胡适论董仲舒

Hu Shih on Dong Zhongshu

在五四新文化运动的领袖人物中,胡适是比较稳健的一位。在胡适眼里,儒学既是封建君主专制统治的思想支柱,也是一种学术。学问家的胡适一生花费时间和精力最多的是"国学"。胡适把儒学称为中国的"国教",这一点跟董仲舒"罢黜百家、独尊儒术"紧密相关。胡适多次提到董仲舒在促进国家统一的大业和建设汉家制度上的功绩。他对董仲舒提出的"罢黜百家,独尊儒术"的看法具有某种辩证的性质。他对董仲舒的学术也是充分肯定的。在胡适看来,包括董仲舒在内的汉朝的"哲人"们造出"灾异神学"并不是他们相信"天人"之间有所谓"感应",而只不过是要用这种极其神秘的"神学"作为限制君主权力的一种威慑力量。董仲舒处在新思想、新制度的开创时期,他自己还没有传统文化中后来形成的一些惰性,他一直处在不断的思索之中。胡适之所以对董仲舒有如许多的肯定之处,是因为胡适对各种不同的文化及其社会功用有明确的认识。胡适对中国传统文化研究之深、之广,几乎无人可比。

In the May Fourth New Culture Movement leaders,Hu Shih is one of relatively stable. In Hu's eyes,Confucianism is not only the ideological pillars of the feudal absolute monarchy,but also an academic school. As a knowlegeable scholar,Hu spend time and energy the most to Sinology. Hu looked Confucianism as China's 'state religion' ,which is closely connected with Dong Zhongshu's doctrine,'abandoning all other schools,only Confucianism dominating'. Hu repeatedly emphasize Dong Zhongshu's achievements in promoting the great cause of national reunification and building of Chinese family system. He believed that Dong's 'abandoning all other schools,only Confucianism dominating' has a dialectical view in nature. He also gave Dong's academic level a fully positive assessment. In Hu's opinion,philosophers in Han Dynasty,including Dong,created 'Calamity theology' ,not because they believed the so-called 'sensitive' between Heaven and Man,but because they use this mysterious 'theology' as the deterrent power to limit the monarch power. Dong lived in a open period of new ideas and new system creation without any inertia forming in the closing traditional culture. So he had been thinking about constantly. The reason why Hu give Dong so much recognition is that Hu had a clear understanding of different culture and its social functions. Almost none can reach to the deep and broad level of Hu on Chinese traditional culture.