论儒家生态价值观的历史演变及其当代意义

On the Historical Evolution and Contemporary Significance of Confucian Ecological Values

儒家在长期的历史发展中形成了独具特色的生态价值观。先秦时期孔子、孟子、荀子奠定了儒家生态价值观的理论基础,尤其是孟子“仁民爱物”和“尽心知性”的思想确立了儒家生态价值观的基本取向。汉代董仲舒通过“天人感应”“人副天数”等理论将天地万物描绘成一个相互感通的生态系统,从而形成了人—社会—自然的有机整体。宋明理学在祛除董仲舒天人感应神学目的论的基础上,进一步完善了儒家生态价值观的内涵,认为生态价值具有整体性和层次性的特点,人在自然生态系统中发挥着“参赞化育”的功能。传统儒家的生态价值观有助于我们摆脱西方自然中心论和人类中心论的两难困境,其敬畏自然、参赞化育、取予有度的思想,对当代生态文明建设有重要的启示和借鉴意义。

Confucianism has formed unique ecological values in its long-term historical development.Confucius,Mencius and Xunzi laid the theoretical foundation of Confucian ecological values in the pre-Qin period,especially Mencius’thoughts of“benevolence for the people and love for things”and“Intellectuality with all one’s heart”established the basic orientation of Confucian ecological values.Dong Zhongshu in the Han Dynasty described all things in the world as an ecological system that interacted with each other through such theories as“nature and humans respond to each other”and“humanity should be aligned with nature”,forming an organic whole of man-society-nature.On the basis of dispelling Dong Zhongshu’s teleological theory of“nature and humans respond to each other”,Neo Confucianism in the Song and Ming Dynasties further improved the connotation of Confucian ecological values.It believed that ecological values had integrity and hierarchy,and that human beings played the role of“joining in nature”in the natural ecosystem.The ecological values of traditional Confucianism help us to get rid of the dilemma of western natural centrism and anthropocentrism.Their ideas of reverence for nature,joining in nature,and giving and taking in moderation also have important enlightenment and reference significance for the construction of contemporary ecological civilization.