Abstract:

The people-based thinking is one of the most important political concepts of Chinese traditional society. It conveys a very good idea of political ethics, but it runs parallel with the government-based thinking of Chinese traditional political life——which is a very bad ethical politics. With insight into the traditional theory of the people-based thinking, we will find that this idea has inherent theoretical deficiencies: the people-based thinking conflicts with the ethical structure on which it is grounded. Thus it makes the theory of the people-based thinking only an ideal political ethics. It is impossible to develop it into a political constitutional theory of political system. Moreover, the theory of Mandate of Heaven and moral idealism, entirely abstain from necessity and possibility of constructing any political system.

Key words: people-based thinking, theory of Mandate of Heaven, political ethics, ethical politics, ethical structure