连接“道”与“人”的桥梁－老子“天德观”思想及其德育价值

The Bridge Connecting “Tao” and “Human”: Lao-tse’s View of “Tian De” and Its Value for Moral Education

老子思想中，与“道”最密切的概念是“德”。“德”是“道”化生万物过程中的最初产物，是纯朴未散、有质无形的“炁”，也是畜养万物、决定万物发展方向的支配性力量。明确了“道”与“无”、“德”与“一”在老子哲学体系中的对应关系之后，老子思想中“天德”的意义和地位才能突显出来。“天德”是人德的内在决定力量，人在婴儿阶段都曾丰厚地拥有过，而随着人的成长，“天德”不断消耗，人也愈难与之相应。“天德”支配善恶又超越善恶。“德”的系统性和“道法自然”的总原则决定了“天德观”视野下道德的开放性。老子“天德观”有助于重树道德信仰，呼唤德育“修身”范式的实质性回归，并指向了德育生活化的灵魂所在。

In Lao-tse’s thoughts, the most relevant concept to “Tao” is “De”(Moral). “De” is the initial product of “Tao” when it was creating all things in the universe. It is the pure and condense “Qi”(Air) that is of quality but shapeless, and it is also the dominant power that makes things alive and orientate their development. Only by clarifying the corresponding relationship between “Tao” and “Wu”(Nothing), and “De” and “Yi”(One) in Lao-tse’s philosophy, can one understand the significance of “Tian De”(Heaven/Nature Moral) in Lao-tse’s thoughts. “Tian De” is the inner driven force of “Ren De”(Human Moral). Every human being possesses great amount of “Tian De” when they are babies, however, as babies grow up, “Tian De” is gradually consumed and it is more and more difficult for human beings to correspond to it, “Tian De” dominates virtue and evil but surpasses virtue and evil. The systematicness of “De” and the overall principle of “Tao Fa Zi Ran”(The Taos and Nature) determine the openness of moral in the perspective of “Tian De”. Lao-tse’s view of “Tian De” has an important implication to the rebuilding of the moral beliefs, the return of the moral “self-building” paradigm; and it highlights the soul of moral education through the life.