万物负阴而抱阳——老子母性论思想论析

All things bear yin and embrace yang——Analysis of Laozi’s Maternity Theory

健全的人性系统应包括自然性(个体性)、社会性(父性)与母性三个维度。但历史上人们往往更多地关注了人的社会性与自然性,而一定程度上忽视了人性的母性维度。老子针对父权制社会的种种弊端,提出“万物负阴而抱阳”的母性论命题,意在重建人心的秩序。然而,老子母性论并非仅在话语的表层区分于父权,而在于彰显母性“大爱”的品格,其既不同于儒家的仁爱与墨家的兼爱,也不同于基督教背景下的博爱。老子母性论有三个思想特质:一是母性是人对自身的完全舍弃与对存在的绝对给予;二是母性在人与社会的发展中起着根本性的奠基作用;三是母性意味着个体对于家国共同体的认同和归属。研究老子母性论的意义在于探讨人心的现代性问题。真正意义上的社会的现代化发展应体现在社会制度与人心两个层面上,后者则是现代性的真正实现。

A sound human nature system should include three dimensions: naturalness (individuality), sociality (paternity), and motherhood. But in history, people always paid more attention to human sociality and naturalness, which have to some extent overlooked the maternal dimension of human nature. Laozi proposed the maternal theory proposition of “all things bear yin and embrace yang” in response to the various drawbacks of patriarchal society, aiming to rebuild the order of human hearts.However, Laozi’s theory of maternal nature is not only distinguished from patriarchy on the surface of discourse, but also reflects the character of maternal “love”. It is different from the Confucian benevolence and the Mohist School’s Universal Love, as well as the Christian universal love, and has three ideological characteristics. First, motherhood is the complete abandonment of oneself and the absolute giving of existence by humans. Secondly, motherhood plays a fundamental role in the development of human beings and society. Thirdly, motherhood implies an individual’s identification and belonging to the community of family and country.The significance of studying Laozi’s theory of motherhood lies in exploring the issue of modernity in human hearts. The true modernization development of society should be reflected in two levels: social system and human nature, the latter being the true realization of modernity.