西方人性论的主要问题与争论焦点——兼论中西人性论异同

The Major Topics and Disputes in Western Theories of Human Nature:with a Comparison Between Chinese and Western Theories of Human Nature

人性(human nature)一词最初来源于希腊文phusis(■),本指事物生长的全过程,其含义与古希腊早期宇宙观关系密切。17世纪以来,human nature一词在西方获得了如下含义:人所共有的重要特征;被动拥有而非主动地造就;不可人为改变。这与古汉语中人性一词的含义相当接近。但是,康德界定人性时以自然与自由、经验与先验、现象与本质之分为基础,一直影响到今天西方学界对人性概念的使用。西方人性学说涉及领域甚广,包括古典形而上学理论、自然状态说、基督教人性论、近现代哲学中的人性论、现代社会科学及自然科学中的人性论(涉及社会学、心理学、行为科学、语言学、生物学等学科)。两千多年来,西方人性论争中形成如下一系列争论的焦点:先验与经验之争、人性有无之争、人性是否可变之争、人性善恶之争、人性内容之争。中西方人性论有许多相似之处,比如都区分人性的经验维度与本质维度等,双方最大的区别是:中国古代人性论以道德实践为宗旨,长期聚焦于人性善恶问题;西方人性论以客观认知为宗旨,除了基督教、自然状态说及康德等少数学者之外,多数情况下不以善恶为焦点。

The term“human nature”originates from the ancient Greek word phusis(φυ'σις),referring to the whole process of growth with connection to the ancient Greek cosmology in earlier period.However,since 17^(th) century,this term has acquired several new senses such as(1)the common features of all human being;(2)given rather than man-made;(3)non-changeable by human will.These senses are quite closed to the basic senses of the term renxing in ancient Chinese texts.Since Kant defined the term“human nature”on basis of the distinction between nature and freedom,between experience and transcendence as well as between phenomenon and essence,his conception of human nature has shaped the usage of this term in the West to a large degree after him.There are varieties of schools of human nature in the West,including the classic metaphysical theories,the theory about the state of nature,the Christian theories of human being,modern/contemporary philosophy,the theories of human nature in modern social/natural sciences(such as sociology,psychology,behavior science,linguistics,biology,etc.).The major topics/disputes of human nature in the West might be the discussions about(1)empirical or transcendental dimensions;(2)if or not human nature exists;(3)if or not human nature is changeable;(4)if or not human nature is good;(5)the essential parts of human nature.While there are many similarities between Chinese and Western theories of human nature(for example,the human nature is empirical or transcendental),the biggest differences might be seen by the following phenomena:the traditional Chinese theory of human nature takes the moral lives as its major topic and focuses on if human nature is good or not;however,the Western theories of human nature tend to take the objective knowledge of human nature as its major pursuit,the good-evil problem of human nature has not been the central topic in the West except in Christianity,theory of the state of nature as well as in Kant’s moral philosophy.