戴震与荀子心性论之差异

Exploring the Differences between Dai Zhen and Xunzi on the Heart-Mind and Human Nature

戴震思想虽与荀子有相近处,但他们的心性论架构存在明显差异。荀子将性、心、欲、情视为一源,戴震则把血气心知拆分成人性的两部分。二人虽都提出心具有认知、情感、思辨、统御感官的能力,但对心是否必然成善的判定不同:荀子认为心虽有向善的资质,但心也好利,“可以”为善不等于“能”成善;而戴震主张心喻仁、心好理义,心知必然成善。荀子认为心能认识理,但自身不具备理,而戴震指出心自含理义。二人都反对寡欲,主张发挥心的作用以理制欲,但荀子认为心既能管控情欲,也会为情欲所驱使,戴震则主张情中包含大共理,因此要以情絜情。在修养论上,两人都注重以解蔽、学问修为和遵循礼法之方法养护心灵,但区别在于戴震反对心斋坐忘工夫论,因而戴震思想近于荀子性恶论的说法不能成立。

Although there are similarities between the thoughts of Dai Zhen and Xunzi,there are notable differences in the frameworks of their theories of the heart-mind and human nature.Xunzi regards human nature,the heart-mind,desires,and feelings as coming from the same source,while Dai Zhen divides human nature into two parts:blood and vital force form one part,and the heart-mind and intelligence form the other.Although the two thinkers both believe the heart-mind has the faculty of cognition,feeling,thinking,and discrimination,which can govern one’s senses,they differ on whether or not the heartmind necessarily leads to good.Xunzi believes that although the heart-mind is inherently good-oriented,it desires gain,so "being capable of good" does not imply doing good." Dai holds that the heart-mind is inherently humane and prefers principle,so the heart-mind and intelligence lead to good.Xunzi believes that although the heart-mind can understand truth,it does not embody truth,while Dai Zhen contends that the heart-mind contains truth and righteousness.Both Dai and Xunzi are opposed to the proposition of reducing desires,and they affirm the heart-mind’s role in controlling desires using principle.However,Xunzi believes that the heart-mind can either control feelings and desires or be driven by them,while Dai argues that feelings contain the great common principle,so one should measure the feelings of others in terms of one’s own.As for self-cultivation,both attach great importance to nourishing the heart-mind by dispelling blindness,learning,practice,and observing ritual propriety,but Dai opposes the effort of fasting the mind by sitting and forgetting,and makes no mention of the role of music education in improving the human heart-mind.