情境中的德性原则——儒家心性哲学的一种诠释方式

Moral Principles in Context:On Confucianism Mind-Xing Philosophy

部分汉学家如安乐哲等认为,儒家人性论坚持一种经验性的、过程式的不断生成的人性观念,以与西方哲学本质主义的或基础主义的思维方式区别开来。在此前提下,断定儒家心性哲学是情境主义的,先秦儒家如孔子、孟子等都将其对德性的体认置于某种具体的道德情境之中,同时儒家又没有放弃对德性原则的追求,因此当这种追求以情境设计的方式开展时,德性的当下呈显就成为儒家心性哲学的突出特征。通过考察《论语》、《孟子》相关文本,儒家德性伦理学的情境主义特征较为明显,而以安乐哲为代表的过程式不断生成的人性观念则值得商榷。儒家人性论坚持的是人之为人的逻辑根据,人性首先是一种能力,性善既是德性养成的开端,同时也是德性修养的目的。最后,以诺齐克对行为合理性的论证反观儒家德性原则在道德情境中发挥作用的方式,进一步证明儒家情境主义和德性原则之间的紧密关系。

Some sinologists,such as Roger Ames,argue that the Confucian theory of human nature insists on an empirical,procedural and continuous concept of human nature that distinguishes them from Western philosophical essentialism or fundamentalist way of thinking. They determine that Confucian philosophy is contextualism. Pre-Qin Confucianism,such as Confucius and Mencius,put their recognition of virtue in a specific moral situation,and Confucianism has not given up on the pursuit of virtue principle. When this pursuit is carried out in the way of contextual design,the presentation of virtue is the prominent feature of Confucian philosophy.Through the study of the related texts of The Analects of Confucius,Mencius,the situational characteristics of Confucian virtue ethics are more obvious,and the concept of human nature,which is represented by Roger Ames,is open to question.Confucian theory of human nature insists on the logical basis of human.First of all,Human nature is a kind of ability,the good of human nature is the beginning of the cultivating of virtue,but also the purpose of moral cultivation;finally,according to Nozick’s argument on the rationality of behavior,reflect Confucian moral principles’ method in moral context,and further prove the close relationship between Confucianism contextualism and moral principles.