The Philosophical Argumentation by Historical Narration in Sung China: The Case of Chu Hsi

朱子思想中哲學論證與歷史敘述之關係

黃俊傑(Chun-Chieh Huang)

《國立臺灣大學文史哲學報》 51期 (1999/12) Pp. 55-57+59-77

https://doi.org/10.6258/bcla.1999.51.03

摘要

本文之主旨在於經由分析朱子思想中「即歷史以論哲學」之特殊面向，探討中國思維方式之特質。本文之論述共分六節，第一至第四節分析宋代思想家所進行之歷史敘述常是他們建構哲學命題之重要手段，並指出：（1）、宋儒從三代典範人物如堯舜禹之行誼中，抽離出道德原則，認為這種原則既見於聖人之行止，又存在於宇宙之中。（2）、朱子以其「理一分殊」之理論背景，特別強調讀史以求理。（3）、朱子認為永恆的宇宙之「理」只有經由聖人之行誼才能被解讀。（4）、但是，朱子思想中這種「理」與「事」之合一，也只有通過對聖人行誼之研究才能被認識。本文第五節則針對前面四節中所提出之四項論點所可能遭遇之質疑，提出進一步之回應。本文第六節則綜合全文論點，強調中國思維方式之具體性與歷史性之特質。

並列摘要

When Chinese people extrapolate some ubiquitous and ever-abiding principles, they always have narrational paradigms in mind. They are in addition incorrigibly communal, and so when they argue they think of good government. The good government is neither royal hegemony nor legal democratic control, but a benevolent rulership, by which they always mean personal ”sagely rule” with much historical nostalgia; the Chinese argument is argument by communal memory. They do yearn after principles, but the ”one principle” (li i 理一) in their mind manifests itself only pluralistically, severally, historically (fen shu 分殊), never in its naked abstraction. The principle abidingly shines through refraction of legendary sages such as Yao 堯, Shun 舜, and Yu 禹, and is reflected in past paradigmatic events that historical narratives present. This paper (A) first cites examples from the Confucian thinkers in the Sung (960-1279) times to instantiate the above characteristics of Chinese argument by historical paragon narrative, namely, it is an argument by historical narrative, by paradigmatic persons, and by collective memory. (B) Then, to conclude, this paper clarifies such distinctive characteristics by considering some spontaneous queries on them, such as the relation between principle and person, principle and events, history and value.