仁学的政治化与政治化的仁学——荀子仁义思想发微

Politicizing the Theory of Benevolence and Political Benevolence:On Xunzi's Theory of Benevolence and Righteousness

在仁、礼关系上,孔子存在以仁释礼与以礼成仁的不同进路。荀子虽然形式上视仁为最高的德,并提出了由“爱人”到“自爱”的仁学理论,但不是将仁落实在心性上,而是体现在制度中,是以礼成仁,发展的是政治化的仁学。荀子的仁义偏重于义,主张“处仁以义”,通过义来成就仁。荀子以差等为正义,为儒家礼学奠定了基础,但他突出等级、差等,缺乏平等精神,是其思想的不足。今日儒学应发展出寓差等于平等的正义观,而要做到这一点,就要将儒家的忠恕之道由道德原则上升为政治原则,使其成为礼的原理、法则,这样仁的内在原则与礼的外在原则才可以真正得以贯通。

Though Xunzi regards benevolence as the highest form of virtue and constructs the theory of benevolence proceeding from“loving others”to“loving oneself,”the center of benevolence does not lie in the heart-mind but in ritual.Xunzi advocates the idea of achieving benevolence by means of ritual,discusses the idea of benevolence and righteousness by focusing on the latter in arguing that one should“become benevolent through righteousness,”i.e.achieve benevolence by means of righteousness.Xunzi regards hierarchy as justice and as a foundation for the theory of ritual.It is also due to the emphasis on hierarchy,differences,and the lack of equality that we can see its theoretical shortcomings.In contemporary Confucianism we ought to argue for an idea of justice through a sense of equality that takes differences into account.