儒家与自由主义:人性论分野及其历史文化后果

Confucianism vs.Liberalism: Distinguishing Theories of Human Nature and the Historical and Cultural Consequences

人性论问题本质上不是描述性的,而是规范性的。作为一种逻辑上的要求,性善论预设是把人规范为超越性存在的需要。它试图把握的只是应当如此者,而非事实如此者。而性恶论预设虽然符合多数人的实际行为偏好这一经验事实,但它所体现的却是一种描述性的视野。这种经验论立场对人性的揭示,与经验论自由主义沦为对人的任性的辩护方案,具有某种内在的联系。儒家人性论在总体上是性善论的,它以孟子的学说为典型代表。西方的经验论自由主义往往离不开性恶论预设,因为经验论视野所能发现的人只能是作为肉体存在物的人。不同的人性论预设,会导致不同的历史文化后果。从历史上看,性善论的人性论塑造的是道德主义的文化传统,性恶论的人性论塑造的则是法治主义的文化传统。

Theories of human nature are essentially prescriptive,not descriptive.As a kind of logical demand,the presupposition of good human nature standardizes human being as the need of transcendent existence.It only tries to grasp what it should be,not how it is.Although the presupposition of evil human nature accords with empirical facts of the majority's actual behavior preference,it just embodies a kind of descriptive perspective.The revelation of human nature by such an empirical standpoint is internally related with empiristic liberalism defending a strategy of human willfulness.Generally speaking,Confucianism tends to the theory of good human nature,represented by Mencius'idea.Western empiristic liberalism cannot do without the presupposition of evil human nature,because the empiristic perspective can only discover human beings corporeally.Different presuppositions of human nature cause different historical and cultural consequences.Historically,the theory of a good human nature shaped the cultural tradition of moralism,and the theory of an evil human nature shaped the cultural tradition of'rule of law.'