《水浒传》与忠义伦理悲剧的形成

Water Margin and the Formation of the Ethical Tragedy of Loyalty and Righteousness

忠义本来是两个伦理系统的“后天”整合,是辩证否定的关系。但是,历代的封建统治者不仅没有对此予以澄清,反而企图遮蔽忠与义之间的内在矛盾。一方面促成了忠义伦理的“宗教化”,另一方面又炮制出了“正史忠义传”,赋予忠义以历史的“合理性”。这就给中国民众造成了“思”与“史”的双重精神桎梏。忠义伦理作为一种“治术”,其实都被文艺作品给记录和揭露出来了。在中国精神漫长的发展历程中,广大民众的忠义观也在不断发展变化。从《赵氏孤儿》中的“主奴”式忠义观,到《三国演义》中的“主臣即兄弟”式忠义观,忠义的内涵实现了由“个体”到“家”再到“国家”的思想递进。但是,忠义的矛盾及其悲剧色彩始终挥之不去,反而越发强烈。《水浒传》作为总结反思忠义伦理的集大成之作,赋予了不同忠义观表现、磨合、斗争的机会。进而以“悲剧”的艺术方式,突破了“天道、家国、君主”一体同一的忠义伦理顶层设计,遂开启了从忠义到公义的精神路径,更彰显出对于民众生命存在的关怀。《水浒传》揭露了封建忠义伦理的欺人本质及必然没落的整体趋势,推动了“氤氲式”中国悲剧的形成。

Loyalty and righteousness are originally the "acquired" integration of the two ethical systems and in the relationship of dialectical negation. However, the feudal rulers of past dynasties not only fail to clarify this, but try to conceal the internal contradiction between loyalty and justice. On the one hand, it contributes to the "religionization" of loyalty ethics. On the other hand, it concocts the "biography of loyalty and righteousness in the history" and endows loyalty with the "rationality" of history. This has created the double spiritual shackles of "thinking" and "history" for the Chinese people. Loyalty ethics, as a kind of "therapy", is actually recorded and exposed by literary and artistic works. In the long course of the development of Chinese spirit, the concept of loyalty and righteousness of the general public is also constantly changing. From the concept of loyalty of "master slave" in Orphans of Zhao to the concept of loyalty of "master minister is brother" in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the connotation of loyalty has progressed from "individual" to "home" and then to "state". However, the contradiction between loyalty and righteousness and its tragic color are always lingering, and on the contrary they become more and more intense. Water Margin, as a masterpiece of summing up and reflecting on loyalty ethics, gives different views of loyalty and righteousness an opportunity to manifest, blend and struggle. Then, in the artistic way of tragedy, it breaks through the top design of loyalty ethics which integrates heaven, kingdom and monarch, opens up the spiritual path from loyalty to justice, and highlights the concern for the existence of people's lives. Water Margin reveals the deceptive nature of feudal loyalty ethics and the overall trend of inevitable decline, and promotes the formation of the "hazy" Chinese tragedy.