“亲亲相隐”:儒家文化中的生命伦理秩序观

“Kin Concealment”:The Bioathical Order in Confucian Culture

“亲亲相隐”是儒家文化中充满争议的一个命题。本质而言,“亲隐”与西方现代文化中的“自隐”在内在逻辑上具有高度的一致性。“自隐”预设了个体生命之于国家的优先性,而“亲隐”则预设了血亲关系之于国家的优先性。从儒家的生命伦理秩序观来看,血亲关系是人类生命繁衍并生生不息的根源,这就是“生之理”。以血亲为基础的各类社会关系是生命成长过程中必不可少的条件,这就是“命之伦”。由于“生之理”与“命之伦”之间具有价值判断序列上的优先性,必然导致它们之间的矛盾。血亲关系与国家之间的冲突就是这一矛盾的集中体现,“亲隐权”和回避制度是调和这种冲突的合法性机制。这样,“亲亲相隐”就具有本体论上的正当性和现实制度上的合法性,它与儒家的生命伦理秩序原则是高度统一的。

“Kin Concealment”is a highly conflicting and controversial proposition in Confucian culture.Essentially,in terms of internal logic,“Kin Concealment”is highly consistent with“Self-concealment”that in Western modern culture.From the perspective of Confucian concept of bioethical order,blood ties is the root of human life reproducing and thriving,which is the"principle of birth".We should abide by“filial piety”to maintain the“principle of birth”,so"Kin Concealment"has ontological justifiability.All kinds of social relations based on consanguinity are indispensable conditions in the process of life growth,which is the“ethics of life”.Because of the priority of value judgment sequence between the“principle of birth”and the“ethics of life”,this will inevitably lead to contradiction,and the conflict between consanguinity and country is the concentrated embodiment.“Kin Concealment right”and avoidance system become the legitimacy mechanism to reconcile this confliction.