ZHANG Xingyu
(№.3,2012)
Abstract: Lev Tolstoy was a well-known litterateur and also a thinker inscrolled in Russian philosophy history at the same time. “Love” is the core of his religious moral thinking, which can be seen either in his political works or literature. To a great extent, this thinking advocated by the culture giant Tolstoy throughout his life has many similarities to the “benevolence” thinking proposed by Confucius in ancient China. On the levels of moral cultivation and interpersonal communication, either “benevolence” or “love” is based on the era one lives in and refl ects a way of conducting oneself in society. On the level of political thinking, both “benevolence” and “love” all surpass the era one lives in and express a vision of human life. However, culture, times background and some other factors cause their “benevolence” and “love” to have deep differences on the three levels.
Key words: Confucius; Lev Tolstoy; benevolence; love
