简析孟子的人性论与平等观

Mencius's Ideas on Human Nature and Equality

有观点认为,由于孟子人性皆善的思想,他实际上主张了一种人人平等的观念。本文对此提出不同看法。孟子提出人人都性善,并非意在强调人人平等,而是强调性善是人的特点,是人区别其他动物的类本质。实际上,他是要论证,由于对自己善端保有的不同,人与人之间必然是不平等的。他的那些“人人皆可为尧舜、为圣人”之类的话,是就那些身居高位者或者像他自己一样的士人而言,并非对那些小人、庶民、野人说的。孟子的人性善思想,不仅不能导致一个平等的社会,反而为种种不平等的社会现象提供了一个看似合理的依据。

Some scholars think that since Mencius believed that all men were born with a good nature, he was actually saying all men were born equal. This article tends to raise a different argument. Mencius said everyone had a good nature not to emphasize equality, but to single out goodness as some special human quality which distinguishes human beings from other animals. In fact, he wanted to argue that since different people retained different levels of goodness in themselves, they were doomed to be unequal. When he said ＂anyone can be Yao, Shun or other sages＂, he was referring to people scholar like him , not to those humble people, those civilians or uncivilized. Mencius＇s idea of a good human nature, thus, cannot lead to an equal society. It provides a seemingly reasonable excuse for all kinds of unequal social phenomena instead.