孟荀“心性论”与儒学意识

孟、荀二子,念兹在兹者均在于“价值世界”能否在人间证成之事上。只不过孟子立定心之大根大本,直探价值之超越真实,在扩充之工夫中,昂首人间。荀子则立足世界,以统类之心通贯历史与社会,在大无畏却极具忧患意识中,开展“道”的现世性格。两人虽于“心性”之主张不同,却仍有相补相辅之可能。孟子道心性,强调践形工夫下的价值开显;荀子则重在价值之客观化上,故重视社会实践下的道德行为。两人均是一种“化成世界”的观点,而且是以“价值世界”为“生活世界”的意义所在。孟子内化伸展的学说取向,深化了儒学价值根源的理论深度;荀子则于外向实践的主张里,客观化了价值实践的具体可能。孟、荀二子俱为“儒学意识”作了不同向度的深化和开展,其于儒学之发展,实各有其功,不必强分高下。

Mengzi and Xunzi''''s Theories of Mind-nature and Confucian Consciousness

“Xin Xing Lun” or “the theory of mind and human nature” has clearly played an immense role in the history of Confucianism across the centuries. Thus, “Xin Xing Lun” is inevitably a major focus for discussion in any penetrating analysis of the essential nature of Confucianism. The difference in Mengzi and Xunzi’s views on mind and human nature constitutes a core controversy in the history of Confucianism. Mengzi’s view on the mind and human nature is intimately connected with his sharp insights into the practical aspects of human life, while Xunzi’s understanding of the mind, on the other hand, is full of apprehension and foreboding about the darker aspects of human nature. Xunzi undoubtedly recognized that humans, if left uncultivated, posed a severe threat to the higher values, potentially even incurring their destruction. However, he also realized that the mind had a close connection to the world of higher values.