孟子的孝观念与政治社会

Mencius' Doctrine of Filial Piety And Political Society

孝观念是孟子思想的核心观念之一。在孟子那里,孝道有着非常独特的地位。孝道是政治生活的起始与开端,是整个政治社会得以持续延存的前提条件,但同时孝道又具有独立的内在逻辑,当孝道与政治原则发生矛盾和冲突时,即使这种原则是孟子意义上的仁政原则,孝道都会自主地选择道路,或遵从之,或违背之,看起来其选择完全不受政治原则的制约与拘束。因此,在孟子的政治思想中,孝道似乎与政治原则有着若即若离的关系,但其实不然,孝道又内在地构成了仁政原则的机理性因素。孟子对孝道与政治原则的这种矛盾态度反映了中国传统社会中家与国之间、私与公之间的微妙关系。

The doctrine of filial piety （xiao,孝） is one of Mencius＇ core theory. In Mencius, filial piety occupies special position. Filial piety is not only the beginning of political life, and it is the pre- condition that ensures the political society could continue, but it has independent inherent logic. When filial piety contradicts the political principle, filial piety would look for its allodial way, it seems that its choice is not restricted by political principle completely. Consequently, there seems to be dealings among the way of filial piety and the political principle, but actually otherwise, because the way of fil- ial piety intrinsically constitutes mechanism factors of the principle of policy of benevolence. Mencius ambivalent attitude towards the relationship of filial piety and political principle reflects subtleties be- tween home and country or private and public in Chinese traditional society.