看不见的手——泰州学派功利主义思想实质及其理论效应

Invisible Hand——The Essence and Theoretical Efficacy of the Utilitarian Thought of the Taizhou school

晚明泰州学派的功利主义思想与其说是"对宋明理学一大反动",不如说是对统治长达数千年的整个儒家意识形态、整个儒教传统的一大反动,并代表了新世纪中国思想的一种根本性、划时代的转型,一种从封建旧时代的"伦理型",向资本新时代的"经济型"的转型。这一点,不仅表现为其从"身"的肯定到"欲"的肯定,而一扫前见地对个人欲望前所未有的彰显,还表现为由此出发,其主张以已之私利适成天下之公益,而使其学说与道家的"无为而为"、"不治而治"的社会治道相通,并最终使自己实际上趣向了一种中国式的"看不见的手"的理论,从而与西方资本主义理论之父的亚当.斯密的思想遥相呼应。因此,这也意味着,那种视泰州学派学说为所谓"资本主义思想萌芽"的看法,不仅不以其理论的牵强而流于天方夜谭,而且恰恰以其理论上有据可依而不失为雄辩之谈。

The utilitarian thought of the Taizhou School in the late Ming Dynasty is not so much the ＂NeoConfucianism reactionary＂.Rather is a reaction to the entire Confucian ideology and the Confucian tradition that has been dominant for millennia.It represents the fundamental and epoch-making transition of thought from a feudal ＂ethical type＂ of old age to a new capital era of ＂economic＂ in new century of China.This is showed by its affirmation from the ＂body＂ to the ＂desire＂ that diverge from previous thoughts and push personal desires to an unprecedented height;what is more,by performing this,it claims that optimum self-interest can achieve the optimum public interest.The self-interest thought is interlinked with social governance doctrine of Taoism,which stands for ＂inaction＂ and ultimately inclines to a Chinese-style theory of ＂invisible hand＂,which echoes thoughts of Adam Smith who is the father of Western capitalism theory.Therefore,the view of regarding doctrine of Taizhou School as so-called ＂sprouts of capitalist thought＂ is not flowed in a fantasy for its far-fetched theory but become an eloquent talk for its evidence-based theory.