重新审视沈从文的“生命观”

A Comprehensive Survey on Shen Congwen's "Life View"

"生命"是沈从文创作与思想的核心范畴。他所说的"生命"一方面是指主体在"浑然一体"状态中感受到的"透明烛照"、空灵自由的生命状态。另一方面又指主体在这种状态获得的对于宇宙、人生意义的觉悟,最后还指主体追求"爱"、"美"、"神"等高级精神需要的超越性本能,即沈从文所说的"乡下人"本性。根据"乡下人"本性的实现程度,"生命"区分为完全生命形式和不完全生命形式两种。沈从文认为,不完全的生命形式是滋生社会黑暗腐败的心理基础,只有铲除这种不健康的生命形式重新激发生命对"超越"的追求,社会政治问题才最终得以解决。沈从文的"生命观"是一种建立新道德、新价值的尝试。他欲建立起一套顺应人的健康本性的,而非从人自身之外的权威演绎出来的新的价值体系。

＂Life＂ in Shen Congwen＇ s eyes, on the one hand, referred to the life state of ＂transparent illumina- tion＂ and intangible freedom; and on the other hand, it referred to the understanding of the universe and the meaning of life which was sensed when the subject was under the state of ＂an integral whole＂ ; at last, it referred to the transcendent instincts when the subject pursued the superior spiritual needs such as ＂love＂, ＂beauty＂ and ＂god＂, and this was what Shen Congwen called ＂Country Folk＂. According to the realization of the country folk＇ s natures, ＂life＂ was distinguished into complete life form and incomplete life form. For Shen Congwen, in- complete life form was the psychological foundation of breeding social darkness and corruption. Only by eradica- ting this unhealthy life form and re-stimulating life＇ s pursuit of ＂transcendence＂ can social political problems be solved finaUy. Shen Congwen＇ s ＂life view＂ was an attempt of building a new moral and value system. It would try to build a new value system which was complied with human beings＇ healthy nature instead of values deducing from the authorities outside human themselves.