王陽明的良知理論：王陽明哲學新詮

Wang Yang-ming’s Theory of Liang-zhi ——A New Interpretation of Wang Yang-ming’s Philosophy

「良知」是王陽明哲學中的一個至為重要的概念，但歷來對此一概念之解說紛紜，且缺乏善解。要給王陽明的良知說一個融貫而完備的解釋，筆者認為必須擺脫心靈主義的進路，不管是超越主義或非超越主義的類型。筆者嘗試展示良知說背後一深層結構，並論證良知不能只描述為非經驗的或非感性的，更重要的是不能被界定為任何種類的知識和認知能力、覺悟和體悟能力，或智的直覺和神秘感受等。究其實，「良知」並不是一知性概念。將之理解為一種知性的機能或心靈能力，將會遠離王陽明哲學列車的軌道。基於文本上的證據，筆者嘗試以一個三層二域的架構，對文本中所有看似弔詭、反常及不可理解的王陽明觀點提出一融貫而合理的解釋。例如他說的「無知而無不知」，「性即氣」，及「心外無理」都可理解為「構成體現」；而「草木瓦石也有良知」，「心外無物」及「心外無事」都可理解為「因果體現」。此外，王陽明之所以認為人心之作用於外在世界不能無氣，亦可理解為心靈活動或心靈事件是「隨附於」 物理活動或物理事件之上的。至於「知行合一」的問題，我認為亦可以用「體現」和「隨附」這一雙概念來加以說明。

The most important term in Wang Yang-ming’s 王陽明 (1472-1528) philosophy, “liang-zhi 良知,” has been interpreted in various different ways. However, these different interpretations have failed to provide a satisfactory understanding of Wang Yang-ming’s philosophy. To give a reasonable interpretation of Wang Yang-ming’s idea of liang-zhi that coheres with his philosophy, we have to move beyond the approach of mentalism, no matter whether it be of a transcendental or nontranscendental type. In this paper, I elaborate the deep structure of liang-zhi and demonstrate that liang-zhi cannot simply be described as non-empirical, more importantly, I show that it cannot be identified as any kind of knowledge or knowing capacity, enlightenment or enlightening capacity, intellectual intuition or mystical feeling. Liang-zhi is not an epistemic concept in any sense. To treat liangzhi as some kind of knowing faculty or mental capacity is to stray from Wang Yangming’s main philosophical train of thought. The major purpose of this paper is to give a new and coherent interpretation of liang-zhi which is consistent with the doctrines of “xing-ji-qi 性即氣,” “xin-wai-wuwu/ shi 心外無物／事” (no things/events outside the mind), “xin-wai-wu-li 心外無理” (no orders/principles outside the mind) and “zhi-xing-he-yi 知行合一”1 (the unity of enlightenment and action/act). In this paper, I use the concepts of “realization” and “supervenience” to explain the relationship between xing and qi, on the one hand, and the relationship between zhi and xing, on the other. Based on this preliminary study, I conclude that Wang Yang-ming viewed all the things/events in the organic universe as being endowed with a (emergent) power or (functional) property of cosmic vitality or universal spirituality, i.e., the (functional) property of sheng-sheng 生生 (the cycling order of natural production). This universal power or property by itself is invisible, without trace, and does not have an independent ontological status. However, the actual function of the power or property can be found in phenomena because certain responsive mental events made by human beings can be recognized as the realization of this power or property. In turn, certain related physical events initiated by human beings can be understood as the bases on which the mental events are supervenient. Based on these two distinct relationships: realization and supervenience, we can elaborate a framework of three layers consisting of the layer of cosmic spirituality, the layer of the mental, and the layer of the physical. This framework of three layers is moreover situated in two domains: the internal domain of the human body and the external domain of human action. Based on this framework of three layers and two domains, I elaborate a theory concerning “heaven’s production” (tian-cheng 天成), or “accomplishment and assistance in the universal process of production and reproduction,” concluding that it can be understood as an important component of Wang Yang-ming’s philosophy.