Early Confucian Philosophy on Aging and Intergenerational Responsibility

本文基于“孝道”的概念探讨了早期儒学关于衰老和长寿的一些观点。论文认为,与西方古典哲学相比,早期儒学思想以高度统一和非常全面的视角来看待衰老的过程和状态,并认为长寿是一种追求,而长寿者理应在人类社会中承担依然重要,但却是崭新的角色。总体而言,早期儒学对衰老和长寿抱持积极态度,缘由之一或是潜藏于理论背景之中的时间观念和宇宙间万物互联的观念。有了这些观念,我们便能接受时间一去不返,同时也能找到对包括人类自身的所有现象的解释。论文还指出,孔子有关衰老和时间的观点与儒学中极其重要的教学理念和终身学习以及修身的理念密切相关。最后,论文还探讨了成年子女与年迈父母间非常棘手的关系问题,并借助知名学者的论述,尝试对子女的孝道提供更可行、更现实且更贴近时代的解释。作者也希望借此唤醒同道中人对我们这个社会里长辈的责任感。

This paper explores some of the early Confucian views of aging and people of advanced age,in particular on the basis of the notion of filial piety(xiao孝).It argues that in comparison with classical Western philosophical discussion of the topic,early Confucianism offers a highly integrative and holistic perspective of the process and status of aging,whereby both a long life is considered desirable and those who reach an advanced age are expected to assume new but no less important roles in human society.One reason for the largely positive view of aging and the aged in early Confucianism is the temporal and relational cosmology lurking in its background that engenders both an acceptance of the inescapable flow of time and an approach to all phenomena-including humans—from a relational point of view.The paper also points out how the Confucian view of aging and time is closely associated with the important pedagogical element in the Confucian philosophy and its consistent teachings of lifelong learning and cultivation.Lastly,it addresses the problematic relationship between adult children and aged parents and attempts,with the help of some eminent authors,to provide a workable,realistic,and contemporary interpretation of children's filial responsibility to their parents,which should also be indicative of younger cohorts'obligation to elders in society.