Confucian culture on the reflection of Finance

 Confucian culture on the reflective
Chen Zhiwu, finance / paper [1]
part of this article published in the November 13, 2006, discussion is not just limited to the cultural circle, but directly related to primary, secondary and college students spend much time reading each week, how much time to learn modern knowledge. In addition, the requirements established Confucianism as the state religion of the voice is not small, so believe it or not Confucianism personal choice is not the problem, or a whole society and the fundamental problem of the whole country. In fact, some of the new Confucian scholars claim to the million to establish the Confucius school in a foreign country, with specific actions to promote Confucian culture in the world. China is so big, bigger world, to do some of these things, but also not a bad idea. However, the effectiveness of how it may be another matter.
So in the end is what culture? Confucian culture in China, why there? addition to whether there are other better outside the Confucian spiritual civilization it? Han Chinese culture with the Han Chinese culture, Chinese culture of the Tang Dynasty, Song Zhaoming toward Chinese culture, Chinese culture and even the Republic of China is different, the dynamic changes of other ethnic culture is also much the same. If the culture is changing, then what drives change? why some cultural content that is enduring the passage of time while others disappear? Here, we tried to finance, economics perspective to answer these questions, as far as possible away from the cultural perspective to understand the culture. We will find that cultural content must be born because of a need, because some do not die the same. In other words, once the culture is more a function can be welcomed by other things to replace, then the meaning of that term culture Life will end. we will see, with the economic and financial technology, society will need to change the cultural connotation. So, the simple sense of retro culture is not only wishful thinking, and no significance.
cultural Why this is not like that?
culture, of course, a lot of content is broad, our concern is not as People make value judgments of Life culture. In addition, the first description of the article aside and Confucian , the letter The.
focus of this paper reflect the Confucian reflect the core differences. We take a look at the difference between them.
either ancient or modern, no man is born to two basic needs in the face, one is clothing, housing consumption of these materials, the so-called material life, species of the cause of the basic needs of both cultures, but also cultural purposes.
All animals have their culture, and education level of an animal any connection with the viability of the animal related to the ability of individuals. In all the animals, people born after Viability may be the weakest of the column, before the age of the baby by a nurse, even after one year old can eat normal food, can walk in 12,13 or before the age of a person living alone is difficult. In contrast, the horse Viability strong, colt was born a day or two can stand to walk, it can quickly eat their own. but nevertheless, after birth, the colt will follow the mother, two months, the mare will give maternal love, protection pony, inseparable, so, even horse reflects a certain for the protection of their children demonstrated ferocious, really selfless person close to her home territory as long as the scope will definitely come out to bite you bitch! So, the dog's basic survival unit is the common animals.
course, since the viability of human than the weak horse, race home is the most basic conditions continue. Any nation today there, it must have a basic cultural importance of the family content, it will be impossible until today. various cultures for the family, which is the basic bottom line of ethnic survival.
addition to meeting the spirit of today's material consumption and demand, a person is more important challenge facing is worried about the future life, including future revenues required material life of uncertainty, the uncertainty of health, but also the future spiritual life and psychological state of uncertainty. uncertainty risk events can be natural disasters, For example, according to Mr. Deng Yunte in 1937, an average of more than 5 times per year; 17th century, a total of 507 sub-types of the disaster, a total of 411 times the 18th century, 19th century, 407 times, the first 35 years of the 20th century, there are 101 major disaster. These are not recorded in the annals of including small disaster, does not include the frequent wars and peasant uprisings, large and small, hurried retreat during the individual's material life and spiritual life will certainly be affected. These are all people want to avoid systemic risks.
at the individual level, illness, traffic or work accidents, house fires and other accidents can also cause property income, the loss on mental health, and Qu Xi, married women, houses, pension and other large items of expenditure of these are bad personal life to deal with the risk of forecast events or large expenses. In addition, in the business, producing large and small investment will be the face of uncertainty, it may lose everything, there may be a bad harvest.
the result of natural, social and personal bring their own difficult to avoid the risk of events is full of worries people, which forced people to look for to avoid future risk of material and spiritual means of risk, or a family, the probability of survival of a nation will be far less than 100%, the community also can not be peace . generally speaking, human beings have two ways to avoid future risks, one is through the development, risk events. a balance of material supply, even though the occurrence of natural disasters or production failures moment, that does not inflict a fatal crisis. economic exchange between individuals, the spirit of exchange to mutual insurance, mutual aid, resource sharing effect, thereby enhance the ability of society to the hedge, so that individuals can better through economic tension, mental depression period. any society, individuals income between the different risk characteristics, and capacity will enable them to achieve through the exchange of mutual insurance, mutual effects of the allocation of resources. in the spiritual life is also true that different people will appear at different times, emotions, feelings of interpersonal exchange between provide a basis.
question is, how to exchange? in economic benefits, financial products is to let different people (buyers and sellers) to achieve at different times and material exchange between the different states (of course, in the future may have achieved between different states at different times and feelings of the securities exchange). For example, today's loan contract is to allow lenders to lend money to other use, but when the borrower due to debt service, and the effect is credited to the income transfer to today the next flower, the borrower put the transfer of future income to spend today. the other, such as life annuities, health insurance, life insurance, pension funds, stocks, bonds and other financial products, although different arrangements for the payment of the contract, but the truth is to achieve different people in different time, the exchange of interests among different states. The problem is that until recent times the development of the financial variety. So, in the ancient and traditional societies, similar feelings of financial and insurance transactions and transactions rely on the spirit of the way? This is a deal implementation of risk or contract, if you are worried about the other party will be deadbeat, non-performance of its exchange obligations, mutual insurance mutual trade can not happen. the history of different periods and different cultural and social systems are introduced in order to ensure that these transactions are basically can be smoothly conducted.
in primitive society, the production capacity is low, by hunting, picking wild fruit to make a living, its too risky to harvest, hunting may be nothing for several days, no food supply, the daily challenge of survival must be priority. If the production and life of that time period an individual or family as a unit, then the viability of people will be very low, the human may soon become extinct. Therefore, the primitive tribes to avoid the production of a risk, to avoid natural disasters, provide the original spirit of the consumer The basic organization. Although tribal public personal space flooded, and no separate home, but capacity constraints at the time, the tribes may be the ideal body for Mutual Economic Assistance and Social Community. then there is no formal financial contract transactions, But the tribe to share everything, in fact, the exchange of interest is the original based on implicit social insurance arrangements.
to the agricultural community can Quanyang poultry, grow food in a fixed place Zhongfu, these two types of production technology innovation greatly enhance human productivity, the material supply greatly increased, reducing the frequency of hunger. In this case, changes in human culture, people do not need to continue tribal public that economic self-help groups. After all, in order to support the public sector to achieve the effect of future risk-sharing, each person needs sacrificing too much personal space and individual freedom. as long as the productivity breakthrough for the individual's ability to substantially improve the survival of independent, one must seek new, expanded personal space and social organization of economic organization, a new culture will come up. This is the Armagh Taya. Sen said, transaction costs still too high, especially commercial finance, insurance, loans, securities are developed, there is no market for mutual insurance mutual transactions. So, out of tribal ownership and then still need to find a new guarantee of economic transactions, smooth running of the spirit of trading arrangements. At this time, the family, the clan to become the main body of economic solidarity and social community, family and kinship as to ensure mutual insurance, mutual trade can be the natural basis of the smooth, like an informal internal family financial markets. a family unit, of course there is no basic full liberation of the individual, does not mean complete freedom of the individual, but arrangements.
In any society, the family has two main functions, one for Mutual Economic Assistance, a social function that is the spirit of mutual assistance. its economic functions include two aspects, first, hidden within the family there are all kinds of financial contracts relationship, parents who have invested in the future, so that future generations have hidden There are many tell each other, but also lots to talk about the hidden debt, liability insurance. Second, because of blood relationship, > To support the the purpose, but also 2,500 years ago, the background of Confucian culture.
Confucian culture today and the past
In other words, there is no market for various types of insurance, loans, stocks, mutual funds, pension funds and other financial species under the premise of a family having children, preferably sons to become the future to avoid the risk of physical and mental risks of the specific means, namely the so-called is to buy insurance for the future, children, the personification of the financial variety. parents Xu Aizi, maybe not love, this is not the most important key is the children grow up to be the return key. Confucius and Mencius in the Confucian culture is the core of these hidden interests in order to reduce uncertainty in transactions, designed to increase transaction security. As Mr. Xie Youwei of , l can be described as the culture of filial piety in Chinese culture, filial role r. large, the status of high culture to the neglect of Chinese filial piety, that is really not known in Chinese culture unconditionally, and regardless of rational or irrational. according to Liang Shuming's argument [3], As the name suggests to them from time to time. h means that the ethical relationship between an obligation, a person does not appear to exist for their own sake, but there are other people who like each other. into a hierarchical organization, then, according to birth place to give him lessons in life the same responsibilities and obligations; regardless of age, before or after, and even children are six or seven-year-old brother, and every person at this level order position unchanged, the elderly will always be those who speak only the obedient child points, only a few such as first or low, never self. From birth children, through the Confucianism return on investment of the elderly.
people can not choose family before the birth and birth order, so as to inter-generational naming points and responsibilities to achieve the interests of the transactions involuntary transactions. and contrary to the mandatory personal transactions rights.
individual rights but not to particular sub-defined hierarchy, does so in the Chinese society is essentially the same in 2500 (other than regime change), but this culture has emasculated the Chinese people's individuality, our castration creativity. emasculate the personality structure may be stable, the cost of subsistence and starvation in China between the long-term. Take the case of these students in the year, students and those of us who work in America after graduation, although the high level professional, But with Americans, Indians, Europeans, Chinese Confucian culture that often lacks personality, used to listen to, but do not fight for their rights and interests. We only work for.
Cui Pai like to say that Western civilization was material, and Chinese civilization is a higher realm of spiritual civilization, the West seems to be based on advanced science and technology of modern industry, material wealth, but only in recent years China has to adequate food and clothing. mm this logic is questionable, simply because the West than the East developed material production does not necessarily mean that the spirit of civilization behind them, behind the East of material production does not necessarily mean that the spirit of our civilization advanced. will the East will not be material and spiritual civilization behind it?
we can look at this issue from three aspects. First, the premise of a rich spiritual life is rich spiritual food supply, academic and literary art is the main source. around two thousand years of Chinese Confucianism and the academic, France, Mexico, Taoism playing circle, Buddhism gradually entered China in the Han Dynasty, the Tang and Song dynasties have been promoting literature, poetry and other fields of development, there have also been the development of Neo-Confucianism, but on the whole did not leave and re-interpretation of the earlier interpretation of the classic and the development of basic philosophy and literary scholar limited to a small society, the vast majority of the illiterate of the social impact of the spiritual life is limited. Just as the famous representatives of Neo-Confucianism Chang In the 20th century, the reflections of 30 years: the pain of bondage, but also benefit from standard l r rl the tacit purpose, it is the lack of physical training, and a very underdeveloped sense. This is my family Shoubing place. Page, Shandong People's Publishing House, 1998 edition).
did not like the West of China in a systematic organized religion, Confucian norms of everyday behavior is not strictly religious. in which the lack of formal rationality and irrationality of life View of society, the public was left to the spiritual world mental resources. step back and say, Perhaps, there is no religious or spiritual civilization, rational academic support is not important, more important is that we focus on the spiritual pursuit of life, rather than excessive pursuit of material life. the pursuit of the spiritual life of the Chinese people may not be religious, and family warmth and affection. However, the friendship between people is a very personal thing, everyone has different preferences and different personality, even with parents, brothers and sisters, the same personality and preferences is difficult, they only know each other are brothers and sisters and , phase relations, but this relationship does not mean they can achieve higher than the original emotional state of mind to communicate, as arranged marriage, the responsibility of husband and wife know each other, a couple, but they may not be between the experience. hard to imagine the freedom of the human personality and society have been repressed, emotional and psychological world that these ideas are flying to the outside of simple feelings.
Third, the core of Chinese culture focus is to maintain economic functions, social and emotional neglect of their functions, which necessarily inhibit the connotation of Chinese culture and spiritual civilization. From a certain sense, even food and clothing did not completely solve the agricultural society, the is to achieve the economic interests among family members exchange, so the Confucian culture, economic interests of the exchange is Hello is nice, or out of interest. in real life, I see more hometown in Hunan, because the interests of the fight of the Confucian family, rather than the prominent family, highlighting the relationship between emotional sentimental Confucian world. that idealized Confucian world has not realized in China, from the internal logic may also be difficult to achieve. In the final analysis, inhibiting material in the development of Confucian culture, traditional Chinese food and clothing has not completely out of the challenge; in that situation, the emotional world of the spirit that can reach the peak of civilization, it can only be wishful thinking.
traditional knowledge of Chinese society, too many remain in the study of classics, as if the classic study is to understand the real China. Clearly, the Five Classics , full of poetic. but the real traditional Chinese society, though not ; filial piety Beijing, Dandong, Xushui nine and three Henan Village mm Citylink, Niuzhuang, Songzhuang for a survey, random sample of around 300 people, where income levels and economic development of the highest degree course in Beijing, Dandong City, followed by , Xushui third, nine Citylink, Niuzhuang, Songzhuang minimum.
many family communication, social interaction show the meaning of economic transactions. For example, in modern society, gift giving is often symbolic, meaning is not the wine ;, more of a lending exchange of interests. villagers meet marriage, moving into new homes and other events, the city a large banquet, and then accepting gifts, the equivalent of big spending to help alleviate the difficulties caused to the owner; Since then, other other similar events, and then sent to the appropriate number of gifts.
sample survey of six local result, Beijing and gift exchanges between the minimum lending, Dandong and Xu water, followed by loans between rural people and gifts between the most. Thus, the former is not the traditional society, but the latter still is. particularly in rural areas, mainly in loans and gifts between relatives, relatives other than small. Thus, in rural areas, between relatives heavy economic interests, family, family is still the center of Mutual Economic Assistance.
When asked, average of 69% of the village people say, Beijing, 55% said analysis found that the higher the income the same time, bought the city a variety of financial and insurance are more likely to say developed cities like Shanghai, have to meet income needs while use of insurance products, investment funds and other risks of the couple's future economic arrangements, they more the social unit, the original from the , in rural areas, family relations, economic transactions still the head, So, there is more to retain the Confucian values.
, the Chinese culture to the future will be what is it? is a step such as Beijing, Shanghai and other developed community cultural development, or to restore the Confucian tradition, back to the traditional village value system? social and cultural direction of an individual is difficult to design, but the decision by the needs of the community.
financial development on the impact of Western culture
To help understand the future direction of Chinese culture, we can look at the economic and financial development is how to promote individual rights, individual freedom status in Western culture. Today in Beijing, Shanghai and cultural differences with the rural areas of Western culture today is actually the difference with the mapping of the past. West is not always to the individual as the center, the development of economic and financial gradually from their families and the Church of the liberation of economic dependence.
, of course, to this day individuals have been dazzling variety of financial securities, and their functions for different purposes. For ease of discussion, we Take the life annuity (life annuity), for example, this should be the individual to avoid future risk one of the most important financial variety. think about the future, the most uncertain is how many will live in the end, is to live to 120 years old or 70 years it ? If today to save money by living 70 years of age, if living to 120 years old, that the remaining 50 years of income come from? If you live 120 years to save money according to the event live live 70 years, it is not to save money too more? mm uncertainty of life very easy for their offspring in old age becomes a burden, but also lose their independence. Life Annuity is there to solve this problem, as long as the buyer to prove good health today, then he may purchase life annuity installments or a one-time, buy, investors may be 50 years old (the age can be started from the other) to get prior agreement before the death of the income year, such as the million has to pay this income to continue to the purchaser or the death of both husband and wife until the death. With this financial arrangement, the parents do not have to rely on financial support through the twilight years of future generations, do not worry they will not live too long, economic independence is clearly the basis of personal freedom .
democracy, freedom, thought and practice of the rule of law as early as in ancient Greece, ancient Rome to appear, this is familiar history, but not necessarily familiar with the past, life insurance and annuities, and other varieties are borrowing more than 2,000 years before ancient Greece and Rome appeared and development. in accordance with the CF Trenerry in terms, as early as 225 BC the Romans called Ulpian compiled out of the life annuity, life insurance pricing table, that is the origin of actuarial mathematics. Thus, the ancient Greeks, Romans can use these financial instruments to achieve personal free. another type of mutual insurance for individuals, mutual trade is the rise in the Roman civil religion, and other RCAs, which together would be through the contributions of many members of the set together, and then to meet members of the accident economic support.
but, interestingly, with the Roman Empire in 476 AD the end, Europe entered the so-called disappears, the individual economic risks, pension and other back from the traditional family to do the job. For example, from the 8th century to the 10th century, Germany, Belgium clan very well-developed, land is vested in the clan, clan property, and members of the individual members dedicated to circumvent the economic risk of this effect is to make ; home looking at a group of people painting of that period, you will find that the above figures from the face to clothing, to their manners are completely the same, do not see any difference, no personality, the spirit reflected in the shallow world can imagine.
from 12,13 century, Venice, Florence and other Italian city-state's commercial rapid development, which not only makes their per capita income growth, the challenge to get people out of food and clothing, but in the late 13th century life annuities, life insurance, dowry funds and other financial varieties again in Venice and other places, until the 14-15 century Italian Renaissance, awareness of individual rights to reproduce period, Western Europe has been considerable development of financial, in order to achieve freedom and rights of individuals provided the initial financial means to support.
various types of insurance, loans, bonds, investment products particularly in the 15,16 century, faster development, and spread to the Netherlands, France and, later, the United Kingdom. These increasingly sophisticated financial instruments as the beginning of the 17th century the Enlightenment and further development of individual freedom important economic foundation of modern democratic political system is in Europe, such a background appears.
we see that if the interests of the trade from the replaced, which of course can reduce the exchange of benefits to the family because of the tension, but also requires a new social and political system, a new culture, for example, to individual rights-based legal and political checks and balances system to ensure the rule of law, Otherwise, in the family, clan difficult financial transactions outside the market, with transaction security, contract rights can not be guaranteed. In other words, if the main function of personal financial risk transactions borne by the family, then there is a corresponding culture of the family's request, China has With the Confucian culture; If the main function of the market economy to bear, then the social political and legal system must have the appropriate content, in this context the development of a Western freedom, democracy and the rule of law, at the same time, the West's ; increasingly become a pure spirit of the living cells, to brothers and sisters, the elder and the younger the basis of emotional exchange between.
on individual rights and freedom and financial security in the West is the history of how the interaction developed, because of space relations, and then devoted to another paper.
when the financial markets instead of but bad? hand, people are becoming a zombie, dream life it? New Confucian scholars criticized, of course, like most U.S., like to take the United States to explain why Western culture must be hopeless to rescue them from the Chinese culture. American Insurance , banking, securities industry is the most advanced, all kinds of financial products to the majority of Americans can imagine the risk of future income, living arrangements in advance. In addition to medical, life, property, automotive, unemployment, disability and other traditional insurance products , housing, cars and other varieties of personal loans, pension funds, investment funds and other securities, the U.S. financial and insurance are always kept informed of new and emerging needs of personal life or endowment, under the new need to introduce new financial products to enable individuals do not, through accident, the economic burden their loved ones.
example, in the 1990s the new people can live 30 years or more, over the age 70,80 may not necessarily ill, but may become increasingly difficult to live action, you need someone to care, such care costs are generally not covered by medical insurance. Then , a child may be asked to give up work, to abandon his home, moved back home to take care of their parents, and if so, children will sacrifice their own career and life, and if each generation of people drop out their own careers and families to care, care elders, and that means ...