Harmony as an Ethical and Political Idea ; Harmonija kot etična in politična ideja

Abstract

Although the idea of harmony is one of the basic Confucian ideas, two of its key classic authors, Mengzi and Xunzi, emphasised either the ethical-personal or socio-political aspects, respectively, and this contrast was only maintained and deepened in later Chinese history. The socio-political considerations of harmony often considers an ideal state of community to be static, with social and ethical states being preserved, rather than dynamic. On the other hand, personal and spiritual harmony was valued by artists and autonomous thinkers, which often found themselves in conflict with the state. However, an open conflict between these two lines of thought very seldom if at all appeared in traditional China, and thus the differences often remained implicit. A self-cultivated individual without external social support was condemned to social isolation and personal defeat. Even among contemporary Chinese Marxist politicians and theorists, the idea of a "harmonious society" follows Xunzi's rather legalist emphasis, even if (in Marx view) the term "social harmony" stands for some surface phenomena of seemingly harmonious societal interrelationship, covering up the brutal reality of social and economic contradictions. I argue that not only in China, but also elsewhere, a better balance is needed between the personal and the social ideas of harmony. However, manifesting harmony can become something worthwhile only if it becomes a part of a broader project, namely that of active solidarity based on the reciprocal and universal cultivation of personal dignity and virtuous humaneness. ; Čeprav je ideja harmonije ena osrednjih konfucijanskih idej, sta dva od njenih osrednjih klasičnih avtorjev, Mengzi in Xunzi, poudarjala bodisi etično-osebne ali družbenopolitične vidike in to nasprotje se je ohranjalo in poglabljalo v nadaljnji zgodovini Kitajske. Družbenopolitično pojmovanje harmonije se pogosto opira na misel o idealnem stanju družbe, kjer se družbeno in etično stanje ohranja kot nekaj statičnega, ne pa dinamičnega. Po drugi strani so umetniki in samostojni misleci cenili osebno in duhovno harmonijo in so se zato pogosto znašli v konfliktu z državo. Vendar je v tradicionalni Kitajski le redko, če sploh, prihajalo do odkritega konflikta med tema pojmovanjema harmonije, zaradi česar so razlike pogosto ostajale implicitne. Samo-kultiviran posameznik brez zunanje socialne podpore je bil obsojen na družbeno izolacijo in osebni poraz. Celo med sodobnimi kitajskimi marksističnimi politiki in teoretiki zamisel o »harmonični družbi« sledi Xunzijevim precej legalističnim poudarkom, čeprav (po Marxovem pojmovanju) pojem »družbene harmonije« zajema površinske pojave domnevno harmoničnih družbenih odnosov, ki prikrivajo surovo naravo družbenih in ekonomskih protislovij. Zagovarjam misel, da ne le v Kitajski, temveč tudi drugje po svetu, potrebujemo boljše ravnotežje med osebnimi in družbenimi predstavami o harmoniji. Vendar je dejanska harmonija lahko nekaj vredna le, če postane del širšega projekta, namreč projekta aktivne solidarnosti, ki sloni na medsebojni in splošni kultivaciji osebnega dostojanstva in vrline človečnosti.