仁何以可能?——论孟子与朱子的成仁观

How is Benevolence Possible?--On Mencius and Zhu Zi's View of Benevolence

成仁是儒家哲学始终关注的问题。儒家将仁视为人唯一正确的生存方式,围绕着如何实现仁的问题,孟子和朱子给出了各自的解决方案。孟子“以性释仁”以性本论为孔子的仁进行了本源论意义上的辩护。成仁的关键就是培养自己本有的善良本性,使之充实扩大,人性成熟后,结果自然是仁即“率性而成仁”。朱熹则以体用论来解决成仁问题,以理本论为仁找到了存在论意义上的证明,天理在人身上便是性,性是不含气的纯粹天理,性体是仁的终极依据,由性体主导的行为即是仁,也就是明性而成仁。虽然孟子和朱熹都主张成仁,人的生存应该是仁,但是二人在成仁观上还是存在着明显的差异。

Benevolence is always a concern of Confucian philosophy.Confucianism regards benevolence as the only correct way for people to live.Around the problem of how to realize benevolence,Mencius and Zhu Zi gave their own solutions.Mencius"interprets benevolence with nature"to defend Confucius'benevolence in the sense of originalism.The key to benevolence is to cultivate their own good nature,enrich and expand,human nature is mature,the result of nature is"spontaneous and benevolence".Zhu Xi solved the problem of benevolence with the theory of body use,and found the proof in the sense of existence with the theory of essence for benevolence.The principle of heaven in human being is the nature,the nature is the pure nature without gas,the nature is the ultimate basis of benevolence,and the behavior led by the nature is the benevolence,that is,the enlightenment of nature and benevolence.Although both Mencius and Zhu Xi advocated benevolence,human existence should be benevolence.However,there are still obvious differences in their views on benevolence.