向「死」而「生」何以可能？——儒耶比較視閾下對「死亡」問題之探究及其意義尋求

人生有死是一個普遍的事實，然而不同文化語境對於「死」的看法以及基於此種事實而引向的人生意義尋求是不同的。先秦儒家對於死亡的看法試圖將「死的意義建築在生的價值之上」，其側重在於人生的「立德立功立言」的努力與價值實現上，由此而來的「死」便不是一種遺憾而只是一種休息；從喪祭之禮來看也主要是一種「志意思慕之情」，這是一種實用理性的表達，它拒絕作抽象思辨，也沒有狂熱的信仰，它以直接服務於當時的政教倫常、調協人際關係和建構社會秩序為目標。與此相對，以基督教為代表的西方死亡觀念，他們也承認「有死」（包括死後之「復活」）、也承認「不朽」（永生意義上），也勉勵此生的辛苦努力；但是，其依據不是人情自身，而是基於超越性的全知全能全善的上帝，由此在神的恩寵和靈魂的不朽中去超越這個有限的人生、世界和時空。此種不同的生死觀在人與自然、人與人以及人與超越者關係上建構了不同的倫理形態。

關鍵字

死亡；意義；建構；先秦儒家；基督教

並列摘要

Human beings' death is a universal fact, but different cultures view ＂death＂ differently, and this fact leads to different pursuits of life's meaning. The Confucian perspective on death attempts to establish the meaning of death on the value of life, and it emphasizes the effort and value-realization of ＂establishment of virtue, contribution, and composition＂ in life, Hence the subsequent ＂death＂ is not a regret but a rest. Funeral rituals also mainly express ＂the feeling of affection, missing, and longing.＂ This is a rational expression that rejects abstract speculation, and it has no fanatical belief. It directly serves the goal of edification and ethos at that time, as well as adjusting human relations and building up a harmonious society. In contrast, the western conception of death that represented by Christianity also admits ＂mortality＂, ＂eternity＂, and urges arduous endeavor of this life, but its basis is not human feeling itself, but the transcendent, ideal, supreme God. Thus, one transcends this finite life, world, time and space via the grace of God and the eternity of the soul. In regard to the relations between humans to nature, others, and the transcend, such different views of life and death constructed different ethical patterns.