中国哲学研究过程中的人文实证主义方法及其转换

Humanistic Positivism and Its Transformation in Chinese Philosophical Research

在《中国哲学通史·清代卷》部分,笔者尝试从哲学方法论的角度对乾嘉学术中皖派代表人物戴震的哲学方法论做一理论总结与概括,即将其"由字通词,由词通道""一字之义当贯群经""本六书然后为定"的方法概括为语言学方法,将其利用经学研究过程重视以知识说经的实证方法,和"大其心",精其心,以与圣人之心相遇,从而理解天地之心,进而理解自己的真正之心的方法,称之为"人文实证主义"。本文也扼要地指出了乾嘉学术中的人文实证主义方法的内在局限性。

In History of Chinese Philosophy: The Qing Dynasty, the author attempted to give a theoretical outline of Dai Zhen’s philosophical methodology. This methodology has two key dimensions: a philological dimension, and an ethical dimension. The former is expressed in the following propositions: "concepts lead to language, and language leads to the Dao", "one character’s correctness affects the whole body of the Classics", and, "start with the Six Scripts, then infer the meaning". In applying this method to the study of language, Dai Zhen emphasized the role of knowledge in the empirical investigation and interpretation of the Classics. The latter is expressed in the following guidelines for self-cultivation, "Open one’s heart, deepen one’s mind, meet with the Sage’s heart-mind. Thus, understand the heart-mind of Heaven and Earth, then you may know your own authentic heart-mind." Taken together, these two represent what the author has called "humanistic positivism". The aim of this essay is to identify the "humanistic positivism" found in the Qian-Jia school scholarship and to point out its intrinsic limitations.