“明者以为法,而微道是行”重诠——基于黄老学自然法的视角

Reinterpreting“The Dao of Heaven Manifests Immutable Order as well as Interchanging Opposites”(明者以为法,而微道是行)from the Perspective of the Huang-Lao Conception of Natural Law

“明者以为法,而微道是行”一句及其相似说法见于多篇黄老文献,一般观点基于德刑关系解读其含义,这种方式局限于狭窄的语境从而限制了深入分析的可能。但在天道语境中,从自然法理论的视角切入,聚焦于时间秩序重诠该句,则能提供一种新的理解方式:“明”与“微”是天道的修饰语,分别代表了天道呈现的两种形态。而天道,作为中国传统思想中的重要概念,具有多层面的复杂含义,在其阐释中引入自然法观念,可以使“法”显题化,凸显其法度和秩序义,进而明确“明”与“微”的具体所指。“明”指天道的客观法度,通过时序的先后关系呈现为确定而必然的时间秩序。“微”指天道的变动节度,通过时机的对立关系呈现为变动而适当的时间秩序。明法与时序、微道与时机共同构成黄老学自然法的两个互补面向。这一新诠释不仅丰富与深化了对黄老学天道观的理解,而且发掘并初步建构了中国哲学独特的自然法理论,为中西哲学之间的对话提供了新的视角和思考路径。

“The Dao of Heaven manifests immutable order as well as interchanging opposites”(明者以为法,而微道是行)and its varying expressions are found in multiple texts by Laozi and Zhuangzi.The common interpretation is based on the relationship between benevolent rule and punishment,which limits the analysis to a narrow context.However,when placed in the context of the Dao of Heaven and viewed through the lens of natural law theory,the statement can be reinterpreted with a focus on the temporal order and a new understanding emerges.“Ming”(明)and“Wei”(微)are modifiers of the Dao of Heaven,representing two manifestations of it.The Dao of Heaven,as an important concept in ancient Chinese thoughts,carries complex and multi-layered meanings.Inclusion of natural law in the interpretation of Dao can bring the idea of“law”(fa,法)to the forefront,highlight its connotations of order and regulation and clarify the specific references of“Ming”and“Wei”.“Ming”refers to the objective law of the Dao of Heaven,a definite and inevitable temporal order manifested through the sequential relationships of irreversible events in time.“Wei”refers to the interchanging opposite regulated by the Dao of Heaven,manifested as a shifting yet appropriate temporal order through the interchange of opposites.“Ming Fa”(order in time)and“Wei Dao”(interchange in time)constitute two complementary aspects of natural law in Huang-Lao thoughts.This new interpretation not only enriches and deepens the understanding of the Dao of Heaven in Huang-Lao thoughts but also discovers and constructs a unique natural law theory in Chinese philosophy,providing a new perspective and possibility for dialogue between Chinese and Western philosophical traditions.