“诚”:中唐舆论环境下兴起的一种道德观念

Sincerity:a Moral Idea Rising in Public Opinion of the Mid-Tang Dynasty

中唐时期,家族式微、科举考试、政治斗争等历史因素形成了特殊的舆论环境,在这种环境下,士人一方面具有强烈的自我意识,一方面却又感受到社会舆论对于自我意识的破坏与瓦解。为了应对这一矛盾,一种道德观念在士人中兴起——"诚"。"诚"既指外在言行与内心的一致——不欺人;更指个体意识与人的本性保持一致——不自欺。由此,士人创造出一种稳定的自我意识,以应对舆论环境的诸种压力,从而保持其人格独立性。并且,"诚"这一道德观念因为肯定个体的独特性与超越性,也促进了个性化的文学创作。不过,因为这一观念未能明确界定人的本性,所以造成了士人对于"独善其身"的不同理解,并产生才性与德性的紧张关系,这一内在困境体现出中唐作为文化转型期的时代特点。

During the mid-Tang period,historical factors such as the decline of prominent families,imperial examina-tion,political struggle etc.formed a peculiar environment of public opinion.In this environment,on the one hand,the scholars had a strong self-consciousness,and on the other hand,they felt the destruction and disintegration of social opinion to their self-consciousness.In response to this conflict,a moral idea of'sincerity'rose among the scholars.Sincerity referred both to consistency of external act and inner world(i.e.not deceiving others),and consistency of individual consciousness and human nature(i.e.not deceiving oneself).Thus,the scholars created a stable self-consciousness to cope with pressures of social opinion,and maintain an independence of personality.Since the idea of sincerity affirms the uniqueness and transcendence of individuals,it also promoted personalized literary creation.Yet the idea also caused different understandings of'maintaining one's own integrity'since human nature was not clearly defined,and the tension between talent and virtue thus arouse.This internal predicament reflected the characteristics of the mid-Tang times as a period of cultural transformation.