权威与秩序的实现——荀子的“圣王”观念

Realization of Authority and Order: On Xun zi’s Concept of “Sagely King”

面对重建政治秩序的时代课题.荀子诉诸于集道德权威和政治权威(权力)于一体的圣王。作为道德权威.圣王的正当性源于民众对其特殊的品格构造和超凡德能的认可;而作为政治权威(权力),圣王的正当性则在于其政治权力是经由其道德权威而非民众的意志同意这一合法化过程而转变为政治权威的.亦即权力的权威化是由圣王的道德身份来给予的。圣王作为道德权威一方面通过其身行实践或话语来影响群臣百姓.并在此一过程中产生对秩序的实现,另一方面则通过获得民众的内心信赖和从服的方式来保证秩序的稳定。而作为政治权威(权力)的圣王则主要依靠隶属于政治权力的政治措施来完成对政治秩序的实现。由于德位一体的特殊结构.圣王在秩序实现方面的关键意义在于,他可以使原本“应当”所为之事变成人们“必须”履行的义务;圣王权力的权威化使得即便是出于“君主”个人的主观意志之好恶的“命令”也获得了合法性和正当性。

For the reestablishment of political order confronting the subject of his time, Xun zi (313-238 BCE) resorted to the sagely king who could integrate moral authority and political authority (power) into one entity. The legitimacy of the sagely king* s moral authority originated from the public*s approval of his unique structure of personality and extraordinary virtues and capability, while his legitimacy of political authority lies in that this political authority was transformed from his moral authority other than from the agreement of the public* s will, i. e., this authority was endowed by his moral identity. As a moral authority, the sagely king could on the one hand influence his subordinates and common people through his personal conducts or remarks, in the course of which order would be realized, and guarantee the stability of the order through obtaining the public* s innermost trust and submission on the other. As a political authority, the sagely king mainly depended on political measures attached to political power to realize political orderliness. Owing to the unique structure of the unity of morality and position, the crucial significance of the sagely king's actualization of orderliness lies in that he could transform what people Mought to" do into the obligation people "must" undertake;the authority of his power will make his 11 orders" out of his subjective will obtain legitimacy and justification.