97Chapter 97: A White Horse is Not a Horse, Practical and Useful
These six simple words are more useful than the long lists of words said by the leaders of the various schools of thought before, because the four words "Guandu Chen Family" are already a golden signboard.
In today's Han Dynasty, nothing is more useful than the four words "Guan Du Chen Family".
Even...His Majesty the Emperor.
Dong Zhongshu looked at the two people who caused a commotion just by saying his name, and his face immediately became solemn. He looked at Chen Yi and the other two with a slightly indifferent smile on his face.
"Today, hundreds of schools of thought are discussing the Dao. I wonder what the two gentlemen's thoughts are?"
He smiled and said, "You can't just rely on the four words Guandu Chen family."
Chen Yi simply glanced at Dong Zhongshu indifferently, ignoring the sourness in his tone. He simply said, "The ultimate truth of heaven and earth is hidden within heaven and earth. When everyone in the world is like a dragon, and everyone is like a dragon, then everyone's words and actions are all reflected in their thoughts."
"The two of us only have two words in our minds."
"practical."
He stood between heaven and earth, his words and actions unified. He looked at Dong Zhongshu and said, "Pragmatism is about being pragmatic and able to apply what you have. The core of this is very simple. First, seek truth from facts. Second, practice is the only criterion for testing truth. Third, we need to view everything in the world dialectically. Fourth...use what the world has to offer for the world."
After the four ideas were briefly expounded, Dong Zhongshu, Li Mo, Gongsun Long and Jing Ming fell into a brief silence. They were all great sages of the time, so it was natural that they could not fail to hear the profoundness of these ideas.
Whether it was pragmatic and applicable or the simple yet philosophical sentence that followed, "Practice is the only criterion for testing truth," they were all deafening to them, as if thunder had come to their ears.
Several people looked at each other silently, feeling that the meaning was profound and stirred ripples in their hearts.
But how can we easily admit defeat in the struggle for the orthodox doctrine at this time?
The renowned scholar Gongsun Long was the first to enter. He smiled at Chen Yi and said, "I don't understand what you mean by 'practicality', but what do you mean by 'we should view everything in the world dialectically'?"
"Could you tell me in detail?"
Gongsun Long lowered his posture in order to lure Chen Yi into a trap, but at this time Chen Yi smiled slightly and took the initiative to walk into the trap that Gongsun Long had not yet set.
He looked at Gongsun Long and said, "Mr. Gongsun comes from a famous family. He should understand that a white horse is not a horse."
Gongsun Long was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "Not bad."
Chen Yi smiled calmly, "The proposition that a white horse is not a horse has been circulating for hundreds of years. Even if someone were to decipher this mystery by chance, it's still unclear why it has become a mystery."
He looked at Gongsun Long and said, "But Chen's thoughts can be understood."
"only..."
Chen Yi smiled playfully, "But after my analysis, I'm afraid the famous White Horse School will be burned to ashes."
"Do you dare, sir?"
Gongsun Long was silent for a moment, then straightened his clothes, stood there, and said softly with an attitude of listening attentively, "Sir, please speak."
Chen Yi looked at Gongsun Long's posture with a hint of solemnity in his brows.
Only at this moment did he get rid of those amusement thoughts - because Gongsun Long at this moment had a sense of heroic martyrdom of beauty, "If I hear the truth in the morning, I would be willing to die in the evening", which made Chen Yi know the difference between Gongsun Long and some children of "famous families".
He immediately whispered, "The White Horse Theory of the famous scholars seems to have no problems, but in fact it expands some 'concepts' and shrinks others."
"A white horse is not a horse" means: the famous scholars believe that a white horse is equal to a horse and a black horse is equal to a horse, so a white horse is equal to a black horse. But because a white horse is not a black horse, they replace this agreement with "a white horse is not a horse."
"This idea ignores the conceptual size and duality of things."
"Similarly, the concept of things is condensed into theory. According to my pragmatic thinking, practice is the only criterion for testing truth. No matter what people say or think, in reality, a white horse is a horse. This is "truth" and is irrefutable."
"According to dialectics, a white horse is indeed a horse, but a horse is not a white horse. This is because the concept of horse encompasses countless kinds of horses. The white in white horse is just a color, not a type of horse. Therefore, white is not a horse, but a white horse is a horse. Therefore, the so-called white horse theory of the famous scholars only uses color to confuse the changes in the object itself."
He smiled and said, "If you look at it that way, it's very simple."
"The famous scholars say that a white horse is equal to a horse. This is wrong. The white horse belongs to the horse. This is an attribute of inclusion, not equality. Therefore, a black horse is not equal to a horse. It belongs to the horse. After agreeing to replace it, both the white horse and the black horse belong to the horse. Therefore, both the white horse and the black horse are horses, but the white horse is not a black horse."
The series of "horses" made everyone present confused, but the four people standing in the middle of the venue were convinced.
Among them, Gongsun Long sighed, looked at Chen Yi and bowed slightly: "Sir, your thoughts are broad and profound. Gongsun Long is ashamed to be inferior to you."
He was about to leave sadly when he heard Chen Yi speak: "Sir, there is no need to feel regretful. In my opinion, the teachings of famous scholars have sometimes gone astray."
"Masters are skilled in the art of debate. If this art is only used for fun, wouldn't it be a waste?"
"If one could transform it into the art of diplomacy, using the arguments of the famous scholars to accommodate their strengths, and using them as a diplomatic technique, and sending people from all over the world to serve the Han Dynasty, wouldn't this be a way to restore the glory of the famous scholars?"
Gongsun Long was slightly stunned, then suddenly realized what was going on, and then he burst into laughter: "So that's how it is, so that's how it is."
"It's not that famous people are no longer tolerated by the world, but that we have gone astray!"
He stood behind Chen Yi as a disciple, with a humble and respectful look on his face: "Long is willing to follow you, sir. I don't ask you to accept me as your disciple, I only ask for your guidance."
Chen Yi did not refuse. He looked at Gongsun Long and nodded: "Okay."
He looked at the other three with a normal expression: "Three of you, it's your turn."
Jing Ming, Li Mo and Dong Zhongshu were all silent for a moment. They looked at each other and then sighed. They wanted to speak but didn't know where to start, so they could only remain silent.
But Chen Yi was not going to let them go.
He stood there, one hand behind his back, and said softly, "You three are all erudite and talented people. Now that I have said that the core of pragmatics is to take advantage of the world and use it for one's own benefit, I am declaring that pragmatics is all-encompassing."
Chen Yi looked at the three of them and said, "Why don't you three come together?"
"It also saves extra time."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present was shocked.
What does this mean...?
There was a quiet commotion all around, and everyone in the venue was extremely shocked.
Dong Zhongshu stepped forward, his expression serious, his voice tinged with anger. "Sir, do you mean to ask one person to discuss the three of us at the same time?"