荀子的「禮教」及其「性善」說   免費試閱

Xunzi’s Ritual Education and His Perspective on “the Goodness of Human Nature”

在華人傳統教育哲學之中，荀子向來以其「性惡說」與「禮論」著稱。荀子的性惡說及禮論可以說是掌握荀子學說的兩個關鍵。然而，若就儒家思想的本懷而說，荀子的性惡說的最後目的也在於「性善」，而達到「性善」的方式是禮樂教化。本文將首先關聯著諸如漢代司馬遷《史記》的紀錄以及當代儒學研究的成果回顧孟子與荀子學說之異同，並透過對「五行」（特別是出土文獻裡的《馬王堆帛書》〈五行〉裡的概念）的討論凸顯兩人思想之差異，其次以荀子〈性惡〉與〈禮論〉為核心，旁及諸如他的〈勸學〉、〈修身〉、〈天論〉等相關篇章，述介其人性論及禮論，藉以揭示其「禮教」與「性善」說。

In traditional Chinese philosophy of education, Xunzi has been well known for his theory of human nature is evil and his discourse on ritual. Furthermore, these two ideas were also the pivots to grasp Xunzi’s philosophy. However, when Xunzi’s philosophy is placed under the context of the educational concern in Confucianism, the purpose of Xunzi’s discussion on the evilness of human nature was actually a way to achieve the goodness of human nature through cultivation and transformation with the aid of ritual and music.
This paper begins its argument with a review of the difference between the philosophies of Mencius and Xunzi in light of certain ancient materials, such as Sima Qian’s The Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji) and contemporary studies in Confucianism. Then, this paper moves to the texts of a newly unearthed ancient essay entitled Wu Xing to highlight the differences between Mencius and Xunzi to indicate the characteristics of Xunzi’s thought. Lastly, to exhibit Xunzi’s ritual education and perspective on “the goodness of human nature,” his theory of human nature and his explanation on ritual were explored by focusing on his essays on “Human Nature is Evil (xin-er)” and “Discourse on Ritual (li-lun).” Xunzi’s other relevant articles were also referenced, such as “An Exhortation to Learning (quan-xue),” “Cultivating Oneself (xiu-sheng)” and “Discourse on Heaven (tian-lun).”