发展的儒家思想

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The Confucian Development
  
　Since the Second World War, research and further development about Confucianism have been paid more and more attention by the Japanese thinkers about management. Those Japanese thinkers believe that it is a natural reflection of Confucianism for the workers and staff members to own high degree collectivism, high loyalty as well as a feeling of belonging to the enterprises. The Japanese enterprises always quote these three sentences to summarize their operating manners of Confucianism: the workers will remain with the company for the length of their careers, the salary increases are based on seniority of workers, and labor union will be established in the company. The above collectivism of Japanese, I think, has to be the outcome of the Confucian management.
  
　We can conclude, from the above, that the Chinese Confucianism influences Japan a lot, especially in the management. Early in the 800s A.D., Confucianism was carried out through executive methods in Japan and standards of filial piety were greatly advocated. In the 1600s, Confucianism was stipulated as the Japanese official philosophy and a full-scale research about old Chinese ideologies began to rise in Japan. Up to now, marks of Confucianism can also be seen clearly from the Japanese characters.
  
　Since the Second World War, the Japanese economy has risen to a miracle and a vigorous mass campaign to study the secrets for Japan’s success has appeared among the whole world. After a series of discussion and related research, Euro-American scholars found out that the economic miracle came from vigorous energy of companies, and vigorous energy originated from successful enterprise management, which rested with the powerful enterprise culture. The enterprise culture, as is well known to the world, is the traditional Chinese culture, especially the Confucianism combined with the traditional Japanese culture and national psychologies. Hence, the powered factor of the success of the Japanese enterprise management is obviously the Confucianism.
  
　However, to say that the taking off of Japan’s economy perfectly relies upon the Chinese Confucianism is not that appropriate, I think. Its success of economy does thank to the cultural factor and the Confucian culture itself, but this factor is not sole, and not unique at all. It is wrong to neglect the cultural factors in the economic development and it is also absolutely wrong to exaggerate it. Centering about the Confucianism, the traditional eastern culture emphasizes on the ethical relations and the harmonious aspects of human characters. That is to say, it is good for the stabilization of the society, to say optimistically; however, it shows out some kind of conservatism, to say negatively.
  
　Then in fact which culture is more conducive to economic development, Japan has given us a perfect answer.
  
　The Japanese enterprises absorb the positive value from Confucianism, like the emphases on collectivism and social relations and at the same time overcome the disadvantages of it, which only emphasize on the social character but neglect people’s individualism. So actually, the absorption of Chinese Confucianism for Japan is a kind of implantation, which breaks the traditional Confucian system and combines the active fraction with the western humanities spirit, which pays more attention to the personalities and individualism. This kind of connection not only holds back the traditional core of Confucian spirit, it also puts down roots the Confucianism into the soil of market economy and makes it a new developing method for economy.
  
　Everything has its two side and we cannot say which is right and which is wrong. Also, we cannot simply say which view is more convincing according to the above. The best method is to absorb their both advantages and make it your own one. Japan lives us a typical example.

　　　　　　　　　 发展的儒家思想
　　
　　二战以后，日本思想界越来越多的关于儒家思想的研究和发展。学者们相信，儒学思想对于企业职工的本质反映体现在他们高度的集体主义精神，对企业高度的忠诚和归属感方面。日本的企业通常引用这样三句话来概括儒学思想在他们的企业管理中所应用的细节：职工职业终身制，按资负薪及职工工会制度。这几种集体精神的体现可以看出是儒家企业管理的产物。
　　
　　我们不难看出，中国儒学，对于日本，特别是日本的企业管理来说，影响很大。早在公元八百年，儒学就通过行政手段在日本广为推行，孝道一度被广为提倡。公元一千六百年，儒学正式成为日本官方哲学，日本开始了对中国传统文化思潮的全方位研究。直到现在，一些日本人身上的儒家精神的痕迹还清晰可见。
　　
　　二战后，日本经济成为一个奇迹，一股研究日本成功秘诀的思潮在全世界范围内展开开来。经过一系列的讨论和相关研究，欧美学者发现日本经济的这个奇迹来源于企业的无限能量，而企业的能量又来源于成功的企业管理，企业管理来源于强有力的企业文化，而这强有力的企业文化，不难看出，是中国传统文化，特别是儒家文化与日本传统文化和民族心理有机融合的产物。因此可以看出，日本企业管理取得成功的一个有力的因素便是儒家精神的应用。
　　
　　尽管如此，我认为单单说日本经济的腾飞完全取决于中国的儒家文化这种说话不为恰当。经济方面的成功典范确实离不开文化因素，特别是儒家文化这一推动因素，但它并不是唯一的因素。忽视文化因素在经济发展中起到的作用是错误的，而夸大这个作业同样是不可取的。以儒学为中心，传统的东方文化以道德底蕴为核心，强调人性和人际关系的和谐。积极地说，儒家文化有利于社会安定，民族团结；消极地讲，儒家文化似乎固守自封，不利于自身的发展。
　　
　　那么究竟哪一种文化才是更有利于经济发展的途径呢？日本给了我们一个完美的回答。
　　
　　日本企业吸收儒家文化中有利的价值文化，像强调集体主义和社会人际关系等诸多方面，同时，摒弃了那些儒学中过分强调人的社会属性而忽略了人的个性问题的方面。所以说，日本吸收儒家文化的过程实际上就是一个嫁接过程。打破原有的儒学体系并把其中积极的部分同西方的人文精神相结合，更强调个性化和个人在集体中发挥的作用。这种结合不仅保留了传统儒学的核心精神，同样使儒家文化扎根于市场经济的土壤之中并发挥其新思路的作用。
　　
　　不管怎么说事物总有两方面，我们不能单纯判断它们的对错。我们同样不能判断究竟哪一种文化更适合企业经营管理。我认为最好的办法仍然是兼容并收，这方面日本给我们做出了很好的示范。


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李金英

文章是旧的，但理念仍然值得学习。