传统中国的政治自由与德性自由之辩——牟宗三对“黑格尔问题”的回应

The Debate of Political Freedom and Moral Freedom in Traditional China——Mou Tsung-san’s Answer to Hegel Problem

新儒家哲人牟宗三对"黑格尔问题"的回应构成了中西之间一次极富深度的理性对话。黑格尔曾判断中国只是自由的起点,只有实体自由而无主体自由,中国的法律不是真正的法律。这堪称社会科学中的"李约瑟之问"。牟宗三深受这一问题的刺激,经过长达二十年的思考后进行了回应。一方面,他认可黑格尔所论传统中国在政治法律领域缺乏主体自由,"实体性法律"没有获得主体意识的认同,没有获得客观地位,因此需要通过良知自我坎陷以开出民主自由的新外王。牟宗三更批判了黑格尔的偏误,他认为自由不仅在于政治法律领域,中国在道德和艺术领域富含主观自由。中国政治视野不是国家,而是天下大同。中国注重自由的德性涵养,这有助于疗救西式自由只重制度的弊端。牟宗三的回应展现了寻求中国文明自信的艰苦努力,丰富了对自由的多元性理解,有助于打破黑格尔式"法律东方主义"的魔咒。但没有政治自由的前提,道德艺术自由也难有保障。儒家德教如何转出民主自由与现代法律,其理论缺乏具体途径。牟宗三在文化反思的同时仍然陷入了一种更深的文化迷恋。

Mou Tsung-san, a Neo-Confucian philosopher, responded to Hegel’s question and formed a deep rational dialogue between China and the West. Hegel once judged that China is only the starting point of freedom, substantive freedom without subjective freedom, and Chinese law is not real law. That is the "Needham Question" in social science. Mou Tsung-san was stimulated by this problem and responded after 20 years of thinking. On the one hand, he recognized Hegel’s theory that traditional China lacks the freedom of subject in the field of political law, "substantive law" does not obtain the identity of subject consciousness, does not obtain the objective position, therefore needs to open up the new field of democratic freedom through the self-fallen-of-consciousness. Mou Tsung-san criticized Hegel’s mistake, he believed that freedom lies not only in the field of political law, but also in the field of morality and art. China’s political vision is not the country, but the world. China pays attention to the moral self-cultivation of freedom, which helps to cure the malpractice of western-style freedom only. Mou Tsung-san ’s response shows the painstaking efforts to seek the confidence of Chinese civilization, enriches the understanding of the plurality of freedom, and helps to break the spell of Hegelian "Legal Orientalism ". But without the premise of political freedom, moral and artistic freedom can not be guaranteed. The theory of how Confucian moral education transferred from democratic freedom and modern law lacks concrete ways. He still falling into a deeper cultural infatuation when cultural reflection.