摘要
“人之所生而有”的欲、知、辨、能等,作为“本始材朴”,既可能意味着人向善的原初禀赋,又可能指示了人趋恶的自然倾向。但若因此断定荀子既非性善论者也非性恶论者,而只能是持一种“中间状态”的性朴论者,却极易招致荀子丧失确定性和稳定性的危险。荀子的逻辑是,人生而具有某些天性,但这些天性究竟是善的还是恶的,却并不能归因于天,而只能是出于人自身的创造。若一个人无力创造,即无法“具”其“朴”“资”,那便是荀子所谓的“性恶”,康德称之为“根本恶”。至于人如何“具”,一方面,“俄而”间的“决”与“断”成为生死关头,另一方面,“长久”的“积”和“渐”又事关重大。前者涉及自由任性问题,后者必重圣王师法。以自由任性为基础,圣王师法也就跟权威专制或浪漫主义的人治遐想等清楚区别开来了,这有利于荀子思想的现代转化。
The desires,awareness,distinctions,and ability that“people have from birth”,as“the original beginning and the raw material”,may imply people’s original predisposition to good in human nature,and may also indicate people’s propensity to evil in human nature.However,to conclude that Xunzi is neither a theorist of evil human nature nor good human nature,but only a theorist of unadorned human nature who holds“anything intermediate”,will easily lead to Xunzi’s loss of certainty and stability.In Xunzi’s view,people are born with certain natures,but whether these natures are good or evil cannot be attributed to heaven,but only out of people’s own creation.If a person is incapable of creation,that is to say,he is unable to“prepare”his“original simplicity”and“original material”,then this is what Xunzi calls“evil human nature”,and Kant calls it“radical evil”.As to how people can“prepare”this,the“suddenly”“decide”and the“long”“accumulate”become the focus.The former involves the issue of volition,while the latter must emphasize the sage kings,teachers and models.On the basis of volition,the concepts of the sage kings,teachers,models and so on and so forth are clearly distinguished from the real kings in history,which is conducive to the modern transformation of Xunzi’s thought.
作者
陈迎年
CHEN Yingnian(Institute of Philosophy,East China University of Science and Technology,Shanghai 200237,China)
出处
《齐鲁学刊》
CSSCI
北大核心
2024年第1期15-26,共12页
Qilu Journal
基金
国家社会科学基金后期资助一般项目“国家与心性:牟宗三政治哲学批判”(19FZXB063)。
关键词
荀子
康德
性恶
根本恶
自由任性
Xunzi
Kant
evil human nature
radical evil
volition
