以德抗位与以德副位——社会分工视角下《孟子》的君臣民关系论

Virtuously Refusing and Agreeing to a Political Posting:The Mencius on the Relationship between Ruler,Minister and the Common People,from the Perspective of the Social Division of Labor

传统儒学首先强调政府与所在共同体的目的一致性,对权力的警惕则是次要方面。政府既是共同体的成员,又是社群自我管理的工具;工具为工具持有者提供合目的性,由此又代表了其持有者。政府与语言类似,出自社会约定,其运作离不开社群成员的配合;政府是社会责任的直接责任人,因而较之大众表现出更高的主体性。社会分工包括政府职能对所有人都具先在性,因此一方面人人先天具备承担社会职能的潜力,足以"以德抗位";另一方面,其人生轨迹主要表现为"以德副位"。"位"作为社会分工的身份暨工具性义务,其创新、机变的权柄终究把握在新生一代,则是更根本的以德抗位。德位合一既是社会的理想状态,也是现实发展之大势,可谓德福一致的制度化。

Traditional Confucianism primarily emphasized the purposive agreement between the government and the people,considering vigilance against abuse of power to be only of secondary importance.The government is both a member of society as well as a tool for it to manage itself.A tool provides its user with purposiveness,and by doing so comes to represent its user.The government represents an agent who is directly responsible for social obligations,thereby showing a greater level of subjectivity than that of the public.Social divisions of labor,including government functions,are a priority for everyone,which is why,on the one hand,people innately possess a potential for assuming social functions that allows them to“virtuously refuse a political posting”(yi de kang wei 以德抗位)if need be,while on the other hand,their lifes trajectory can still mainly manifest itself in“virtuously agreeing to a political posting”(yi de fu wei 以德副位).As the identity and instrumental obligation of the social division of labor,the authority for innovation and flexibility of“political posts”will eventually be seized by a new generation,which is a more fundamental form of“virtuously resisting a political posting.”The agreement between ones virtue and political posting is both a social ideal and a real developing trend,which can be called the institutionalization of the accordance between virtue and success.