中华古文化中的“超越”哲思:“轴心”与“转轴”

Philosophical Thinking of"Transcendence"in Ancient Chinese Culture:"Axis"and"Axial"

近年来,国内在讨论思想文化的"超越"与"突破"问题时,常常关联到所谓"轴心时代"。其实,这是对德国学者雅斯贝尔斯提出人类文明史有决定性的"转轴时代"(The Axial Age of Transcendence)论题的一种误译。他的本意是,在古代世界中,各地的高等文明在公元前800—前200年间不约而同地发生了"超越性的突破转变",凡经历过此转变的古代文明则能更新其生命力,延续成为现代的文明;否则,便成"明日黄花",被历史所埋葬。中文把应该译为"转轴时代"的"the axial age",误译为"轴心时代"。古代中华的"经书、经学、经术"("王官之学")以及之前的神话传说构成的"轴心",不但是其后诸子哲思腾跃"转轴"的基础,更影响了其"多元多层次"的"转轴"特性。最能表达中华古哲对"超越"理念论说的是孔子"吾十五而有志于学,三十而立,四十而不惑,五十而知天命,六十而耳顺,七十而从心所欲不逾矩",这表达了一个人终生"不断地超越"的理念;而《老子》"人法地,地法天,天法道,道法自然",则几乎道尽了公元前数千年间中华上古思想文化超越变化的大势——"道"或超越"自然",或为"自然"所超越。这远远地超越了西方止步于"上帝"的"超越"。

In recent years, the Chinese scholars are discussing the so-called ＂the Axial Age of Transcendence＂, but it is often mistranslated for the meaning of Axis. The former means, as it were, the higher civilizations in the ancient world occurred at the same time a ＂breakthrough turning of transcendence＂ around 800 B.C. and 200 B.C. The civilizations which experienced the turning could revive their vitality and extend into modern ones. Unlike the Western civilizations, there could not be an Axial Time in ancient China. The classical studies and the mythology before it constituted an Axis in ancient China, which is not only a foundation for the transcendental Axial Age of philosophical thinking, but also an influence on its ＂multi-stratum＂ feature of the Axial Age. The ideas of Confucius and Laozi which can best represent the ＂transcendence＂ of ancient Chinese philosophy are far beyond the Western ＂transcendence＂ which had stopped at ＂God＂.