中國古代儒家歷史思維的方法及其運用

Historical Argumentation in Classical Confucianism

「具體性思維方式」是中國文化所顯現的諸多思維方式之中，最為悠久而且具有中國特色的思維方式。所謂「具體性思維方式」是指從具體情境出發進行思考活動，而不是訴諸純理論或抽象的推論。這種思維方式在中國文化史中所表現的方式甚多，最常見的就是將抽象命題（尤其是倫理學或道德論的命題）置於具體而特殊的時空脈絡中，引用古聖先賢、歷史人物，或往事陳跡加以證明，以提升論證的說服力。中國文化中的「具體性思維方式」的出現，與中國的歷史意識的發達有密切關係。中國文化中的「歷史心靈」發達極早，默察往事，原始察終，見盛觀衰，記取教訓，以為行事之依據，至遲在春秋時代 (722～481 B.C.)已成為中國人的共識。《詩經•大雅•蕩》云：「殷鑒不遠，在夏后之世」，《尚書•召誥》：「我不可不監于有夏，亦不可不監于有殷」，皆可證中國古代歷史意識之早熟。在強烈的歷史意識洗禮之下，古代中國思想家常常即事以言理，他們習於從具體而特殊的個別事物或經驗之中，抽離或歸納出普遍的抽象命題。中國人的思維從不受抽象的「型式」(forms)或靜止的命題所束縛。在儒家思想傳統中，「具體性思維方式」的一種表現形式就是歷史思維方式。在許多儒家的論述中，歷史思維方式一再地被運用與發揮，構成儒家思想史上的重要遺產，直到今日仍在華人社會中產生一定的作用。但是，儒家的歷史思維有何特徵？古代儒家運用何種方法進行歷史思考？在儒家展開歷史思考的過程中，有那些概念或因素發揮主導的作用？這些問題是這篇論文企圖解答的課題。

Mencius’ thinking is dipped in history. He could not help but argue and persuade, and whenever he did so, he did from history, citing historical incidents, whether ethical, political, or cosmic. Such an historical argumentation is very powerful because it is based on fasts. This historical argumentation that typifies Chinese concrete thinking has in itself a long historical tradition. From time immemorial, the Chinese people have been watching the way situations came and went, and learned therefrom the historical patterns of actuality, after which they pattern their behavior. This paper cites historical incidents of historical argumentation in Chinese thinking, from the ancient days of the Classic of History, Classic of Poetry through writings of the classical Confucian thinkers, among them the Analects, the Mencius, etc.--especially instantiating their views on the famous Three Dynasties, the Golden Ages to which everyone looked up. These historical matters are less those of our theatrical appreciation of passive audience than of powerful symbols whose rich implications are to be drawn by the empathic participation, less of museum mummies to be objectively investigated than of the rich resources to be interpreted and learned. In this manner, our present generation shape history as they are shaped thereby.