莊子曰:「春秋經世,先王之志。」經世或可詮釋成經國濟世、經世濟民、經世致用、經劃世務。「經世」思想展現了積極的社會參與,將個人與社會視爲一個整體,個人的完成公須經由社會的實踐而達成,此所以《大學》中標凖的「格致誠正,修齊治平」八德目,雖明言「壹是皆以修身爲本」,而最終的目標仍落實於治國平天下之上,從「修己」(內聖)到「治人」(外王),是一個連續而不可分割的嚴格程序;就「修己」而言,只是個手段或工具,「治人」才是最後的歸宿。因此「修己」(內聖)到「治人」(外王),即學術和事功兩者同等重要。綜觀清代,能落實經世致用的理念,尤推阮元。阮元乃一代儒宗是也,少負絕異之姿,於學無所不窺,留心經世致用,標舉行己有恥,故博瞻通貫,卓然特立,彬彬而爲後世崇仰之典範也。《清史稿》曾云阮元:「身歷乾嘉文物鼎盛之時,主持風會數十年,海內學者奉爲山斗焉。」阮元確實是「獨善其身且能兼善天下」的表率,不但對社會群體積極關懷,主張急難救助、推行慈善事業,更是身體力行,一生堅持。阮元保國安民的社會救助包括阮元親臨前線救災賑濟、觀察情勢剿匪滅盜、建育嬰堂拯救棄嬰、設普濟堂普濟眾生、設恤嫠公局救助孀婦、嚴禁鴉片保民健康等具體作爲,都是以利民利國爲出發,適時提出幫助,可謂社會救助的實踐者及推動社會福利的先驅。余讀其書,嚮慕其高風,特取斯題,廣蒐材料,慎訂方法,冀能深造有得,以彰顯先生明體達用之學,而有益於當世也。
The great ancient philosopher Chuang-Tze said, to run a statecraft well has always been the ambition of ancient emperors. A statecraft means to manage a country well and offer the people good life, peace and security. The thought of statecraft shows positively social involvement and views individual and the society as one. It is necessary for personal achievement through living up to the society. Therefore, the eight standards in the book Da-Hsieh, investing things, extending knowledge to the utmost, sincerity, honesty, cultivating one's moral character, putting one's family in order, running the country well and giving the people peace and security, indicate clearly that everything starts from cultivating one's moral character. Still the goal fulfills in a statecraft and then the people gains peace and security. It is a consequent and uncuttable severe procedure from cultivating one's moral character well to running the society. Cultivating one's moral is only a method. A statecraft is the final destination. Therefore, both are equally important. Juan-Yuan was one of the scholars practiced the ideal of statecraft most in the Ching Dynasty. He is an eradicate Confucianist, who paid attention to how to run the country and practiced into action. He had utstandingly personal independence of conduct. He was refined and courteous and was an example of the later period and highly esteemed. As Annuals of Ching Dynasty wrote, Juan-Yuan was active in the Chien-Lung and Chia-Ching eras, and witnessed a period of great prosperity in cultural development. He led the scholarship for decades and was the example of scholars throughout the country. And Juan-Yuan was truly indeed the standard model of cultivating one's moral character well to running the society. Juan-Yuan sought betterment of himself and brought righteousness to the whole world. He could not only propose to take care of the public including misfortune succoring and charities actively, but also he practiced what he preaches throughout his life. Juan-Yuan’s social aid for country and people included attending personally to the front to relieve the disaster and give out alms to the poor, observing the situation to suppress bandits and dissolve the burglary, setting up the baby's hall to rescue the abandoned baby, establishing Pu-Ji hall to benefit the living beings, establishing Xu-Li hall to help the widowed, and strictly forbidding the usage of opium to protect the health of people. As I read his works, I am highly aspired by his upright character. Hence, I took his educative achievement as my topic, collected materials widely and studied carefully. I deeply hope to manifest his philosophy and will be beneficial to our present world.