Wang Fuzhi's View on Knowledge and Action

In late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty, Wang Fuzhi expressed more profound view on knowledge and action. Wang Fuzhi inherited the reasonable views of his precursors and criticized them, forming his mature view on knowledge and action. His view mainly included:

Firstly, knowledge and action were different and supplementary. On the one hand, Wang Fuzhi denied Zhu Xi's view that split knowledge and action. Wang Fuzhi believed that knowledge and action embodied each other. He said, "If one makes efforts, investigating things and gaining knowledge are both action. If one displays honesty, he can learn the knowledge in the world." (Reading the Four Classics, Great Learning) On the other, Wang Fuzhi dissented from Wang Yangming's view that united knowledge and action. He stressed that knowledge and action belonged to different categories and had different function. He said, "The difference between knowledge and action lies in that knowledge pursues truth and action values object." (Reading the Four Classics, Doctrine of the Mean) Evidently, Wang Fuzhi absorbed the reasonable element and criticized the irrational element in Zhu Xi and Wang Yangming's views. The former stressed their difference while neglected unity. The latter noticed their unity while neglected difference. Wang Fuzhi further noted that: "One who knows knowledge and action are supplementary as he knows they are different." (Commentaries to Selected Book of Rites, Doctrine of the Mean) In other words, knowledge and action were supplementary as they were different. Meanwhile, Wang Fuzhi observed that the relationship between knowledge and action changed and matured: "From knowledge one can know how to act and from action one can know what knowledge is. Then one can make progress." (Reading the Four Classics, The Analects, Wei Zheng) In this way, Wang Fuzhi discussed the dialectic relationship between knowledge and action.

Secondly, knowledge guided action and action tested knowledge. Wang Fuzhi elucidated the role and function of knowledge and action: "For a gentleman, he acts based on knowledge." (Note on Reading Classic of Poetry, Vol. 1). In other words, knowledge could guide action and one must have knowledge before he acted: "One must act after he has obtained knowledge and one acts in accordance with the knowledge he has." (Notes on Four Classics, Vol. 20) He supplemented: "The more profound and accurate one's knowledge is, the more proper and reasonable one's action is." (Reading the Four Classics, The Analects, Wei Zheng) Nevertheless, Wang Fuzhi attached more importance to action. He considered action more important than knowledge and proposed the theory that action tested knowledge. He said, "Action can test knowledge while knowledge cannot test action." (Elaborations on the Book of Documents, On the Effect of Fate IT) and "One who have knowledge may not act, but one who acts can know." (Reading the Four Classics, The Analects, King Ling of Wei) In detail, Wang Fuzhi discussed the role and function of action as follows: (1) One knew after he acted, or action was the source of knowledge. Wang Fuzhi said: "One learns Tao after he acts." (Thoughts and Questions, Internal Chapters) Here, Wang Fuzhi viewed action as the foundation of knowledge. (2) Knowledge ended with action, or action was the purpose of knowledge. Wang Fuzhi said, "The final end of knowledge is to practice it." (Notes on Correcting the Unenlightened, Zhi Dang) Here, Wang Fuzhi employed the idea practice." (Elaborations on the Book of Documents, On the Effect of Fate IT) and "Action can indicate the power of knowledge." (Notes on Four Classics, Vol. 9) Wang Fuzhi put action in a higher stage in which action embodied knowledge. In short, Wang Fuzhi's view on knowledge and action reached a high level because of the profundity it embodied in both Chinese and Western philosophies.