比较康德的德福一致论与孔子的天命观

Kant's view on the Coincidence of Virtue and Happiness and Confucius' View of Tianming: A Comparative Study

对于孔子所说的"五十而知天命"的诠释,两千年来没有确解。朱子对孔子"四十"与"五十"生命境界的所以不同的批注,说明了朱子之说是要从道德的当然之理进至所以当然的存有论之理。此即要从道德实践所理解的道德原则来说明存在界,这便关涉到个人的道德实践是否得到合理的回应之问题。借着康德所说的"德福一致"是实践理性的必然对象或目的,而此虽然也可以作为行动的意志的根据,但与道德法则作为实践行动的意志的决定根据,意义有所不同之论,可以比较出孔子与康德对于行义是否必然有合理的结果,此一问题上见解的同异。从孔子的自信"天生德于予"之说,可证践德者会有自己的实践行动必能带出合理的结果的肯定,但此一必然的肯定是属于宗教性的信仰上的必然,不同于以道德法则决定意志之为必然。这两个层次的必然性,是可以区分的,从孔子对于道之将行将废都视之为命,而在明知道不能行,仍要以出仕为义,而不可违反,可说明此意。

In the Analects Confucius said that he knew tianming （the decrees of Heaven） at fifty. In the past two millenniums, however, scholars have not arrived at an uncontroversial interpretation of Confucius’ saying. Zhuxi’s commentary on the life conditions in Confucius’ forty and fifty shows that Zhuxi attempted to ground the moral laws （the oughts） on an existential foundation. In other words, human existence is to be interpreted according to the moral principles that have their roots in moral practices. This naturally gives rise to the question of whether it is possible for an individual’s moral practices be rewarded according to their moral worth. Immediately, we can see the difference between the Confucian and the Kantian positions on this question： for Kant, the coincidence of virtue and happiness is the necessary end of practical reason, but from Confucius’ saying that “Heaven produced the virtue that is in me” we can infer that, when Confucius confidently affirmed the coincidence of virtue and happiness, this affirmation was the necessary result of his religious faith. We can thus distinguish two types of moral necessities in the two philosophers.