荀子的“法后王”与儒学的走向政治

Xun Zi's Fllowing the Later King and Confucian develipment towands Politics

孔子与孟子以道德自律、道德教化为改造社会的手段,而对外在制度的匡正作用重视不够,在实际政治中的可操作性不强,从而被讥为“迂远而阔于事情”,不为现实政治所接纳。但救世济民这种根源于儒家思想深层的理念,必然要求后来的儒者强化儒学的现实性与在政治实践中的可操作性。荀子“法后王”就是对儒学发展要求的一个切实的回应。从这个意义上讲,“后王”毫无疑义地指“当今之王”或“近世之王”,亦即那些在春秋战国这一急剧变化的时代中变法自强的帝王,荀子探索出了儒学与政治的契合点,并由此开辟了通向政治实践的巷道。

The means for Confucious and Menfucious to change the society was moral self - diciplin and moral civilization. They had not done more research on system and the maneuverability in the practical politics. So they were not received by the feudary of their time. But the ideality of saving the people must require the subsequent Confucians to strengthen the political maneuverability of the Confucianism. One of the efforts was “Follow the Later King”brought out by Xunzi. For these, the“Later King”must be the“Modern King”who stranger his fuedality through political reform in a crisis age： Chunqiu and Zhanguo. Xunzi found out the point conbine Confucianism with politics, so he carved out a way for Confucianism to political practice.