“行己有耻”的道德底线与中国伦理学的近代转型——论顾炎武道德伦理思想中的近代性因素

On Gu Yanwu's Moral Principles and the Transition of Chinese Ethics

明朝的灭亡,不仅是中国传统社会经济、政治危机的总爆发,而且也是道德危机的总爆发。顾炎武以一种历史的自觉,深刻反思明王朝覆灭的教训,致力于探寻中国社会道德文明之重建的道路。其道德伦理思想具有三个重要特点:第一,他在中国思想史上第一次对传统社会的负面国民性作了全面而系统的批判,发近代学者“改造国民性”的思想之先声;第二,不像宋明道学家那样讲玄之又玄的高妙道德“境界”,而只给人们预设了一个“行己有耻”的道德底线;第三,他反对朱熹所说的对“狂者”要加以裁抑的观点,认为“大凡高迈亢爽之人易于入道”,主张带有个性解放意味的豪杰精神。这一切,都是顾炎武的道德伦理思想中的值得重视的近代性因素,是中国传统伦理学从道德理想主义向着经验主义或现实主义转型的重要标志。

The downfall of the Ming Dynasty is not only the breakout of economic and political crisis in traditional Chinese society, but also the result of moral crisis. With a historical consciousness, Gu Yanwu deeply reflected the lessons from the downfall of the Ming Dynasty and devoted himself to exploring the way to reconstruct Chinese moral civilization. His moral and ethics ideology has three important features： 1 ）. He criticized the traditional negative nationality in a comprehensive way for the first time. 2）. He proposed a moral limit. 3）. He a advocated the freedom of personality. All these are the modem factors in Gu Yanwu＇ s ethics and moral ideology, and they are the signs of traditional Chinese ethics to transit into a realistic one.