先秦诸子神怪思想述略

The various schools of thoughts of gods and spirits in the pre - Qin times: a survey

先秦诸子是载述当时神话传说和怪异事物的主体。孔子、墨子、庄子、荀子是这一时期神怪思想的代表。孔子并非对神怪一概不去谈论,而是反对从怪异的方向去谈说神怪,希望匡正当时流行的怪力、乱神之谈。墨子认为世人必须接受“上帝山川鬼神”的监正,顺儿“天”的意志。庄子神怪现建立在道家政治理念基础之上,是庄学政治理想的托古和演绎。荀子生活在六国吞并战争最激烈的时期,也是术士横议、邪术并行的时期,他沿袭了孔子不语怪力、乱神的思想,并发展改造了它,把不可知的“天命说”改造成可以认识的反映自然界和人类社会运行规律的“天常说”,并严厉批判各种异端邪说,从而形成对待神怪事物的科学态度和批判精神。孔、墨、庄、荀诸子神怪思想内涵丰富,品格各异,不仅体现了各家学派的神怪现念,而且显示了神怪思想发展的进程。

The various schools of thoughts in the pre - Qin times mainly found expression in the gods legends and mysterious affairs at that time. Confucius, Mencius, Zhuangzhi and Hsun Tzu represented the thoughts of gods at this period . Confucius never ignored gods or ghosts. He is opposed to the talk of gods and ghosts in a mysterious manner. He hoped to remove the mystic force in fashion. Mezhi held that common people should accept the supervision of 'gods, mountains, rivers, ghosts' and be adapted to the will of 'the Heaven'. Zhuangzhi's view of gods and ghosts, an extension of his own political ideal, was formed on the basis of Taoists' political thoughts. Hsun Tzu lived in The Wars of Six States, the age of wide - spreading witchcrafts. He inherited and developed Confucius' thought of nonverbal and pan - gods and turned the agnostic 'Doctrine of Determinism' to the so - called 'Doctrine of Common Sense', which reflected the natural laws of the Nature and the human society, and severely criticized all heresies and harmful doctrines. Thus formed the scientific attitude and critical spirit. The schools of thought concerning ghosts and gods advocated by Confucius and Mezhi, Zhuangzhi and Hsun Tzu were comprehensive and stylistic respectively, which not only embodied the god - ghost ideas of various schools and also showed the developmental process of god - ghost thoughts.