Reflections and Historical Development on "Harmony between Man and Nature"

This chapter brings feasible ideas and methods for applying the cognition of celestial harmo- ny to promote the development of social civilization nowadays. It is of great significance towards the realizing of sustainable development and the building of ecological civilization that we fully understand and correctly evaluate the ecological ethics of Harmony between Man and Nature under the guidance of the Marxist ecological outlook. “The unity of nature and human” is the cognitive method and idea of ancient Chinese sages to explore the relationship between human and nature. It ori- ginates from in three emperors’ period and arises from the plain perception of nature. Through the Zhou Dynasty, the concept of “destiny” and “Son of Heaven” was established. on the plain understanding of the oneness of nature and human, we instinctively explore nature and discover ways that are beneficial to the development of human survival and life. From the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period to the Qin and Han dynasties, the perception of the relationship between nature and man underwent a transformation. And then the Jin and Tang periods continued to explore. The difficult transition from the Ten Kingdoms and Five Dynasties to the Two Song Dynasties. The philosophers reflected on and underwent change during the Ming and Qing eras. With a lengthy history of development, "Nature and Humanity" cognition has developed its own theory and method. This study mainly compares the theoretical perceptions of each historical period from a macroscopic perspective, in which the specific details of each period have not been specifically explained and need to be further explored.