柳宗元與中唐儒家普遍人性論的萌芽──重審《天爵論》的思想史意義

"On the Honors Bestowed by Heaven": Liu Zongyuan and His New Theory of Human Nature in the Mid-Tang China

鄧盛濤(Shengtao DENG)

柳宗元 ； 天爵論 ； 性三品論 ； 融佛入儒 ； 氣化論的普遍人性論 ； Liu Zongyuan ； "Tianjue Lun" ； Chan Buddhism ； Theory of Universal Human Nature

哲學與文化

50卷11期（2023 / 11 / 01）

173 - 187

繁體中文;英文

從西漢到中唐的儒家傳統中，以「性三品」論為代表的「分立的等級人性論」居於主流；其將人性劃分為上、中、下三等。然而到北宋道學興起之後，「普遍人性論」卻逐漸佔據主要的地位。本文嘗試從柳宗元論人性思想的核心文獻《天爵論》切入，首先分析《天爵論》中志、明觀念的內在意涵與思想淵源；其次討論柳宗元「天爵」觀念所開啟的普遍人性論與開放性聖人觀。最後，結合柳宗元的生平與思想經歷，探討其普遍人性論的形成所受到的佛教影響。本文基於對《天爵論》的重新解讀來重審柳宗元的人性論，試圖以此來凸顯柳宗元在中唐至北宋由性三品論向普遍人性論復歸過程中的獨特地位。

The Confucian doctrine on human nature in triple grade had become influential for centuries since the Han dynasty but it underwent a fundamental change from the mid-Tang onwards, and Liu Zongyuan (柳宗元, 773-819) was a critical figure at this historic juncture. This paper reexamines Liu's essay "Tianjue lun" that has yet to receive the attention it deserves, and it aims to highlight Liu's unique understanding of human nature among his contemporaries. Specifically, Liu argued for a theory of human nature universal to all in that every human being is endowed with both an innate will (zhi 志) that helps to drive them to moral excellence and a spiritual intelligence (ming 明) that enables them to comprehend the Truth. This theory was markedly different from the traditional Confucian doctrine of human nature in triple grade and indeed foreshadowed the Neo-Confucian theory of innately good human nature. This paper traces Liu's new ideas to early Confucian sources, identifies their inspiration from Chan Buddhism in the Tang and contextualizes their genesis in Liu's personal life.

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