《尚书》中周人天命观探析

The Opinion on the Destiny in "Shang Shu"

《尚书》记载了从尧舜至春秋秦穆公时期帝王的重大政治事件,从中可以洞见周代人的天命观。周人的天命观上承殷商,对天命有着绝对的敬畏之心,同时周代天命观又注入了特有的忧患精神,认为天命不可一味地相信。周人认为天命是以小民的意志为转移的。"德"是上天选择人间代言人的标准,而"德"的核心在于保护弱势群体。

＂Shang Shu＂ is one of the most important materials on the study about the view of destiny. The people of Zhou Dynasty＇s opinions on the destiny were partly inherited from their former Dynasty ＂Shang＂. They maintained that the destiny had absolute dominance over nature and society. However, what were different from the Shang Dynasty is that they had obtained the awareness of potential dangers. They held the point that the destiny varied with their alternative actions to the country. How long they could hold the preference of destiny depended on how they protected the disadvantaged groups.