“以中人为制”——王安石政治思想的人性基点与制度理念

“Aiming at the Ordinary Majority”—— The Human Nature Basis and Institutional Conception of Wang Anshi's Political Thought

王安石在熙宁首对中提出"以中人为制",这一观念在他的全部思想中占有重要位置。所谓"以中人为制"就是以君主为主体,以中人为对象,由大有为的君主对天下之士进行思想、行为的改造,使其成为实现三代之治的工具。这种思想的体制根源在于君主专制政体下君主通过对爵禄的完全垄断而控制官僚的经济命脉。这反映出王安石的思想有着浓厚的法家色彩。

Wang Anshi proposes that policy-designing must aim at the ordinary majority,and this conception occupies an important position in his whole theoretical system.Aiming at the ordinary majority means taking the sovereign as the main body,with the ordinary majority as the object,and transforming the ideas and behavior of the whole peopleby the talented sovereign.In that way,"aiming at the ordinary majority" can finally realize the ideal of Golden Age.This thought is institutionally rooted in the sovereign'sabsolute monopoly of the rank and payment,and thus in its ability of controlling the livelihood of the bureaucrats.This shows that Wang Anshi was to a certain extent a Legalist.