明清时期贞节观的嬗变与伦理异化

The Evolution of Chastity View and Ethical Alienation during Ming and Qing Dynasties

明清时期的贞节烈女数量较前朝有大幅度的增长,贞节观念趋于严苛。通过分析明清思想家探讨关于女性贞节问题的文本,结合当时的相关史料记载我们发现,明清时期贞节观在趋于严苛的同时,也蕴含了自我否定与批判。这具体表现为:思想家通过对寡妇改嫁的讨论,认为贞节并非评价女性的唯一标准,赞同改嫁与褒扬守节可以并行而不悖,并对愈演愈烈的贞女现象进行了激烈的讨论与深刻的反思。在明清时期贞节观嬗变的过程中,思想家也通过他们敏锐的洞察力,捕捉到了日趋严苛的贞节观念中所蕴含的伦理异化的可能。在异化了的伦理中,贞节观念脱离了其产生的情感基础,成为一种空洞的道德要求而反过来钳制人、奴役人。

The number of chaste and faithful women increased abruptly during Ming and Qing Dynasties,and the view on chastity became extremely rigorous.From the discusses on Chastity during that period,we found that the view on chastity contains self-denials and critiques.It contains that thinkers didn’t take the chastity for the sole standard for woman,and the praise of chastity is not inconsistent with the approval of remarrying.In addition,they heatedly discussed the problem on vestal virgin phenomenon which was growing in intensity.During the evolution of chastity view,thinkers with insights caught the probability of ethical alienation in the extremely rigorous views on chastity.In this alienated ethic rule,chastity view had lost its emotional basis and merely became a hollow moral demand,which actually bounded and enslaved individuals.