• (The)Study of the Eastern Classic
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• no.34
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• pp.7-38
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• 2009

This paper attempts to explore the theory of moral leadership in the Great Learning. There are two fundamental contents in the elements of moral leadership's human nature in the Great learning. These are meaning of general principle(綱領指趣) - studying, self cultivation and social authority from rectifying name, and category of concrete learning(學問綱目) - the scheme of manifesting original nature (明德之方) and the scheme of loving the people(親民之方). In this, there are two principles. One is the principle of stage. In the theory of moral leadership of the Great learning, there are stages from self-cultivation to making the world tranquil. The other is the principle of stop at the highest good in manifesting nature and loving the people. In the meaning of general principle, moral leader must have good nature that he or she preforms his or her original nature and accomplishes self-cultivation. For this he or she must learn and study, and endeavors self-polishing. In the category of concrete learning, at first, in the scheme of manifesting original nature, there are investigation things-extending knowledge and making the will sincere-rectifying the mind as the pre conditions of the self-cultivation, and moral leader must carry out harmonization peoples and accomplishing public morals as the result of self-cultivation. The harmonization people means that everyone has equal position and lives with each other in harmony In the scheme of loving the people, there are the connected ethics of self cultivation-regulating the family(修身齊家) and the connected ethics of regulating the family-ordering the state(齊家治國) by effect of self-cultivation.