儒家价值观:历史内涵与现代意义

Confucian Values: Historical Connotations and Modern Significance

儒家的价值观以"仁"为其核心。作为独特的价值观念,"仁"首先体现在对人之为人的内在价值的肯定,其中蕴含的取向对重新思考权利与存在价值的关系以及当代哲学关于善与权利关系的争论,都有重要意义。在儒家那里,仁道的原则同时包含更为宽泛的内涵。孟子曾提出"亲亲"、"仁民"、"爱物"等观念,这里可以首先关注"仁民"和"爱物"。"仁民"主要涉及仁道原则与人的关系,它意味着把这一原则运用于处理和协调人与人之间的关系;"爱物"则是将这一仁道原则进一步加以扩展、引申,运用于处理人与物的关系。仁民爱物的引申和扩展,进一步指向更广的价值领域,后者具体体现于《中庸》的两个重要观念,即"万物并育而不相害"与"道并行而不相悖"。就价值目标而言,儒家提出成己与成物,以此为总的价值指向。

The core idea of Confucianism is ＂ren （benevolence）＂. Unique as they are, Confucian values, based on ＂ren＂, show positive attitudes towards internal values upon the proposition of ＂what makes a man＂, which is of great importance for the reconsideration on rights, existence value and debates between goodness and rights in contemporary philosophy. According to Confucianism, the principle of ＂ren＂ has more meanings than it appears to be, which is well illustrated in the notions of ＂to love relatives＂, ＂to love people＂ and ＂to love things＂, proposed by Mencius. The notion of ＂to love people＂ involves the relationship between the principle of ＂ren＂ and the man, and the application of the principle into mediating the interrelationship among people. The notion of ＂to love things＂ means to extend the principle of ＂ren＂ further so as to handle the relationship between the man and the thing. The extension and development of ＂to love people＂ and ＂to love things＂ brings it to a broader value scope, in which the latter is reflected in two important concepts of The Doctrine of Mean, namely ＂in the world where everything is germinating without harm＂ and ＂in the universe where everything goes its own way without contradiction＂. As far as the value goal is concerned, Confucianism proposes the idea of ＂consummating oneself and the nature＂, which becomes of the overall goal of the value.