Wang Fuzhi is said to have written over a hundred books, but many of them have been lost. The rest of his works have been collected in the
Chuanshan yishu quanji (). He also wrote a commentary on
Zizhi Tongjian, titled "Comments after reading the
Tongjian" (讀通鑒論, "Du Tongjian Lun"). Wang was a follower of
Confucius, but he believed that the
neo-Confucian philosophy which dominated China at the time had distorted Confucius's teachings. He wrote his own commentaries on the Confucian classics (including five on the
Yijing or
Book of Changes), and gradually developed his own philosophical system. He wrote on many topics, including metaphysics, epistemology, moral philosophy, poetry, and politics. Apart from Confucius, he was also influenced by the prominent early Song dynasty neo-Confucians
Zhang Zai and
Zhu Xi.
Metaphysics Wang's metaphysics is a version of materialism. He argued that only qi ( or ch'i; energy or material force) exists; li (, principle, form, or idea), which was the central concept in the orthodox neo-Confucian thought of
Zhu Xi, for example, doesn't exist independently, being simply the principle of qi. In this his metaphysics represents a continuation and development of that of
Zhang Zai, as expressed most clearly in his ''Commentary on Master Zhang's Correcting Ignorance'', and has also been highly regarded as a 'proto-materialist' in the Marxist period in the PRC after 1949.
Ethics Wang's metaphysical ideas led him to a naturalist moral philosophy (precipitating a revival of interest in his teachings in modern China). In particular, he believed that human desires are not inherently evil, but in fact unavoidable and an essential part of our nature. Indeed, he believed that desires are potentially beneficial, the moral nature of human beings being grounded in our feelings for others, and that problems only arise through lack of moderation. Wang believed that human desires are the main evidence of our relationship with the material world as material beings, and that human nature develops out of our initial material nature together with the changes that we undergo as a result of our interactions with the world we live in.
Epistemology Wang laid great stress on the need for both experience and reason: we must study the world using our senses, and reason carefully about it. Knowledge and action are intertwined, and acting is the ground of knowing. The gaining of knowledge is a slow and laborious process, there are no instances of sudden enlightenment.
Politics and History Even more than his materialism, Wang's views on politics and history brought him popularity in modern China. Government, he argued, should benefit the people, not those in power. History is a continuous cycle of renewal, involving the gradual progress of human society. There are periods of chaos and want as well as of stability and prosperity, depending on the degree of virtue of the emperor and of the people as a whole, but the underlying direction is upwards. It's the result of the natural laws that govern human beings and society. Wang believed that the power of the feudal landlords was evil, and should be weakened by higher taxation, which would also lead to an increase in numbers of land-owning peasants. Wang adopted a strong anti-Manchu stance in his writings and was remarkable for his systematic attempt to express his anti-Manchuism in a broad historical and philosophical context. He also insisted that the Chinese be distinguished from the non-Chinese, as both should stay in their own territories and respect the sovereignty of one another, in order to avoid the possibility of invasion or integration. Along with his Confucian thought, he also recognized a "need to operate the system", associated with
Chinese Legalism. ==See also==