在海外发现“新名学”——汉学家论“名”的问题

Discovering the“New Study of Names”Overseas:Sinologists’Discussion on“Names”

当代“名学”的研究不能再走以逻辑学为准绳裁度中国传统思想的老路,倘若回到严复和胡适当年设想的以“名”为中国哲学的“方法”的思路,则可以走出一条“新名学”的道路。近年来不少海内外学人正在汇聚到后一条康庄大道上,其中海外汉学家的诸多研究成果引人注目。他们或者从“名”自身的脉络深化问题,或者反思现代中国哲学史上的“正名”话语,或者将“名”的问题引向世界哲学的视域,展现了“名学”研究的丰富维度。然而,如果进一步将“名”的方法上升理解为中国哲学的“底本”,就会发现海内外的“新名学”未来仍有广阔的研究空间。

The study of“names”cannot simply follow the old path of using logic as the criterion to judge traditional Chinese thought any more.Returning to the approach proposed by Yan Fu and Hu Shi,which regards“names”as the“method”of Chinese philosophy,could lead to a“new study of names”.In recent years,many scholars from home and abroad are reconverging on this latter path,and there have been some noteworthy research findings provided by overseas sinologists.They demonstrate the rich dimensions by deepening the issue in the context of“names”,reflecting on the discourse of the“rectification of names”in the history of modern Chinese philosophy,or bringing the issue of“names”into world philosophy.However,if we further understand the method of“names”as the“foundation”of Chinese philosophy,we will find that there are much to be done in the“new study of names”both at home and abroad.