关于荀子思想特征与地位的再认识

荀子是中国文化史、哲学史与儒学史上的大家,贡献卓著,影响深远。但是,对于荀子的评价和定位,历史上众说纷纭,莫衷一是。如宋儒及现代新儒家将荀子视为"不醇之儒",也有学者将荀子与思孟学派作为儒家的两极对立起来。为此,很有必要重新认识荀子的思想特征及其在儒家乃至中国传统哲学中的地位与意义。我们认为,荀子是先秦学术思想史的集大成者,他针对时代提出的问题,较为全面地丰富和发展了儒学与中国哲学。荀子是现实主义儒学传统的奠定者,在外王学,即统一中国及其制度文明的理论设计方面发挥了较为重大的作用;在方法论上,发展了分疏、析别的思想传统。其超迈前人的学术贡献表现在天人关系、人性学说、社会理论与礼治建构、认识论与逻辑学等多个方面。荀子同时开启了几道思想闸门,后世对他的不同评价说明他有着巨大的思想张力,对荀子的批评史也将成为荀学思想发展史的有机组成部分。

Re-evaluation of Xunzi and His Philosophical Position and Historical Devotions(topic for a special discussion)

Xunzi is a great master in the history of Chinese culture,philosophy and Confucian thoughts,but comments on him are diverse.Therefore,it’s very necessary to re-evaluate Xunzi’s thoughts as well as his position and significance in China’s traditional philosophy.We think that Xunzi is a great master who absorbed different opinions from others in the academic history of before the Qin dynasty.He enriched and developed the Confucian thoughts and Chinese philosophy.As a founder of realistic Confucian tradition,he played an important role in the unification of China and the theoretical design of systems.In the methodology,he developed the tradition of sorting out,explaining respectively,analyzing and differing.His academic contributions include the relationship of heaven and man,human nature,social theory,ritual construction,epistemology,logic and so on.