论和同

A Discussion of “Harmony”

人与人之间的差异,包括东方人和西方人的差异,真的有那么大吗?从学理和心理上看,差异应该是第二位的,相同之处是第一位的,所以《易传·系辞下》引孔子的话写道:"天下同归而殊途,一致而百虑。"尽管思考的方式和所选择的途径不同,人们终归要走到一起。《易》上经第十三卦《同人》,就是直接演述"同"、"和"义理的专卦。孔颖达疏解"同人"为"和同于人",可谓深明《易》理。孔子将和同观念精要地概括为"君子和而不同",比《同人》对和同的追寻,在理念上又跃升一步,即认为"和"是包含有诸种诸多不同的多样统一的状态,《国语·郑语》记载的史伯指陈衰周之弊,提出"和实生物,同则不继",则是对"和同"之义作哲理提撕。即如果"去和而取同",只想用"同"来给自己提供助益,就什么也得不到了。而不同所以能够走向同和,人情物事的心同理同是关键。无视人类的"同",夸大人类的"不同",以不同为由拒绝走向和同之境,是学术的误区和思想的陷阱。"己所不欲,勿施于人"是孔子给出的另一思想定律,它代表的是儒家的恕精神,反映出中国文化的异量之美。此一定律给出了人类的理性相处之道,是处理人类的不同的最合乎人类本性的理性方式,"和而不同"、"己所不欲,勿施于人",孔子这两句话所涵蕴的哲学思想,是中华文化解决人类生存之道的一种大智慧。

Is there really such a great difference between man and man,including Easterners and Westerners?In the academic and psychologic view,difference should be secondary,while similarity should be first.The piece'Xi Ci'in The Book of Changes cited Confucius'words that'all roads lead to the same destination,and various considerations tend toward convergence.'Although being different in ways of thinking,people will eventually come together.The trigram 'Tong Ren'(Concording People)in The Book of Changes is a specialized trigram directly discussing the principle of harmony.Confucius generalizes the idea of harmony as'the superior man is affable,but not adulatory,'and considers harmony to be a condition of diversified unity.The piece'Zheng Yu'in Guoyu(National Records)recorded that Shi Bo put forward that'harmony creates,and sameness obstructs,'which can be regarded as a philosophical explanation of the meaning of harmony.It is an academic misunderstanding as well as ideological trap to ignore the similarities and overstate the dissimilarities of mankind,and refuse to step into the harmonious realm by claiming the dissimilarities.The law that'do not unto others what you yourself don't desire'proposed by Confucius represents the Confucian spirit of benevolence,and supports the principle of getting along with other people,which is a wise way to deal with the human dissimilarities mostly conforming to human nature.