中井履轩的格物致知论

A Study on Nakai Riken's Theory of"Investigation of Things and Acquisition of Knowledge"

中井履轩大体沿袭朱子向外探寻事物道理的致思路向,但他格物致知要得到的并非朱子所讲的天理,而是人的社会活动所需要的实际智慧。他的知智关系是在认识论视域下讨论的,智是经验世界的存有,而非超越的实体。知识的旨归在求真,在追求事功中知识范围得以扩展,价值得以提升,知识甚至涵盖了道德。德性需要且只能凭借知识而获得。知识与道德的贯通是通过知—智—德的理论构建与知—行—德的实践工夫实现的。

Nakai Riken(中井履轩)was a thinker in the middle of the Edo Period(江户时期)in Japan.Nakai generally followed Zhu Xi's(朱熹)train of thought in exploring the truth of things outwardly,but its goal of acquiring knowledge by investigation of things(格物致知)was the practical intlligence needed by people in social activities instead of the heavenly principle(天理)proposed by Zhu Xi.Nakai had the relationship between knowledge and intelligence under discussion from the epistemological perspective,so intelligence could only be the existence of the experiential world,rather than a transcendent entity.As knowledge is intended to pursue truth,its scope can be expanded and its value increased in the pursuit for achievements,and it can even cover morality instead of being covered by the latter.The purpose of seeking truth in knowledge surpasses the purpose of seeking goodness in morality.Virtue needs to be and can only be obtained through knowledge.But by contrast,knowledge is not necessarily determined by virtue.The integration of knowledge and morality is completed through the construction of the"knowledge-intelligencevirtue"theory,and realized through the moral cultivation of the"knowledge-action-virtue"practice.