进化的两面性:章太炎的进步论批判

Two Faces of Evolution: ZHANG Tai-yan's Criticism of Evolution

进步论是现代观念的价值内核之一。启蒙运动以降,它伴随着现代性的凯歌行进而成为最大的意识形态神话。章太炎是一个特立独行的思想者,其"俱分进化论"对社会进化论和进步论的诘难,可谓逆时代潮流而动的现代性批判。其"善恶苦乐同时并进"的辩证思想,以佛学和庄子哲学批判黑格尔辩证法的发展观和目的论,解构了进化论之线性发展的进步论,它在清末启蒙时代无疑具有反思现代性、破除现代性迷思的新思想解放的深刻意义。太炎以佛道的辩证智慧反思进化论和进步主义,可谓佛道传统与西方现代性的一场对话。他以多元论反对一元论,以佛学的悲观主义反对进步论的乐观主义,以庄子的相对主义反对黑格尔的发展观,以进退辩证法反对线性进步论,揭示了进化的两面性以及人类历史进程之善恶进退的辩证法,从而消解了进步论的意识形态神话。它表征着中国启蒙运动主流之外以传统批判现代性的思想面向。

Evolutionism is essential to modern values. Since the Enlightenment,it has become the greatest ideological myth with the great victory of modernity. As a distinctive thinker against the trend of the time,ZHANG Tai-yang unfolded his critique against modernity,especially social progressivism and progressivism in his doctrine of"double evolution". Drawing up Buddhism and Zhuangzi,his dialectics of "good and evil,misery and happiness evolving together"attacks the doctrine of development and teleology of Hegel's dialectics,and deconstructs the linear development in evolutionism. During the enlightenment in the late Qing Dynasty,this doctrine had great significance in reflecting modernity and breaking the confusion of modernity. Reflecting upon evolutionism and progressivism with the dialectical wisdom of Buddhism and Daoism,ZHANG conducted a dialogue between the tradition of Buddhism and Daoism on the one hand and Western modernity on the other. He attacks monism with pluralism,optimism of progressivism with pessimism of Buddhism,Hegel's doctrine of development with Zhuangzi's relativism,and the linear progressivism with the dialectics of moving forward and back,revealing the two faces of evolution and the dialectics of good and evil,moving ahead and retreat and breaking the ideological myth of progressivism. It represents the dimension of criticizing modernity with tradition besides the mainstream of enlightenment in China.