“见其生,不忍见其死”的生态伦理解析

An Ecological Ethical Analysis of “Having Seen Them Alive, Therefore Couldn’t Bear to See Them Dead”

孟子说:“见其生,不忍见其死”。这句话具有丰富的生态伦理内涵。这句话体现了儒家对于生命的高度敬畏,当前生态破坏的一个重要原因,就是人们对于自然生命缺乏敬畏之情。这句话强调了人的内在不忍之心,正是不忍心为人们爱护自然提供了内在的情感支持,从而为人们保护自然提供了一种内在潜能。当然,这种潜能只是提供了一种保护自然的可能性,要想将可能性变成现实性,还需要借助“见”的激发作用。“见”建立起了人与自然万物之间的真实关系,人获得了与自然万物之间的一体性,因而激发人们去为自然万物的生死存亡承担责任。

Mencius said:“Having seen them alive,therefore couldn't bear to see them dead”.This sentence contains a rich connotation of ecological ethics.It reflects the high reverence for life in Confucianism.At present,one important reason for the ecological destruction is the lack of reverence for natural life.Mencius'words emphasize the empathy of people,which provides inner emotional support for people to love nature,offering an inner potential for people to protect nature.Of course,this potential only provides one possibility of protecting nature.To turn the possibility into reality,it takes the inspiration of“seeing”.“Seeing”establishes a real relationship between man and all things in nature,integrating man with nature.As a result,it inspires people to assume responsibility for the life and death of all things in nature.