敬、慕之间:儒家论“孝”的心性基础

Between Respect and Yearning:The Mental Foundation of Confucian Theory of “Filial Piety”

孔子说"孝"以"敬"为根本,孟子论"孝"的重心在于"慕",这构成孔孟理解孝的心性基础的不同之处。孔子更多地着眼于行孝者自身的德业成就,而孟子则更强调为人子者内心对父母的思慕和依恋。通过对"敬"和"慕"两种情感的哲学分析可知,敬指向个体边界的明确,它为主观性引入客观尺度并确立人的行为可以持循的标准;慕作为一种向外的关切和欲求,更多地指向了对个体界限的超逾和忽视,这种倾向容易使人忘掉自己的本分。此外,敬在礼俗社会中起到了维持和促进个体精神自立的作用,而慕作为某种延续年少时对父母的依恋的倾向,会有削弱人的精神自立的危险,从而延阻人的成长和成熟。

Confucius and Mencius have different understandings of the mental foundation of ＂filial pi- ety＂： Confucius, focusing on self-accomplishment, takes the emotion of respect as the foundation, while Men- cius, emphasizing children＇ s yearning for their parents, takes the emotion of yearning. A philosophical analy- sis suggests that the emotion of respect, which leads to distinction of individual＇ s boundary, provides an ob- jective measurement for subjectivity and establishes applicable standards for human activities, while the emotion of yearning, as an emotion of outward concern and desire, more amounts to the tendency of trespass- ing or disregarding individual＇ s boundary, which again tends to make people forget their own responsibili- Besides, the emotion of respect plays a role in maintaining and developing individuals＇ spiritual inde- pendence in an ethical society, while as a tendency to continue one＇ s reliance on parents during childhood, the emotion of yearning threatens to undermine people＇ s spiritual independence, thus hindering people＇ s growth and maturation.