牟宗三论儒学现代使命之新审视

A Study of Mou Zongsan's Thinking on the Modern Mission of Confucianism

牟宗三认为,现代新儒家的使命,就是正确阐发儒学的现代使命。其"内圣开出新外王"之说,将儒学的现代发展论证为由儒家的道德理性自发地开出知识理性所支撑的民主与科学。这样地"开新外王",在牟宗三看来,不是将儒学之于中国文化之现代化(现代复兴、现代发展)讲成"适应"、"凑合"问题,而是讲成"实现"问题。将牟宗三的"内圣开出新外王"说与唐君毅的"返本开新"说做一比较,就不难发现:牟宗三之所以提出此说,具体的考虑是为了从理论上回答内圣何以能自发地开出民主、科学,以弥补唐君毅对此问题缺乏论证之不足。

Mou Zongsan holds that the task of modern New Confucianism is to elucidate the modern mission of Confucianism. His theory of ＂inner sageliness generates outer kingliness＂, in terms of the argumentation of the modern development of Confucianism, attempts to spontaneously generate democracy and science supported by cognitive rationality from Confucian moral reason. According to Mou, such generation is not a question for Confucianism to adapt to the modernization of Chinese culture, but one to realize it. In comparing Mou＇s theory with Tang Junyi＇s ＂making new by going back to tradition＂, we can easily find out that Mou theoretically explains how inner sageliness can spontaneously generate democracy and science, which makes up for the insufficiency of Tang＇s thought.