性善说的强化与弱化:从荀子到董仲舒

The Strengthening and Weakening of the Theory of Human Nature Being Good:from Xunzi to Dong Zhongshu

孟子性善说旨在说明人性中先天具足为善的能力,理论旨趣上颇合乎康德伦理学“应当蕴含能够”这一基本原则。思想史上,该说往往被强化为这样一种观点:人于现实中必然会为善,因而礼义、王教乃至一切后天努力均为多余。荀、董二子都是基于对孟子性善说的这一“强化”解读而对其予以批评;为说明后天教化的可能性条件,二家又不得不肯定人性中包含某些有待后天进一步培养和发展的善质,清代以降的不少学者即循此思路理解孟子的性善说,但这本质上是对孟子之说的“弱化”。

Mencius'theory of human nature being good aims to explain that human nature has the innate ability to do good,which aligns with the basic principle of Kant's ethics,"Ought Implies Can"in terms of theoretical support.In the ideological history,this theory has often been strengthened as the viewpoint that humans will inevitably be good in reality,so propriety,edification and even all human efforts are superfluous.Both Xunzi and Dong Zhongshu criticized Mencius based on this strong interpretation of his theory of human nature being good;in order to explain the possible conditions for acquired edification,they had to affirm that human nature includes some goodness that needs further cultivation and development.Many scholars since the Qing Dynasty have followed this line of thinking to understand Mencius'theory of human nature being good,but this essentially represents a weakening of Mencius'original theory.