游士时代的道义

Morality and Justice in the Age of Travellers

从巨变的战国时代的基本动力和角色看,这个时代可以看作是一个“游士时代”,而“士无定主”和“游者主事”正是使“游士时代”得以成立的两个基本条件。竞争的游士们各自向自己的目标国提出种种政道和富强之策,但究竟是追求急功近利的富国强兵之道,还是追求符合道义的长治久安之道,其间却有根本性质的差别。属于前者的主要有法家和纵横之士,属于后者的则主要有儒家、道家和墨家。相对而言,儒家是道义兼重,道家是重道轻义,墨家是重义轻道。若无道义或至少“逆取顺守”,暴起者也容易暴终。道义虽然不一定能直接推动征伐取胜,但却可能决定最后的胜利者。

From the perspective of the basic driving force and role of the great changes in the Warring States period,this era can be regarded as an“age of travellers”.“Scholars with no definite masters”and“travellers as the masters”are the two basic conditions for the establishment of the“age of travellers”.However,there are fundamental differences between the pursuit of quick success and instant benefits and the pursuit of long-term moral stability.The former mainly belongs to legalists and political scholars while the latter mainly belongs to Confucianism,Taoism and Mohism.Comparatively speaking,the Confucians attach importance to both morality and justice,the Taoists attach grester importance to Tao than to justice,and the Mohists attach greater importance to justice than to Tao.Without morality or justice,or simply“defying the rule of law”,the person who starts the violence is likely to end up in it.Although morality may not directly promote the victory of expedition,it may decide the final winner。