The laboratory now has a plaque named "Gewu Hall". There is another main hall, which Wang Yuan named "Zhizhi Hall".
Yang Shen doesn't come here much recently. After he learns the basic knowledge, he likes to stay at home and study alone. He only comes to communicate with Wang Yuan on holidays.
Du Jin and Bao Chaozhen have returned from Tianjin to audit the accounts, and Wang Wensu rarely asks for leave to attend lectures.
In addition to Wang Yuan's own students, there are now more than thirty Imperial College students and scholars from Shuntian Prefecture, all gathered in the Wang family's "Zhizhi Hall".
This was Wang Yuan’s first real lecture. He said:
"Confucianism has eight eyes: investigation of things, knowledge, sincerity, correct mind, self-cultivation, ordering the family, governing the country, and bringing peace to the world."
"Zhu Ziyun: Those who understand the physical world are bound to the extremes of physics. Those who know the best are the ones who know the best in my heart!"
"This is the reason why I named this subject 'physics'. Just like Zhu Zi said, the so-called investigation of things means that physics exists between heaven and earth and is everywhere. Through observation, hypothesis, experiment, demonstration, etc., we
You can truly study things and understand physics. If you know physics, you can achieve knowledge and reach the state of 'my heart knows everything'!"
"Zhu Ziyun: Once the knowledge is complete, the meaning can be obtained and realized; when the intention is realized, the mind can be obtained and rectified. Through studying things and studying physics, we can achieve knowledge, sincerity, and rectify the mind."
"Only when your heart is right can you cultivate your character, manage your family, govern your country, and bring peace to the world!"
"So, our study of physics is not a side path, but the main path of Confucian learning!"
"The way of a great university lies in understanding the virtues, being close to the people, and striving for perfection. Zhu Ziyun: Those who understand virtues are those who gain from heaven, and those who are imaginary and not ignorant are those who respond to all things by possessing many principles... We study
Physics, the study of things to achieve knowledge, is what Zhu Zi said, what people gain is from heaven, the emptiness and spirit are not ignorant, and they have many principles and can respond to all things."
"What is physics? It is what Zhuzi said, it has many principles and responds to all things!"
Wang Yuan spoke "Zhu Zi" when he opened his mouth, but still said "Zhu Zi" when he closed his mouth. He completely regarded Zhu Xi as a tool and tampered with Zhu Xi's annotations beyond recognition.
But Wang Yuan's way of understanding did not affect the imperial examination, because he did not change a word of Zhu Xi's annotations on the Four Books and Five Classics! He only added a set of methodology based on the philosophy of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, resulting in academic fragmentation
He just didn't care.
Why did Wang Yangming and Zhan Ruoshui's philosophy of mind attract countless scholars in the mid-Ming Dynasty?
Just because there are problems with the methodology of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, Wang Yangming and Zhan Ruoshui each proposed a methodology!
The nearly forty audience members in front of them originally only regarded physics as a minor thing, just like poetry, music and medical skills. But after hearing Wang Yuan's words, they instantly opened the door to a new world - it turns out that it is so simple to study things and gain knowledge!
Zhu Xi said that people are supposed to know everything when they are born, but it is only because their souls are polluted that they become ignorant and stupid. Saints will not be polluted, so they are born knowing. Ordinary people need to work hard and practice what Confucianism advocates to be able to
Restore your true colors and gradually become closer to a saint.
The question is how to exercise?
If you use the moral character of a gentleman to strictly demand yourself, will you be able to understand the best principles in the world? By meditating and cultivating your mind, will you be able to study things and gain knowledge?
As long as you don't have a brain that is too stupid to read, you will know that there is something wrong with it.
Therefore, Wang Yangming said that there is nothing outside the heart, and the heart is reason. Everyone is born with a conscience, but the conscience is deceived. If you can find your own conscience, you can correctly understand the affairs of the world and reach the realm of a saint.
This seems to be similar to Zhu Xi, but Wang Yangming also said that knowledge and action must be integrated. Knowing but not doing it is false knowledge, and doing without knowing is false virtue. Knowledge and action promote each other. This fills the loopholes and at least allows scholars to
The disciples have a direction, unlike Cheng and Zhu Neo-Confucianism who didn’t even give them a direction.
Although Zhan Ruoshui's Baisha Xinxue also starts from the "heart", it believes that there are things outside the heart, and it is necessary to understand the laws of heaven everywhere, to understand the laws of nature by studying things, and to achieve all this with benevolence (similar to conscience).
Wang Yuan is more simple and direct. Don’t ask what is investigating things, just do physical experiments!
More than thirty students were fascinated by what he heard and suddenly became enlightened. Some of them stood up on the spot and bowed respectfully to Wang Yuan.
Xiao Mingfeng, Wang Yangming's newly accepted disciple, couldn't help but frowned and said: "Scholar Wang, Mr. Wang said that 'the mind has no external objects'. You are also Mr.'s disciple, why are all the objects in your mind? According to your statement, it is more like
Baisha Xinxue, not Mr. Wangmen Xinxue."
Wang Yuan smiled and said: "In my opinion, there is nothing outside the mind, which means that the mind is not restricted by external things. When we study physics, we must also adhere to the idea of 'nothing outside the mind' and cannot be confused by any established thinking or daily phenomena. For example
The moon seems to be a round and bright object, but with a telescope, you can see that the moon's surface is bumpy. The moon is an object, and the bumps on the moon's surface are principles. We should use the correct method, put aside the established concepts, and correctly understand the principles that belong to the moon.
."
If Uncle Wang had known that his "nothing in his heart" had been misinterpreted in this way, he would probably not have chased Wang Yuan down several streets with a knife.
Xiao Mingfeng had just become a disciple not long ago and had not yet learned the elite knowledge of Wang Clan. However, he was left speechless by Wang Yuan and had no idea how to refute.
Liu Chuxiu, a prison student from Shaanxi Province, stood up, clasped his fists and saluted, saying: "Xueshi Wang, when you talk about analyzing things, you only talk about dead things. But what Zhu Zi said about analyzing things also includes living things, as well as virtues such as benevolence, justice, etiquette, wisdom, and filial piety. What you just said
Studying things to gain knowledge is too biased and narrow.”
When everyone heard it, they all felt it made sense and waited to hear how Wang Yuan would explain it.
How could Wang Yuan leave such a big loophole? He smiled and said: "The Eight Eyes of Confucianism are step by step. The investigation of things and the pursuit of knowledge are the foundation. After that, there are sincerity, righteousness, and self-cultivation. The living things and virtues you mentioned,
These are all things that come after studying things to achieve knowledge.”
Liu Chuxiu asked again: "Scholar Wang's parabolic test is to examine objects. Can he get the natural principle of honoring parents by throwing objects?"
Wang Yuan smiled and said: "My friend, I recommend you to listen to Mr. Yangming's lectures. Mr. Yangming believes that filial piety to parents is both a natural principle and a conscience. You don't need to learn it to know it."
Liu Chuxiu also asked: "Does this mean that Bachelor Wang's physics can only study dead objects?"
Wang Yuan shook his head and said: "Of course not. People are living creatures. Why do people need to drink water? Why do they need to sleep? Why do they dream? Why do they get sick? These truths can be slowly figured out, but we haven't found a method yet.
My physical theory just cannot exclude emotions, morality and other natural laws."
"So, Bachelor Wang's physics is still flawed." Liu Chuxiu said.
Wang Yuan explained: "I named it physics because it focuses on objects. I come from a school of mind science, and this set of physics is just a supplement to mind science. If you can learn mind science well and physics well,
Then the principles of the world will be under your control!"
"That's it, I've learned a lesson!" Liu Chuxiu said.
Xu Jingsong, a supervisor from Liaodong, asked: "Sister Wang, even if all dead things are considered dead, if you know what the moon looks like and how wheels do work, what use will it do to people?"
“It’s of great use!”
Wang Yuan said: "Using the knowledge of physics, my disciples have improved the five-spindle spinning wheel. If this spinning wheel is popularized in the world, it will benefit countless people and accumulate more wealth for the Ming Dynasty. Using the knowledge of physics, we can also rely on the principle of leverage to verify
Calculate the parabolic trajectories of returning artillery and artillery, so that soldiers of the Ming Dynasty can fire more accurately when fighting. Using physics knowledge, they can also build better buildings and upgrades to protect people from droughts and floods. Using physics knowledge, you can study how to increase the yield of acres of land.
, so that people all over the world can have enough to eat. Do you think physics is useless?"
Xu Jingsong was convinced and said: "It does work."
Gu Gao, a supervisor from Henan, suddenly raised his voice: "What Scholar Wang said is all about hundreds of fortifications. Is it true that we, the scholars, who read the books of saints and sages, study things and gain knowledge just to become craftsmen?"
Wang Yuan asked back: "Can you write?"
Gu Gaole said: "Xueshi Wang is joking. I am the supervisor of students, so why can't I write?"
Wang Yuan asked again: "Did you know that there are people who make a living by selling calligraphy?"
Gu Gao said disdainfully: "Those who sell calligraphy for a living are so polite."
Wang Yuan said: "Baigong is like the man who sells calligraphy, and you and I who study physics are like the people who create calligraphy. How can we be confused with Baigong! If the Suiren clan didn't drill wood to make fire, you and I would still be drinking blood from the hair."
Drilling wood to make fire is physics. We are all Suiren clans, not firemakers who work as slaves for others!"
Gu Gao was speechless, but he still felt that something was wrong.
Wang Yuan added: "If anyone among you and me can use physics knowledge to make the world's farmland yield ten stones per acre, will he be ridiculed as a laborer? Will he be considered a farmer? Not only will he not be able to, you will even be born as a saint.
Die and become a god, receiving incense and offerings from generation to generation!"
This metaphor immediately speaks to all living beings. Yes, we are those who work hard, and all works are laborers. How can we be confused with the same thing?
Someone else argued: "How can there be such a thing in the world that one can produce ten stones per mu?"
Wang Yuan smiled and said: "Today's paddy fields often produce four or five stones per mu. Could they have produced so much in the Qin and Han Dynasties? If we study the principles of farming, even if we cannot produce ten stones per mu, we can still produce six stones per mu."
A yield of seven shi per mu is okay? A yield of seven shi per mu will increase the world's food production by one-third and feed one-third more people. How many refugees can be reduced? With fewer refugees, there will be fewer rebels and people can live.
How many lives? The day will come when the Ming Dynasty will be revived!"
"Well said!" Someone cheered loudly, and all living beings also cheered.
Of course, there are also those who are dissatisfied and always regard physics as the way to do everything. The reason why they continue to study with Wang Yuan is just to take advantage of Wang Yuan's identity.
After all, Wang Yuan is a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy. Wang Yuan may serve as a co-examiner or even the chief examiner of the Shuntianfu Provincial Examination next year and the National Examination the year after that!
No matter what, from today onwards, Wang Yuan's academics will have their own position, belonging to the physical school of Wangmen's mind science!
It’s just that although Wang Yuan worships Wang Yangming as his ancestor, Wang Yangming does not admit that the School of Physics belongs to the School of Mind.