何謂天演？嚴復「天演之學」的內涵與意義

What is Tianyan? The Meaning and Significance of Yan Fu’s Theory of Natural Evolution

本文探討嚴復譯介斯賓塞、赫胥黎「天演之學」的文化背景、詞彙來源、思想內涵與歷史意義。嚴譯《天演論》以《易經》等傳統觀念闡釋天演過程中倫理的重要性，以鼓舞國人「知變」、「自強保種」亦揭櫫可接受西學而不貶抑傳統。嚴復融合中外學說的理論，包含九特點，環繞著兩比喻：一、「張弓」的譬喻，說明「天行」、「人治」有如陰陽變化相反相成，造成宇宙的變遷。二、「園丁」開闢「花園」的譬喻，說明自然與人類的關係。反對斯賓塞的「任天為治」肯定赫胥黎的「勝天為治」並指出天演過程中，人為努力可對抗「物競天擇，適者生存」，其目的不在競爭，而是依賴倫理原則達「以物不競為的」。據天演之學，嚴復主張「群己並重」、「舍己為群」；國內政治上，建立融合傳統價值，並肯定自由民主與資本主義之體制；國際關係上，反對殖民主義，尊重「公理」、「公法」、「公論」即「有權而不以侮人，有力而不以奪人」。嚴復以倫理為中心，統合宇宙觀、歷史觀與政治社會發展的完整體系，與魯迅詮釋「進化論」有類似處。此一理論調和倫理與競爭、個體與群體，鼓舞國人發憤圖強，影響近代中國革命派、改革派乃至新儒家與自由主義者；且與日本進化論者加藤弘之、丘淺次郎等「強權」、「弱肉強食」、重視群體的思想有明顯差異。

This article analyzes three versions of the ＂Theory of Natural Evolution＂ and other materials to investigate Yan Fu's understanding of ＂evolution,＂ which he based on the works of Herbert Spencer and Thomas Huxley. It focuses on the cultural background, the origins of his terminology, and the historical significance of this theory in the Chinese translation. I argue that Yan's ＂Theory of Natural Evolution,＂ a translation of Huxley's ＂Evolution and Ethics,＂ was influenced by Yan's Chinese intellectual background including his prior study of ＂The Book of Changes＂ and Xunzi. Yan emphasized the importance of ethical values in the process of evolution in order to deal with China's national crisis. For Yan, the unique character of human beings lies in their qualities of ＂qun＂(group solidarity), ＂tianliang＂(conscience), and ＂kaiming ziying＂(enlightened self-interest). Thus he encouraged Chinese people to understand natural evolution to strengthen themselves and to save their race. Yan criticized Spencer for overemphasizing natural evolution at the expense of moral autonomy, and established a link between his emphasis on ethics, individual freedom, and Huxley's theory of social cooperation. In this way, Yan's understanding of evolution placed equal emphasis on self and group and led to an accommodative approach to policy and cultural reform.