概念发生与公孙龙《指物论》的解读

The Origin of Concept and the Interpretation of On Referring to Object by Gongsun Long

《指物论》语义艰深,论述的是概念与对象的关系,顺利解读需要对概念思维操作有深入的理解。为了向他者表达不在场的对象物,人类创造了替代所指物的替代物。替代物出现以后的归类过程,在思维中实现了属性与对象物的分离,奠定了建立概念的基础。人类概念思维的矛盾是:属性在思维中与对象物可分离,属性在现实中与对象物不可分离。概念与名称有区别又有重叠。名称是指认和识别;概念是思维中分离的属性。概念指属性,不指物,但属性在物中,现实中无法分离,所以不得不指物;不能把概念不得不指物,当作概念就是在指物;概念即便指物,也与名称指物不同,概念指物指的是类群体,不指固定的个体物。针对人们在概念指向问题上存在的困惑,公孙龙在两千多年前给出了清晰而深刻的解答。

On Referring to Object by Gongsun Long discussed the relationship between concept and object.On account of abstruseness of language meaning,it is necessary to have a profound understanding of the operation of concept for smooth interpretation.In order to convey an object that is not present to the others,the human being created substitutes for the reference.The process of classification with substitute separated the attribute from object in the thought.It had laid the foundation of concept establishment.The contradiction of human conceptual thinking is that the attribute can be separated from the object in the thought,but the attribute is inseparable from the object in reality.There are differences and overlap between concepts and names.Name is for designation and identification.Concept is the detached attribute in the thought,which is the attribute concept referring to the nature rather than the object.On the other hand,concept has to refer to object because the attributes exist in the object.Even if referring to object,concept is different from name.Name refers to a fixed individual,but concept refers to class group.In view of people's confusion about concept reference,Gongsun Long answered it in a clear and profound way more than two thousand years ago.