严复问题:在进化与伦理之间

The Question of Yan Fu: Between Evolution and Ethics

严复的天演论是晚清影响最为深远的启蒙理论,在知识界引发了一场新宇宙观与新价值观的深刻观念革命,传播了"进化""竞争""变革"的现代观念,并激发了一代中国人自强保种的民族主义意识。然而,严复熔达尔文生存竞争说与帝国主义国际政治之丛林法则于一炉的天演论,具有强烈的社会达尔文主义倾向。严复的天演论既不同于达尔文的生物进化论,又异于赫胥黎、斯宾塞之人道超越天行、文明战胜野蛮的人文主义进化学说,而是一种通过改译赫胥黎著作而重构的旨在"自强保种"的中国版进化论,它在危机四伏的清末成为一种强有力的启蒙理论。但这种天人会通的天演论,其生存竞争、弱肉强食的强权主义逻辑具有强烈的反伦理性和反人道性。因而,天演论犹如一柄双刃剑,蕴含着进化与伦理之间的深刻张力。竞争与德性,这一二律背反的悖论,成为困扰启蒙者严复终生的思想难题,它今天仍困扰着21世纪转型社会的中国人。

The Evolution and Ethics thought of Yan Fu is the enlightenment theory which had the most profound influence in the late Qing Dynasty.It has provoked a profound idea revolution of new world view and value system,spread the modern ideas such as "evolution","competition"and "reform",and stimulated nationalism in a whole generation to protect the country and the race.However,The Evolution and Ethics thought of Yan Fu,which combined the Darwinian survival competition with the jungle law of the imperialistic international politics,carried a strong tendency of social Darwinism.The Evolution and Ethics thought of Yan Fu is different both from Darwinian biological evolution and humanism evolution of Huxley and Spencer that emphasizes civilization triumphs over barbarism.Instead,Yan Fu,by translating Huxley's work,recon-structed Chinese version of "Self-preservation and race-protection",which became a strong enlightenment theory in the late Qing Dynasty beset with crises.But this thought contains the logic of survival competition, law of jungle and philosophy of force which strongly violates ethics and humanity.Accordingly,the Evolution and Ethics though is a double-edged sword,which contains deep tension between evolution and ethics.The dilemma of competition and ethics became the torment that confused Yan Fu over his lifetime,and is still confusing Chinese in the social transition of 21st century.