“天赋人权”的中国话语阐释及其蕴含的古代人权思想

Chinese perspective of “natural rights” and its implications of human rights in ancient China

清末民初未经历过启蒙运动造成的社会变革的中国的知识界将"自然权利"翻译成"天赋人权"是不符合其本意的,但"天赋人权"的说法在中华传统文化中却蕴含着远比"自然权利"本义深邃得多的内容。先秦社会以君权为代表的国家权力就经历过"民赋"说到"天赋"说的演变。而先秦时已流传的"民本主义"思想就包含了对现代人权中的生存权和发展权的肯定。汉董仲舒在"独尊儒术"中对"君权天赋"说进行再建构,在先秦时期具有广泛社会影响的"敬天保民"思想基础上演绎出"天人感应"理论,为民众以"天赋民权"制衡"天赋君权"提出了儒家的方案。"儒术独尊"之后,君主能否顾及民众的生存权与发展权,成为社会與论判定王朝有"道"或是无"道"的重要依据,对中国的历史和社会的发展演进以及民族心理特征的构成,都产生了较大的影响。

The early Chinese translation of＂natural rights＂was adapted to a Chinese cultural context and was inaccurate. In fact,the traditional Chinese culture has its own conception of＂natural rights＂. This paper gives a review of the evolution of＂rights＂in the traditional Chinese culture and mainstream philosophy embodied in some popular views advocated by some well-known scholars,which have shaped China＇s conception of human rights and given much emphasis on collective rights such as right to subsistence and right to development.