21世纪孟子学研究的新展望

A New Prospect of Mengzi Studies in the 21st Century

孟子学研究颇获海内外学者重视。以往的研究方法有:“内在研究”集中在性善论、身心关系论、知言养气论等三大议题之上,采取一种“即心言心”的进路,将孟子的“心”视为具有“自我立法”能力的、自给自足的、具有自主性的“道德主体”,肯定“心”之独立自主性,对孟子思想的历史与文化的脉络性掌握,常有未达之憾;“外在研究”注重在历史文化脉络中解读孟子学的内涵,将孟子思想置于政治与历史的具体情境之中考察,使孟子学中的诸多概念或理念,取得了鲜活的具体感,不再是抽象的概念,潜藏着某种未经明言的人性论预设:认为人是在具体的、特定的历史条件之中创造历史、进行思考活动,人不是遗世而独立的山林逸士,将孟子“脉络化”于历史情境中的研究进路,推至极端,就有所蔽。未来的孟子学研究必须“内”“外”兼顾,得其全貌。三个可能的研究新方向是:孟子思想中的身心关系论与修养工夫论;东亚孟子学的发展及其思想的同调与异趣;全球化时代孟子思想的普世价值。

Mengzi studies attract much attention of scholars of home and abroad. During the former studies, the ＂internal studies＂ focus on the three topics of the theory of good nature, the theory of body vs. mind, and the theory of accomplishment cultivation, which hold the approach of ＂considering mind in isolation＂, viewing the ＂mind＂ discussed by Mengzi as the self-sufficient ＂moral subject＂, and affirming the independence of the ＂mind＂, but the kind of studies often fail in the contextualization of history and culture of Mengzi＇s thought. The ＂external studies＂ lay stress on interpreting the intentions of Menzi＇s thought from the historical and culture contexts, and inspecting Mengzi＇s thought in certain political and historical circumstances, which have lifted the concepts and ideas in the Mengzi studies out of the abstract concepts, but gaining vivid sense of existence, and concealing the kind of untold presumption on human nature, that man only creates history and considers under concrete and specified conditions, but not the hermit freed from the world. Yet the kind of ap- proach which contextualizing Mengzi into historical circumstances will be one-sided either when reaching the extreme. Consideration must be given to both the internal and the external in the future Mengzi studies to get the comprehensive understanding. The three possible new approaches are the theories of body vs. mind and accomplishment cultivation, the development and ideological similarities as well as differences of East-Asian Mengzi studies, and the universal value of Mengzi＇s thought in the era of globalization.