论陈确“有私为君子”说

A Study on Chen Que's View of"Exemplary Person for Oneself"

陈确是一位反程朱理学的思想家,是明清之际的启蒙学者。他否定《大学》为圣贤之作,已为人们所熟知。“有私为君子”说,是他又一惊世骇俗之论,则稀为人知。“有私为君子”中的“私”,是指人的私利与欲望,这是明代中叶以后资本主义生产关系萌芽的产物,是当时盛行自私人性论的一种表现形式。因明清之际是一个新旧杂陈的时代,陈确不可能否认当时占据统治地位的“天理”论,而是突出“人欲”主导性,强调“天理”得以“人欲”的满足为前提。“有私为君子”说,不仅是对禁欲主义为核心的朱熹“存天理,灭人欲”主张的批判,且与传统君子观是大相径庭的,为中国古代君子文化中的奇葩。

Chen Que was an enlightened scholar in the Ming and Qing dynasties,a thinker who criticized Neo-Con-fucianism.He is well known for dismissing The Great Learning as a work of sages,but his view of an"exemplary per-son for oneself"is rarely known."Oneself"connotes one's personal interests and desires.This concept emerged in the mid-Ming dynasty and later as a product of the budding capitalist production relations.It represents a manifestation of the prevalent discourse on selfish human nature during that period.During the transitional period between the Ming and Qing dynasties,characterized by a mix of old and new elements,it is undeniable that the predominant ideology was the"principle of heavenly justice."However,Chen Que emphasized the dominant role of human desires,high-lighting that the realization of"heavenly justice"is contingent upon the satisfaction of human desires.The assertion of"exemplary person for oneself"not only criticizes the core tenet of Zhu Xi's asceticism,which advocates"upholding heavenly principles while extinguishing human desires",but also sharply diverges from the traditional gentlemanly ide-als.It stands out as an anomaly in the culture of ancient Chinese exemplary people.