中國人的慈善觀念

CHARITY AND ALTRUISTIC BEHAVIOR IN CHINESE SOCIETY

善念與善行是每一個社會所欲求，雖然不同文化都給予行善最高價值，卻只反映出善行之難能可貴，絕非社會中成員爭相追求的目標。這種為善的絕對價值與人類實際生活之間的差距，已很難討論其因果關係了。以中國社會而言，儒家倫理的規範不斷在各種社會教化管道裡宣導，其效果卻遠不及民間淺俗化勸善性書籍的普及深入。因為前者的道德標準遙不可及，實踐方法又太「唯心」；只有亦儒亦佛亦道的綜合性人生態度才符合芸芸眾生的心理與行為。無論是從哲學的思辨角度，或是社會生物學的物種進化立場來看人類的利社會行為，都是屬於推論的層次，要逼近真象的最好方式，唯有採擷真實的生活資料。慈善觀念與利他行為的心理學研究不僅在中國乏善可陳，西方社會也多侷限於實驗室中的操弄。我們認為要了解中國人的社會心理與人際行為，必須先抛開西方現有的理論模式，從本土文化中找到分析的材料，慈善觀念的研究即是基於這種觀點來進行。

Being among the most desirable values in human society, altruism and charity have inspired decades of research interest. Altruism and charity have been of human concern for centuries and become important preassumptions for understanding human nature and animal life. However, even at the end of the twentieth century, their origins and mechanisms are still puzzling. Problems regarding interpersonal relationships are equally evident within a family, within friendships, and in other social relationships of individuals within and across institutions, cultures, and nations. Cooperation and conflict resolution all require empathy, which is the initiator of altruistic behavior. Yet they typically receive little priority relative to issues pertaining to technological advancements and mastery of the physical universe. This study attempts to examine the changing nature of moral value in terms of charity in Chinese society. In so doing, we not only analyze shan-shu (morality books), which have circulated widely in China after the Sung dynasty, but also do depth interview with Taiwaneses in different demographic characteristics. The intent is to identify the current meanings of the charity concept in a Chinese cultural context.