从明代理学的变迁中看儒家的“济世”思想

Thoughts About Salvation in Confucianism in Thought Changes of the Ming Dynasty

儒家思想在根本上是入世、济世的。源于这种意识,其学能否经世致用、修己治人,成内圣外王之道,决定了它是实或虚,能则为实学,否则为虚学。于是,济世与否成为了虚实之学进行区分的根本标准。依此而观,阳明之学的出现显然是由虚返实,阳明后学则又由实返虚,明清之际的批判思潮再由虚返实。明代理学遂演化出一条在虚实之间往复不已的路径。反映在济世意识上,也与之对应地呈现出一条从"坚持"到"偏离"再到"坚持"的循环路径。诚然,后人对传统之思想亦应作同情之理解。不过,同情之理解并不表明我们可以忽略它内在的浪费与事实上的停滞不前。儒家思想中对济世意识的坚持抑或偏离充分说明了这一点。

Confucianism is concerned with our world indeed. For this reason, there have existed two kinds of study. One is the practical study, and the other is virtual study. The only standard is useful or useless in the society. From this viewpoint, it shows an obvious appearance of bringing the virtual into the practical study in the Yang Ming School, and another bringing the practical into the virtual study in the late Yang Ming School. The thoughts in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties reflected the appearance of bringing the virtual into practical study again. And the Ming Principle Study evolved a cycle path between the virtual and the practical study. Corresponding to this circular path, the thought about salvation shows anther cycle path from ＂holding＂ to ＂deviation＂ and then to ＂holding＂. Indeed, people should sympathetically understand the traditional thought; however, sympathy and understanding does not mean that we can ignore its wasting and stopping, which was explained obviously in Confucianism about salvation.