中国古代的“士”阶层与先秦政治哲学

Literati Class in Ancient China and the Political Philosophy before Qin Dynasty

中国哲学发轫于先秦百家争鸣的春秋战国时代,从产生之初,就走上了与古希腊为代表的西方哲学不同的发展道路。中国哲学更多地表现为政治哲学,这一特质的形成与中国古代"士"阶层密切相关,中国"士"的历史是和哲学的历史同时揭幕的。中国先秦"士"阶层这一独特的精英群体的生存状态和对"道"的坚守,决定了中国哲学从一开始就把关心政治、社会和人生作为己任,进而也规定了其后两千多年中国哲学的基本走向。

Chinese philosophy originated in the scholarly-fruitful and culturally-exuberant ages of War- ring States before Qin Dynasty, which, at its root, has been developed in a different way that western philosophy, typically know as Ancient Greece origin, has taken. Chinese philosophy has taken more forms of political philos- ophy, with its essence closely relating to literati class in Ancient China whose history means the start of Chinese philosophy. Living circumstances of literati class, a peculiar elite group, before Qin Dynasty and its persistence with so called ＇Dao＇ determine that since the very beginning, Chinese philosophy was subject to concern for pol- itics, society and life, whose prime direction in more than 2000 years thus has been constructed.