儒家有意志自由吗?——以康德为参照

Does Confucianism advocate free will?

儒家是否具有意志自由是一个聚讼纷纭的议题:有人以康德为标准,否认儒家具有意志自由;有人则认为儒家具有意志自由。意志自由是多样性的,既有康德所坚持的本体论意义上的意志自由,也有康德所反对的心理学意义上的意志自由,后者比前者更加符合实际。儒家从现实出发,其意志自由是心理学意义上的意志自由,人虽受到现实限定,但又高度自由。以儒家性善论来否定儒家具有意志自由不能成立,性善论虽然在一定程度上规定了人们的为善方向,但并没有剥夺人们的选择自由。正是因为人性善,道德构成了人的本质规定性,所以,对于人来说,最重要的问题不是意志自由,而是通过承担道德责任成为道德之人,意志自由后于道德责任,意志自由受到道德的限定。

The question of whether Confucianism advocates free will is a contentious issue.Some deny that Confucianism supports free will by using Kant as a benchmark,while others believe it does.Free will comes in various forms:there 's the metaphysical sense upheld by Kant,and the psychological sense he opposed.Starting from reality,Confucianism's concept of free will aligns more with the psychological sense—people are constrained by reality but remain highly free.The refutation of Confucianism's support for free will,citing its belief in inherent goodness,does not hold up.While the belief somewhat guides people toward benevolence,it does not strip away their freedom of choice.Because of this inherent goodness,morality shapes one's essential nature.This is why it is crucial to become moral individuals by shouldering moral responsibilities.Free will comes after moral responsibility and is constrained by it.