世情与因果:十六至十八世纪通俗小说中的商业伦理和社会伦理建设

Karma in Mundane Life: The Construction of Commercial and Social Ethics by Popular Fictions from the 16th to the 18th Centuries

中国社会一般宗教生活中最普遍、最核心的观念"因果报应"思想,不仅是在宋以来发展兴盛的通俗文学中得到最深入的表现,而且主要通过通俗文学的加工、提炼和深化进一步反作用于社会。十六至十八世纪的通俗小说与"新禅宗""新道教"和"新儒家"的思想新变相同步,逐渐发展出一种以现实生活喻示现世之报的"世情—因果"模式,并以此参与到当时社会急切需要的新的商业伦理和社会伦理的建设之中。其反映和建构的"商业伦理"既包括对商业的肯定以及对勤苦致富、公平竞争的提倡,也批判了一味逐利的风尚,并特别强调财分天定、不可强求。而其"社会伦理"的核心则是建立起传统道德与"变泰发迹"的联系法则,既强调士农工商各尽其分,又始终以"读书"为高;在批判社会不公的同时,仍然极其强烈地希求科举致身。此一商业伦理和社会伦理因其内在的矛盾性,并未形成对传统的彻底突破。

As the most popular core concept in common religious life of Chinese society, Karma is not only profoundly exhibited in popular literature which has developed prosperously ever since the Song dynasty, but also affects the common society in turn mainly through processing, refining and deepening of popular literature. Popular fictions from the 16th to the 18th centuries hold pace with the new Zen Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism, and gradually create the mode of Karma in mundane life, hereby take part in the construction of the new commercial and social ethics which the society eagerly demands then. The commercial ethics reflected and constructed affirms business and advocates hard work as well as fair competitions; however, it also criticizes profit- seeking and emphasizes that heaven decides fortune which can＇t be insisted on. The core of social ethics is to establish a connection between traditional moral- ity and sudden fortune or fame. On the one hand, it emphasizes that scholars, farmers, artisans and merchants should take on their own responsibilities, and on the other hand intellectuals are the most valued. Unfairness of the society is criticized, while success in the imperial examination is still expected. Commercial and social ethics have internal contradictions for failing to break away from tradition thoroughly.