从“摒秦”论看董仲舒历史时间观的对立与统一

Dong Zhongshu's View on Historical Time: An Analysis of Dong's “Rejecting the Qin” Thesis

董仲舒生活在皇权兴起的西汉,大体同时代的罗马三大史学家也生活在皇权兴起的历史环境中。四位思想家都注重通过分析历史时间来理解当下政治情形,并且都在各自的史学传统中占据重要地位,对东西方历史时间观的形成有奠基性作用。董仲舒的历史时间观与罗马截然不同,以当代史学理念观照,其思想可被看作一个史学特例。其特殊性的最突出表现是关于秦朝的记述存在矛盾。董仲舒的历史时间分为两个系统,秦朝在两个系统中分别显现为"存在"与"不存在"的性质。这一矛盾源于其历史时间观中形而下的自然时间与形而上的意义化时间的对立,由此表现出一种历史时间观的分裂。这种对立与分裂是中国古代历史理性与道德理性、自然理性相合的产物,在思想和逻辑层面实则具有一定的统一性。

Dong Zhongshu lived under Emperor Wu of the Western Han dynasty(141-87 BCE),which saw the rise of imperial power.The three Roman historians Sallustius,Livius and Tacitus also lived in the time of rising of imperial power.In they own way,the above four all played very important roles in influencing the historical thinking and writing in their traditions.In particular,they all paid high attention to the change of historical time,offering their thoughts to understand and analyze the political situation of their times.Accordingly,they helped lay the foundations of late historiographical developments in ancient China and Europe,respectively.Yet Dong Zhongshu's view on historical time is quite different from that of the Roman historians;from the perspective of modern historiography,his ideas of historical time are distinct,worthy more discussion.In particular,Dong Zhongshu's'Rejecting the Qin(Bingqin)'thesis represents the most outstanding feature of his peculiar consideration of time.According to Dong Zhongshu,historical time has two systems in which the Qin dynasty exists only in one but not in another.This paradox results from the bifurcation between the physical,natural time and the metaphysical and meaningful time.Yet,while Dong's view on historical time is conflict-ridden,it reflects a coherence between historical and moral reason in ancient China.Accordingly,Dong Zhongshu's view on historical time is one that shows a certain logic as well as an ideological unity.