论荀子的禁欲主义倾向

On Xunzi's Inclination for Asceticism

中国历史上出现了禁欲主义,禁欲主义并非源自主张寡欲的孟子,而恰恰是源自主张养欲的荀子,因为荀子的理论中蕴涵着禁欲主义的倾向。荀子认为人性恶,在人之外寻找善的根源,恶的人性和善的类本质之间处于对立的状态,这种对立逻辑地包含着压抑欲望而成就德性的倾向。先秦以后儒家的发展,将荀子善恶对立的倾向尖锐化,最终走向了禁欲主义。

In the Chinese history, asceticism was not put forward by Mencius who advocated the principle of having few desires, but instead, by Xunzi who proposed the principle of satisfying the desire, because an inclination for asceticism was embedded in his theory. In his eyes, human nature is evil and good can only be originated from outside man. His inclination for inhibiting desire so as to adhere to virtue is logically incorporated in the contradiction between the evil human nature and essence of good. The Confucian development after pre-Qin aroused a keen tendency to the contradiction between good and evil in the Xunzi's doctrine, and eventually transformed to asceticism.