恻隐之心为人立德——论中国传统道德文化的“原型”及其现代意义

A Compassionate Heart Makes a Virtuous Man—On the“Prototype”of Traditional Chinese Moral Culture and Its Modern Significance

作为“道德文明古国”,中国当下的道德问题不容忽视,亟需寻求为人立德之道。西方的现代道德筹划是可能的寻求方向,然而由于其思路难以解决人性与道德之间割裂的难题而宣告失败。回到中国古典道德传统可以发现,作为中国传统道德文化的“原型”,亦即人心的先天直觉形式和感觉能力,孟子的“恻隐之心”提供了一条良好的立德之道:以人性与道德的连续性为基础,恻隐之心为人立德思路在社会道德文化层面展开为“恻隐—仁—道德系统”的生成过程,在个人道德挺立层面展开为“恻隐—扩充—成人”的成德过程。恻隐之心为人立德思路的现代意义在于指引保存并扩充人的恻隐感觉能力,以生成普遍的善意和相应的善行,使人成为道德的人。

As an ancient country of moral civilization,China’s current moral problems can by no means be ignored,so it calls for an urgent morality instruction exploration.Western modern moral planning could have served as a potential,but it already fails due to its inability to resolve the displacement between human nature and morality.A resort to Chinese moral classics reveals that the prototype of traditional Chinese moral culture is also the innate intuitive form and sensory ability of heartedness.Mencius’s compassion provides a promising morality establishment methodology.Based on human nature and morality continuity,people’s morality compassion concepts develop into a“compassion-benevolence-moral system”at the social moral culture level.The“compassion-expansion-adult”formation process develops at the individual moral level.The implication of the morality compassion and its significance to current education lies in guiding people to strive to preserve and expand people’s compassion empathy.This is helpful to generate a universal goodwill and corresponding good deeds,and to make people become moral beings.