道在亲民:中国古代学术思想兴衰主导因素的思想史考察

Dao Lying in Being Close to the People:A Review of History of Ideas of Dominant Factors Leading to the Rise and Fall of Ancient Chinese Academic Thoughts

中国古代学术思想的盛衰消长都有其特定的内在因素,但也有一条基本线索在起着主导作用,即《大学》所谓“亲民”之道,它往往隐藏于纷繁复杂的文化表象背后,使人难以觉察。若对中国思想史稍加留意,便会发现一家思想之所以能长时间大范围地流行或在沉浮中持续保持生命力,主要是因为它具备贴近民众生活实际或符合民族文化心理的特征,否则要么陷于沉寂,要么彻底消失。究其缘由,一方面,因为中国传统哲学中所谓“民心”往往具有一般性与恒常性,所以与民相亲则能近道,近道才能时刻保持生生不息的理论活力;另一方面,“亲民”恰恰是中国人重实用的理论根据,而不是常说的对功利的追逐。“亲民”能使人产生历史感并超越自然生命的局限,亲近民众生活以激发各家思想内在的生命意识正是亲民而能明德的观念在学术思想变迁中带来的历史启示。

The rise and fall of academic thoughts in ancient China had its own characteristics,but there is also a basic clue playing a leading role,that is,the way of“being close to the people”in Great Learning.It is often hidden behind complicated cultural appearances,making it difficult to be detected.If a little attention is paid to the history of Chinese thoughts,it will be found that the reason why an idea can be popular for a long time and on a wide scale,or sustain vitality in the fluctuation,is the idea’s being close to the reality of people’s lives,or in line with the characteristics of the national culture and psychology,or else it will either fall into silence,or disappear completely.Because the so-called“common aspiration of the people”in traditional Chinese philosophy often has a general and constant nature,being close to the people can be close to Dao to maintain the vitality of the theory all the time.Moreover,“being close to the people”is precisely the theoretical basis for the Chinese people’s emphasis on practicality,rather than the pursuit of utilitarianism,as is often said.“Being close to the people”can make people develop a sense of history and transcend the limitations of natural life.Getting close to people’s lives to stimulate the inherent sense of life in each school of thought is precisely the historical inspiration brought by the rise and fall of ideas.