《呂氏春秋》和《荀子》對「人類國家」構想之探析：以其「人」觀與「群」論為切入點

The Perspectives on ＂Human Beings＂ and ＂Community＂ in the Political Theory of the Xunzi and the Lüshi chunqiu as a Foundation of the World State

本文針對《呂氏春秋》與《荀子》政治哲學的比較分析。試圖闡述與過去按照所謂「六家」分類模式不同的《呂》、《荀》政治哲學的特質，以及其在中國古代政治思想發展上的思想意義。本文試圖論證的內容可分成如下三點：第一、《呂》、《荀》兩書中所言的「人」並非係指特定個人或屬於個別族群或階級的人，而是共有同樣身體功能和異於其他生物的各種特質之整體人類。在其他先秦文獻中《呂》、《荀》兩書這種對「人類」涵義清楚的界定是罕見的。第二、基於此「人」觀，此兩書的「養生論」，尤其在其論述出發點預設每個人的身體功能是一樣的，因此兩書中的「養生論」相關論述中「統治人」vs.「民眾」的區分模式愈來愈模糊。第三、在「國家起源論」的探討當中，《呂》、《荀》兩書基於對人類生體功能限制的理解而發展出「群」論。其國家論認爲人的共同體需兼備倫理道德的原則以及超過血緣的秩序原理總結，由於建立整體意涵的「人類」概念，此兩書政治主張的重點從治理「某個地區的人民」或專屬被統治階層的「民」，變成「在生理屬性上具備一樣特色的總體人類」，而此治理對象的「人」還包含統治者本人的身體。如此，《呂氏春秋》與《荀子》政治思想的意義應該是在統一之前的階段就提出了一種可永續的「世界國家」之明確藍圖。

This article attempts to elucidate a distinct aspect in the thoughts of the Xunzi and the Lüshi chunqiu (Mr. Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals) and philosophical significance as propelling the unification of the Chinese world, as well as providing a blueprint of the ＂world state＂ which has been the model for ongoing East-Asian state formation and structure during the last two millennia. Under a comparative perspective of the political philosophy of these two texts, the author aims to persuade the readers of the following three points. Firstly, in terms of the physical and social features that constituted human beings, the Xunzi and LSCQ have presented a clear definition of how the whole human race are distinct from all other creatures, and such distinction was rarely seen in other preceding texts from the Warring States period. Secondly, the discussion about human characteristics in the Xunzi and LSCQ begins with a proposition that every human individuals are physically the same, and such a focus on the sameness in various human individuals has led to the formation of a new image of human society in which the difference of physical and intellectual conditions between the ruling class and the ruled would become obscure. Thirdly, in the discussion of the origin of state and society, building upon these aforementioned understanding about human condition, the Xunzi and LSCQ have developed their socio-political theories which would be applicable to the whole human society and go beyond blood relationship and geographical locality. In sum, as the Xunzi and LSCQ deliver a complete picture of what defines human beings, rulers of that time consider the distinction by clan, blood relationship and regionality to be less important conditions to their ruling. The advent of such a view on human beings a few decades before the actual unification by the State of Qin was significant to the extent that it was this view that has promoted the unification of the Chinese world, and presented the proto-type image of an everlasting unified empire whenever the Chinese world witnessed its separation.