論孔子思想中隱涵的「天人合一」一貫之道——一個當代新儒學的闡釋

On the Idea of “Unity of Heaven and Man” Implicit in Confucius’ Thought

《論語》中子貢證詞曰：「夫子之言性與天道，不可得而聞也。」然徵諸事，孔子多處言天言道，不像根本不言性，理論效果自不可同日而語。經過多年探索，本文遵守考證在方法學上的嚴格標準，只引述《論語》中的話，為孔子思想組成一條融貫的思路。最後發現，孔子一貫之道的涵義決不止於「推己及人」，還隱涵了一條「天人合一」的思路。這可以廓清一般對孔子思想流行的誤解。

In The Analects Tzu Kung said: “We can hear about our Master's [views] on culture and its manifestation, but we cannot hear about his views on human nature and the Way of Heaven.” It is true that Confucius rarely spoke about human nature, but he talked quite often about Heaven and the Way; we must come up with a reasonable explanation. After many years’ study and inquiry, I finally realize that it is not true that The Analects concerns human affairs only. By following the strict methodology of historical scholarship, I used the materials included in The Analects alone to construct a coherent account of Confucius’ thought. I find enough evidence to show that the one thread running through all his doctrines should not be interpreted to mean only a thread that extends from one's self to others, but also from man to Heaven. This should help to remove some deeply-entranched misunderstanding of Confucius’ thought.