明清时期儒家政治制度改革的理想

Confucian Ideals of Political Reforms in Ming and Qing Dynasties

明末到清中叶,以顾炎武、黄宗羲、王夫之、袁枚等为代表的思想家,从不同的角度,不约而同地提出了政治制度改革的理想。顾炎武在肯定“人性自私”道德哲学的前提下,提出了“寓封建之意于郡县之中”的命题,明确提出了多种“分权”形式以削弱皇帝权力对于各级政府的影响。黄宗羲猛烈批评了秦始皇以降皇权专制的政治,认为这种政治的本质是剥夺人民的利益,满足统治集团少数人的欲望。他希望通过重新设置宰相、改造旧式学校的功能,以实现对皇权的限制。王夫之在“公天下”的政治理念下,提出了“君、相、谏官三者环相为治”的权力制约理想,更有“虚君”的设想。袁枚则通过讴歌西周封建制下士人自由来往,普通百姓可以自由寻找职业的方式,批评后期郡县制下皇权专制的弊病。这些思想家从不同的角度所表达出来的对皇权专制的批判,集中体现了传统中国社会内部要求政治改革,实现民主政治的新思想倾向。

Confucian philosophers launched a political philosophy movement from the late Ming Dynasty to early Qing Dynasty(1600-1700 A.D.).I argue that this movement is a result of a transition to modernization in China.The central idea of this movement is that the monopoly of the royal power is the source of social chaos and political turmoil.In this paper I will discuss the political thoughts of four philosophers of the early Qing Dynasty:Gu Yanwu,Huang Zongxi,Wang Fuzhi,and Yuan Mei.I will argue that these four confucian thinkers are consistent in arguing against despotism and calling for political reforms for democracy.