- 期刊
明代非殉節型自殺行為探究
A Study of Non-Martyr Forms of Suicides during the Ming Dynasty
摘要
研究華人社會中自殺問題之學者，常易被傳統史料所誤導，以為中國古代的殉節型自盡遠多於非殉教尋死者，甚至錯誤的推論：傳統社會由於人際關係緊密，所以自殺死亡率較今日為低。明代距今較近，流傳下來的史料豐富，藉由各種資料庫的搜尋，可累積相當數量的非殉節型自殺案例，足供學術探討分析之用。 我們發現明代非殉節型自殺之緣由，以來自家庭和社區壓力者居多，顯示緊密的人際關係有時反倒是逼人走上絕路的重要因素。而自縊似乎是尋死者最常使用的解脫方式，這或許與儒家倫理體系中，卑幼者無從表白有關。此外財務困窘、愛情生變、歧視脅迫等也都是當時造成尋短的緣由，與今日情況非常類似，可見古往今來人性的共通之處。 本文同時深入的探討了范應期、楊元祥、海瑞妻妾等當時震驚社會的重大自殺案件，進而檢視明末司法體系和士紳社群如何面對和處理此等非殉節型案件。我們同時探究了具儒、釋、道不同思想傾向的學者，對這類案例、看法和所提出的防治之道。總之，古今自殺事件的內涵和頻率並無太大的不同，這也使得本研究具備以古鑑今的功能和價值。
並列摘要
Modern scholars who study suicide in Chinese history have often been misled by biased historiographies to assume that those martyrs who committed suicide far outnumbered other people who did so for merely personal reasons. Such scholars have even drawn on slanted historical records to conclude that there are more suicide cases in modern times than among traditional Chinese societies. This article focuses on the Ming dynasty, which existed at the end of the traditional Chinese era, to explore the facts and influences on all kinds of suicides that were not motivated by the desire for martyrdom. We found that most suicide cases in Ming times can be attributed to pressures from family and community, groups that ironically have been frequently regarded as major factors that would help prevent people from taking their own lives. To hang oneself seemed to be the most popular way to commit suicide in Ming times, as this has long been the preferred way for people to express their protests against traditional authorities. Other causes of suicide, such as financial difficulties, broken love affairs, discrimination, threats, etc., showed the common essence of human nature throughout the ages. This article has also selected several prominent instances of suicide during the Ming dynasty to investigate the contemporary judicial system and the attitudes of Confucian officials toward such incidents. We also examined the opinions of Ming scholars with Confucian, Buddhist, and Taoist orientations. This study on the Ming suicide can hopefully serve as a preventive measure against this human plague.