柏拉图与庄子如是说——益智善生的两条路径

So Speak Plato and Zhuangzi: Two Paths of Cultivating Wisdom for a Good Life

本文讨论中希哲学中益智善生的两条路径:一是柏拉图的登梯观美说,涉及益智养善求真的认知发展过程;二是庄子的游心闻道说,关乎虚心妙悟至道的精神修养过程。从古希腊静修派和先秦道家的思想角度来看,这两种模式虽理路相异,但有互补性关联。换言之,柏拉图的"阶梯"喻说与庄子的"游心"喻说,其目的论焦点均是追求善好生活(善生),故在四个方面具有相似之处:一是倡导循序渐进的修为方法,二是摆脱劳身役心的政治牵绊,三是各自在终极阶段上达宁心静思之境,四是这两幅选择图景既呈现个体如何提升修为的心路,也蕴含相关因素可望统合互补的方略。

This discussion attempts to expose two alternatives of living a good life. One is Plato s analogy of the beauty ladder, which implies a process of cognitive development ranging from the cultivation of wisdom to the pursuit of ultimate truth; and the other is Zhuangzi s analogy of the mind-heart excursion, which features a process of spiritual cultivation comprising a series of mental enlightenment in search for the supreme Dao . It examines the two analogies in detail before considering their similarities and differences. It finds out four general ways in which these two models of a good life are similar, namely, in their teleological focus; their promotion of methods of cultivation staged progressively; their detachment from political involvement; and the tranquility associated with the respective final stages when considered from the perspectives of Hellenic quietism and Chinese Dao ism (Taoism).Finally, the two models provide us with alternative pictures of a good life and how that might be approached, as well as some ways in which elements of each may be integrated in practice.