早期道家的“德性论”和“人情论”——从老子到庄子和黄老

Early Taoist "Theory of Virtue" and "Theory of Human Sympathy"——from Lao Tzu to Zhuang Tzu and the Emperor Huang

在东周子学乃至整个中国思想的大传统中,说到人性问题,我们想到的往往总是儒家,这种先入为主的印象需要加以调整了。且不说在佛学世界中有一个复杂的"佛性论"①,就是在道家、道教的思想世界中,"人性"(可称为"德性"、"道性")也是一个重要的视域,只是它的表现方式和形态跟儒学、佛学有所不同罢了,这也就是为什么这一问题开始受到道家、道教思想的研究者们注意的原因,其中围绕庄子的人性论以及特征、围绕唐代以来道教的"心性论"而展开的讨论相对多一些②。在这里,我关心的是早期道家"德性"和"人情"观念的演变和变异,更具体地说,主要是想讨论一下早期道家思想史中"德"、"自然"、"天"和"人情"等几个概念,看一看这几个观念在同其他观念的紧密关联中,是如何从《老子》开始并向《庄子》和黄老学的不同方向演变的。这样做,当然是首先设定了《老子》(包括简本)是处在这一演变链条的开端,而《庄子》和黄老学都是之后的产物。从《老子》之后,道家思想以放射状分化而形成的多种谱系和儒家一样是十分复杂的,虽然东周晚期的思想家没有对道家分化出多少种支流做出概括。受思想内部自我扩展的驱动,加上同其他学派的竞争和社会激烈变化的刺激,《老子》的一些概念在之后变得十分多样和丰富,这在有关人类本性及存在方式的"德"、"自然"和"天"等概念上看也同样如此。

Among the study of scholars in the Eastern Zhou, even the entire Chinese thought, Confucianism is always the first to be reminded when it comes the human nature. It＇s time to change that impression. Apart from the Buddha--nature Treatise of the Buddhism, human nature （virtue or Tao） is an important field in Taoism. However, the form and pattern are somewhat different from Confucianism and Buddhism, which is the reason that the problem appeals to Taoism and Taoist first. And the research surrounding Zhuang Tzu＇s theory of human nature and Taoist theory of mind is in more detail. Here, I focus more on the evolution and variation of ＂virtue＂ and ＂human sympathy＂ of early Taoism. Specifically speaking, several concepts like ＂De＂, ＂nature＂, ＂heaven＂ and ＂human sympathy＂ are more likely to be discussed on how these notions are evolved from Lao Tzu to Zhuang Tzu and the study of the Emperor Huang. Analyzing in this way, of course, we presuppose Lao Tzu （including abridged edition） is in the beginning status of that evolving chain, and Zhuang Tzu and the study of the Emperor Huang are the later product. After Lao Tzu, the thought of Lao Tzu is divided radically into multiple lineages as complicated as the Confucianism, though no summary was made by scholars in the later Eastern Zhou. Motivated by interior self-unfolding of thought, competed with other schools, and stimulated by social drastic variations, several concepts of Lao Tzu turned to be abundant later, which remains the same as it is seen from the human nature and state of existence and these concepts of ＂De＂, ＂nature＂ and ＂heaven＂.