The De-Moralization of Law Is a Monumental Advance of Epoch-Making Significance in Human History

There is an old saying, half of which was also quoted in "Dream of the Red Chamber": "A wife is not as good as a concubine, a concubine not as good as a maidservant, a maidservant not as good as a courtesan, a courtesan not as good as stealing, and stealing is not as good as not being able to steal." Since for ordinary people the realm of "not being able to steal" is too lofty, reaching the realm of "stealing" is more practical. "Wife" can be replaced by "love," and "stealing" naturally becomes "illicit love." Illicit love is of course a form of love, but according to the logic of this saying, illicit love is the highest form of love (excluding the impractical "not being able to steal"). The progression from love to illicit love undoubtedly represents a tremendous cognitive advance.

However, in the wicked feudal era, illicit love was punished by drowning in a pig cage -- that is, illicit love was severely punished by moralized law. Herein lies a tremendous contradiction: everyone knows the correctness of the famous saying quoted in "Dream of the Red Chamber," yet the mask of morality demands punishment for the act. Is humanity born masochistic? And the instrument of self-torture is so-called morality. When law is also wielded in the service of morality, everything becomes a genuine human tragedy.

The de-moralization of law is a monumental advance of epoch-making significance in human history. Law is law, morality is morality -- such a simple matter, yet humanity took a very long time before it was willing to face it. Take illicit love: according to the view of the famous saying quoted in "Dream of the Red Chamber," it is the best thing within the range of human sensibility. It is, however, non-moral. But the progress of the times means that such matters will never again be legalized within de-moralized law. A person who exists legally is the most moral and most noble, rather than the existence of the pseudo-moral hypocrite which is non-legal.

In modern society, we believe only in law. We indulge outside the law. Illicit love has nothing to do with law. Love has nothing to do with law. Where law is silent, every person has the right to choose love or illicit love. Let hypocritical, non-legal morality go to hell. Law protects every person's non-moral rights as permitted by law. Only thus can law be truly the law of real people.

From love to illicit love, the de-moralization of law is a monumental advance of epoch-making significance in human history. Let us, amid the groan-like curses of Mr. Morality, happily fall into the happiness that the law permits. Human creativity is released in happiness, society develops in happiness -- is this not so?