Page 75 - 2022(1) International Confusion Studies

68 J. Ren

heaven” is an idealized aspiration dating from ancient times, and so transcends the
realities of society and politics. Second, it lists in logical recursion from the ultimate
aim (peace under heaven) back to the source. Specifically, the six “firsts” in their
descending order are all preconditions for illustrious virtue throughout the state. If
any of them is omitted, the ultimate aim cannot be achieved. Third, seven “thens”
starting from “investigating things” are listed in a progressive order to achieve this
ultimate aim. If one link is missing, the next will also fail. In other words, if any one
of the “eight essential principles” is absent, the ultimate aim will be unachievable.
By employing this kind of logical description in both descending and
ascending order, The Great Learning lays strong emphasis on the root: “From the
Son of Heaven down to the common people all must consider self-cultivation as the
root of everything.” This is vital for understanding the “three cardinal guides and
eight essential principles,” because self-cultivation addresses the issues sur-
rounding differences in social status within Confucian concepts of social origins
and structures. That is, understanding self-cultivation in a progressive order
means the “eight essential principles” create conditions for members of society to
obtain a certain social recognition. Understanding it in a recursive order touches
on the origins and evolution of society from family to state to society and politics,
and then more broadly to all under heaven. Unfortunately, scholars tend to start
only from “family” and give it first importance when highlighting the progressive
relationship between “regulation of family affairs, good state governance, and
ensuring peace to all under heaven.” They have in fact overlooked the importance
of “self-cultivation.” In fact, understanding “ensuring peace to all under heaven”
in a recursive way complements the progressive relationship of the “eight prin-
ciples.” Presenting both relationships at the same time makes it possible to un-
derstand their profound significance.

2 The Complete Structure: Progression and

Recursion

The “eight essential principles” are both relatively separate and yet closely inter-
connected. On the one hand, each of them can be discussed independently; on the
other, the entire set is hard to understand accurately without considering them all in
close connection. Since they can be examined apart, it is possible to discuss each
element’s weight and effect on both the one before it and the one after it. That is why
it is understandable that nowadays there are many different discussions of the
meaning of “family” and “all under heaven.” However, the “principles” are also
closely interconnected moral precepts and should not be separated from each other.