论孔子的五重形象及其思想主张——兼论孔子在周代思想史中的地位

On Confucius’ Five Images and His Ideological Propositions——Also on Confucius’ Position in the History of Thought in Zhou Dynasty

孔子出身于儒业,承认神灵的存在是儒生的先决条件。然而在贵人轻神的周代文化氛围中,他敬鬼神而远之,对现实人生更加关注,从而创立了以仁为本的儒家学说。孔子仁学的起点是“性相近,习相远”的人性论。在此基础上形成了以“仁”为核心的道德范畴系统。由此出发,孔子论述了“为仁由己”的君子之道、重德明礼的为政之道以及教育的目的、内容、理念和方法。于是,有理想的儒生、儒家学说创始人、道德君子、杰出的政治家和伟大的教育家,就成为孔子的多重形象。

Confucius was of Confucianism origin, and the recognition of the existence of gods was a prerequisite for a Confucian scholar. However, in the cultural atmosphere of Zhou Dynasty in which noble people despised gods, Confucius worshipped ghosts and gods but kept them at a distance, but paid more attention to real life, thus establishing the Confucian doctrine based on benevolence. The starting point of Confucius’ benevolence theory is his “being similar in nature and different in habits” theory of human nature. On this basis, a moral category system with “benevolence” as its core has been formed. From this point of view, Confucius elaborated the gentleman’s way of “It’s entirely up to oneself to believe in and practice benevolence.”, the proper governance of a state by the way of emphasizing morality and understanding courtesy, and the purpose, content, concept and method of education. Therefore, the ideal Confucian scholar, the founder of Confucianism, a moral gentleman, an outstanding politician and a great educator constitute the multiple images of Confucius.