摘要:
对孟子的道德心可提出一个新的观点,即道德心的内部或曰存有结构是由恻隐、羞恶、辞让、是非四个相互关联与穿透的方面所形成。依此,四端的“端”不只是端绪和萌蘖,还有端项的意思,而“四端”亦非道德心随处境而发见的四个例子,乃是构成道德心的四面。从道德心理学的角度看,恻隐是以他人痛苦为中心的同感关怀;羞恶是近乎愧疚的具建设性的情感或道德意识,但更重要的是,它是人在应该恻隐而不恻隐时所产生的;辞让是恻隐一面于人可以放弃自己所有让与他人的情况下的表现;是非则是合恻隐与羞恶两面而成。这四面一方面是道德的情感反应,另一方面也是道德的道理。对道德心的运作而言,四面有统摄与生克的关系;它们是道德心涵蕴的理性与情感以显隐的方式所表现出的动态的统一。有了这结构分析,对孟子的道德心乃至宋明心学应可以有更加恰当相应的了解,甚至可以尝试反过来给道德心理学提供一些另类的研究思路。
关键词:
-
孟子 /
-
道德心 /
-
四端 /
-
内部结构 /
-
道德心理学
Abstract:
This article offers a new interpretation of Mencius's concept of the moral heart/mind, proposing that its inner or ontological structure consists of four interrelated and penetrating aspects: pity and compassion ("恻隐"), shame and aversion ("羞恶"), modesty and yielding ("辞让"), and a sense of right and wrong ("是非"). In this framework, duan("端") in siduan("四端") refers not only to the "beginning" or "sprout, " but also to a distinct "aspect" of the moral heart/mind. The siduan are thus not merely four examples of moral responses to different situations, but rather four constitutive dimensions of the moral heart/mind itself. From the perspective of moral psychology, compassion represents empathetic concern focused on the suffering of others; shame is a constructive moral emotion akin to guilt, but more significantly, it arises when one fails to show compassion; yielding is an expression of compassion in contexts where one can relinquish personal gain for the benefit of others; and a sense of right and wrong emerges from the interplay of compassion and shame. These four aspects serve both as moral emotions and as moral reasons. Within the moral mind, they interact through relationships of unification ("统摄") and mutual generation and restraint ("生 克"). This dynamic reflects the unity of reason and emotion, expressed in both manifest and latent forms ("显隐"). By analyzing this structure, the article aims to provide a more accurate and nuanced understanding of Mencius's moral philosophy and its development in the Song-Ming tradition. It also seeks to offer alternative perspectives for research in contemporary moral psychology.