仁学的回归与民主仁学的成立——吴光民主仁学的脉络及其前景

The Regression of Benevolence Theory and the Establishment of Democratic Benevolence Theory: The Context and Prospects of Wu Guang's Democratic Benevolence Theory

吴光的民主仁学特质在"新体新用",他批评自康有为到20世纪现代新儒家的思想建构没有实现传统儒学在新的历史时代的真正变革。他既高标传统儒学中的"仁学"内涵,尤其强调其中的道德人文主义,同时加诸新体以"民主"内涵,此即是其最大亮点,也是最受质疑之处。吴光在其理论中强调民主不仅仅是制度建构甚或只是手段工具,也是"价值观念"和普遍的道德理性,这个论断是成立的。从中外先贤论述中可以看到,民主既是制度架构、选举和决策方式,同时更是价值理念,是人之为人的价值关怀,是人际互动中的宽容、理解、协商、对话,是理念和生活方式,如此,民主与仁道则是同一的,由此观之,民主仁学大有发展空间。

The characteristic of Wu Guang＇s democratic benevolence theory lies in the idea of ＂new embodiment and new application＂. He criticizes that the ideological construction from Kang Youwei to the modern Neo-Confucianists in the 20th century did not bring about the real change of the traditional Confucianism in the new historical era. He not only strongly emphasizes the ＂benevolence＂ connotation of the traditional Confucianism, especially its moral humanism, but also adds ＂democracy＂ connotation to various new styles, which is most highlighted on the one hand, but is also most questioned on the other hand. The proposition is tenable that Wu Gnang in his theory emphasizes that democracy is not only a means of system construction or even just the means itself but also values and general moral rationality. It can be seen from the exposition of the sages both at home and abroad that democracy is not only the means of system construction, election and policy-making but also values, value concerns of human beings, tolerance, understanding, negotiation, communication, ideas and ways of life, etc. Thus, democracy is consistent with benevolence, from which we can see that democratic benevolence can be greatly developed.