who, repeating the old, is able to find the new, can become a mentor" (II, 11). He does not seek to accommodate others and does not try to subjugate others to his will, harmony for him is not reduced to like-mindedness: "A noble man strives for unity through dissent, but does not strive for unity through obedience" (XIII, 23).

A person is not born a noble husband, even if he belongs to the noble class. He becomes, or, more precisely, works all his life to become one. For the process of becoming a noble husband, the following are essential: a) how he relates to himself and to other people; b) how practical behavior and bookish knowledge relate in his life.

The place of a noble husband in the system of human relations can be defined in three sentences: a noble husband treats everyone equally; borrows the good from people and gets closer to the best; judges only himself. He treats everyone equally, without showing partiality, for he respects human dignity in everyone and clearly realizes that without this there will be no consent in the human community, his attitude towards people is characterized by what he unites, and does not cut off. You can always learn something from people. Master said, “When there are three [of us] on the way, each of the two [companions] can become my mentor. I choose the good and follow it, while the bad serves as a warning and helps me to correct ”(VII, 23). A person learns from other people. A noble husband knows how to use this correctly. Master said, “By not talking to someone you need to talk to, you are losing people. When you talk to someone you would rather not speak to, you lose your words. A wise man does not lose people and does not lose his word ”(XV, 8). A person not only learns from others. He also teaches them. And in this matter, a noble husband is a master. He proceeds from the conviction that he has the only means of beneficial influence on others, on affairs in the state - this is the impeccability of his own behavior: "If he is not able to correct himself, then how can he correct others?" (XIII, 13). Therefore, he does not blame others, does not assess them (XIV, 29), “a noble man is demanding of himself” (XV, 20). Confucius believed that people with beautiful words and feigned manners lack humanity (I, 3); therefore, the correspondence between words and deeds is a matter of special concern for a noble man. The deeds of a noble man must precede words. In education and training, practical choice plays a decisive role - a person's attitude to parents, friends, the sovereign, observance of the ritual. As for the speech, it should be restrained; a noble man “first transforms words into deeds, and then follows them” (II, 13). (The same fragment in Krivtsov's translation: "He carries out his plans, and then he talks about it.")

The main practical form in which a noble husband can most fully develop his qualities is dignitary activity (it is indicative that the graphic of the concept of a noble husband initially means “the child of the ruler”). For Confucius, big politics is just a continuation and completion of the orderliness of social life set by the ritual, before state administration, and along with it, there is government, which consists in showing filial piety and being friendly with brothers (2, 21). In the history of Chinese statehood, the Confucian tradition is prevalent, but not the only one. It is opposed by the legist tradition that arose simultaneously with it, according to which the supporting structure of the state is the law, and not the ritual. Shen zhi ("rule by means of people") or fa zhi ("rule by means of law") - this is how this opposition, which has come down to our days, was subsequently fixed in the Chinese culture terminologically and conceptually. To put it very sharply, we are talking about two different philosophies and practices of the state, about whether to understand it as a large family, which is only a family because it cultivates qualitative differences between parents and children, older and younger, or like a large Orwellian barn in which "all pigs are equal." Confucius opposed the Legists because their teaching ignored the distinction between noble and common people, and also deprived politics of its living ethical basis. Master said, “If you teach the people by [instituting] rule of law and maintain order [by the threat of] punishment, then the people will avoid punishment and lose [feelings of] shame. If you instruct the people by [imposing] government based on virtue, and maintain order by [using] the Rules, then [the people] will have [a feeling of] shame and they will be corrected ”(II, 3).

Just as the law needs a repressive apparatus, so the Rules need a noble husband. The dignified activity of a noble husband is designed to ensure that government is in line with ritual; through the noble husband, the synthesis of politics and ethics is carried out. As much as politics needs a noble husband, just as a noble husband needs politics, for it maximally expands his possibilities of influencing the state of affairs in society.

But what if the state is mismanaged and engulfed in unrest? In this case, Confucius proposes to move away from active state activity: “If there is a Tao-Path in the Celestial Empire, then show yourself; if there is no Tao-Path [in the Celestial Empire], hide. In a state where the Tao-Path reigns, it is a shame to be poor and ignorant. In a state devoid of the Tao-Way, it is a shame to be rich and noble ”(VIII, 13). Poverty and ignorance under good governance and wealth and nobility under poor governance have in common that they are the result of vicious behavior, although it is true that each time we are talking about different vices. Confucius gives one more piece of advice, which concerns not only the attitude to state and bureaucratic activities, but in general the way a noble husband behaves in calm and turbulent times: “The teacher said:“ In a state where the Tao-Way reigns, one must speak directly and act directly, in a state devoid of the Tao-Path, one must act directly, and speak with restraint ”(XIV, 3). From the point of view of Confucius, in the relationship between ethics and politics, the priority belongs to ethics, although, of course, he did not deny either the role of legality or the role of punishment. This determines the political activity of a noble husband, it is justified to the extent that politics rests on a solid ethical foundation.

A noble man in the teachings of Confucius is opposed by a low man (xiao ren). The concept of xiao ren is ambiguous: he is a person low in his moral thoughts, dark in mental development, possibly also a commoner by origin and social status, although the latter is not a sentence and not every commoner is doomed to remain xiao ren. In a word, he is in everything the antipode of a noble husband. This is a kind of anti-ideal; something from which a person should leave. The term "xiao ren" is used in "Lunyue" 24 times, of which 20 times in the meaning of a person devoid of virtue.

If we take the main signs of a low person, then they consist in the fact that he looks down, thinks about how to get a better job, benefit, does not know how to endure difficulties, need, does not have human patience in himself and is "demanding of others" ( XV, 20), prone to contention, even “may become a robber” (XVII, 23). In a word, in the behavior of a low person, natural determination prevails over ethical. This person is rude, uncouth, headstrong, not just for appearance and manners, but also in the deep sense that for him the ritual, the idea of \u200b\u200bhuman decency and dignity did not become the defining motives of behavior.

It is important to re-emphasize: there is no cosmic or anthropological predestination in relation to human destiny. Just as a noble man makes himself out in stubborn labors, so a low man is the result of the indifference of individuals for themselves. True, the status of a commoner contributes to such negligence, but only helps. Confucius is credited with the following judgment: “A man hides his heart - it can neither be measured nor weighed. Beautiful and ugly - everything is hidden in the human heart, but you will not see its color ”. A person, according to his original capabilities, is open to both good and evil. Xiao Ren is the actualization of the possibility of evil. The expression and reason for this, according to Confucius, is that the low man pulls on himself, for his own benefit; he does not know how to properly build his relationships with other people, the idea of \u200b\u200breciprocity is alien to him. “The little man, as Confucius says, strives for unity through obedience, but does not strive for unity through dissent” (XIII, 23).

To correctly understand Confucius's ideas about the moral capabilities of a person, it should be borne in mind that in his teaching moral ideal has two varieties - filial piety and noble husband. There is an obvious contradiction between them. The image of filial reverence rests on the virtue of obedience. A noble husband, on the other hand, is an independent and self-sufficient person; he is his own judge. There may be at least two explanations of this contradiction, which are not mutually exclusive. According to the first, we are talking about different levels of social and moral life. Filial piety is a moral ideal in its mass expression, accessible to everyone, including commoners, a noble husband is a rarely available peak in the moral development of a personality associated with the activities of the sovereign and his advisers. In human everyday life, ren (philanthropy) takes the form of filial piety, and in state-administrative activities - a noble husband. According to the second explanation, we are talking about different stages of the moral development of the individual. Filial piety is the first stage, and the noble man is the second. A person can become a noble husband no earlier than he himself becomes a father. Both of these explanations are quite compatible if we consider that dignitary activities were the lot of fathers - people of age, experienced, mature. Moreover, the second level (or stage) does not cancel the first, but is firmly based on it. The rules of filial piety are even more imperative for a noble husband than for an ordinary person.