“正名”以“立言”--先秦政治哲学论证分析

Argue through Rectifying Names--Arguments in Pre-Qin Thinkers’ Political Philosophies

从已有资料看,西晋鲁胜《墨辩注·叙》可算是第一篇先秦名学史的论文。文中准确地概括了先秦名学的特征,即名学有“别同异”“明是非”“道义之门”“政教之准绳”四大特征。“别同异”“明是非”是从名学内容来说的,即正名;后二是讲名学的作用,即通过“正名”以“立言”。先秦诸子“别同异”各有偏向,“明是非”是他们说辩的目标,呈现先秦名学“道义之门”“政教之准绳”的双重作用,即先秦名学既是先秦诸子政治哲学论证的工具,又是先秦诸子政治哲学的内容。

Mobianzhu·Xu,written by Lusheng in the Western Jin Dynasty(265-316),is the first essay on the development of Mingxue in pre-Qin period. In Lu Sheng’s analysis,the studies of Mingxue in pre-Qin period have four characteristics:focusing on drawing distinctions,aiming for distinguishing right and wrong,helping to cultivate morality and justice,and offering the criterion for politics and education. Among them,the first two characteristics are about the contents of Mingxue,while the other two are about the function of Mingxue,focusing particularly on how the moral and political positions are argued through the rectification of names. The pre-Qin thinkers take different ways to make their distinctions,and develop their own theories on what is right and what is wrong,and then these theories are serving as the basis for defending their moral and political positions. From this it can be further indicated that the pre-Qin thinkers’ Mingxue studies are not only part of their own political philosophies,but also their fundamental methodology for philosophical arguments.