天人观视野下的孟荀人性论之争

The Conflict between Mencius and Xunzi about Human Nature in the Visual Field of Heaven and Man Relation

孟子、荀子间的性善论与性恶论之争源自天人观上的分歧。孟子之天人合一乃个体的人与义理之天的合一。荀子之天人相分为群体的人与自然之天的分离。孟子以心善言性善,认为性在心中;荀子以欲望为人性,认为性在身。在孟子,天人因道德而合一;在荀子,天人因道德而相分。

The conflict between Mencius' doctrine of the goodness of human nature and Xunzi's that of evil originates from the difference on the point about heaven and man relation. Mencius' doctrine of the unity of heaven and man means the unity of moral heaven and single man. Heaven has moral, also it makes man according its own face and demand. It endows with man character as his human nature, while put moral consciousness into his heart. So man separates himself from animal. Xunzi's of the distincitive of heaven and man means the distinctive of natural heaven and man as colony, it has two period: in the first period, man is unity with heaven as a part of it, while in the second, man separates from heaven because of getting moral dicipline, and becoming the opposite to heaven. Xunzi's understanding the doctrine function of heaven and man refers to the second period. Human nature is endowed from heaven. Mencius' goodness of human nature means the goodness of heart, he thinks human nature is in heart. Xunzi regards psychological desire as human nature, he thinks human nature is in man's body. According to Mencius, the heaven and man are unity because of moral consciousness; in the viewpoint of Xunzi, the heaven and man are distinctive because of morality.