“回向三代”与泰西“立国本末”——晚清“复古维新论”中的变革与立国

From “Back to the Three Generations” to the “Nature of State-Founding” of Western Countries——Reform and State-Founding in the Thought of “Restoring Ancient Ways and Reforming” in Late Qing Dynasty

晚清“复古维新论”展现出截然不同的历史意识,围绕西方和三代之关系建构出涵括中西古今演进的普遍历史叙事。王韬、郑观应和陈炽等对中国三代及世界史进行重塑,提出由“道器合一”到“道分为二”的古史演变框架,把中国和西方整合进一个整全的人类文明进程中,试图在中国文化的经制典章和西方社会政治现实之间建立内在义理的一致性。“复古维新论”对秦制的根本性否定体现了变革思维范式,同时对西方政教“本末源流”“立国之本”等的分析则体现了立国思维的思想范式,并从中探寻对中国文化之主体性与根本价值的重新理解和确定。

Compared with the “reform by ancient” ideology,the theory of “restoring ancient ways and reforming” in the late Qing Dynasty showed a completely different historical consciousness,which constructed a set of “universal history” narrative covering the ancient and modern evolution of Chinese and Western civilizations. The Three Generations has been formed as the universal model of belief and state. At the same time,they integrated China and the West into a whole course of human civilization,which established the internal consistency between the Canon of Chinese civilization and the reality of western countries,reflecting the profound theoretical attempt to construct the universal history of the world. “Restoring ancient ways and reforming” on behalf of the political civilization of the traditional fundamental denial embodied the traditional Chinese “reform thinking”. However,at the same time,the analysis of the nature of the western church and state clearly reflected the traditional Chinese “state-founding thinking”,which showed the dialectical and historical dimensions of western political civilization,and sought to re-understand and confirm the subjectivity and fundamental value of Chinese culture.