耿寧對陽明學的詮釋的檢討

An Investigation of Iso Kern’s Interpretation of Wang Yangming’s Theory

本文檢討當代西方現象學及漢學家耿寧（Iso Kern）對陽明學的詮釋。耿寧認為王陽明的良知概念曾經歷早、晚期的變化。所謂早期的良知概念是指一種向善的動力或意念，或德性的萌芽。所謂晚期的良知概念是指對所有意念的內在的道德的自身意識（內在的自知）。而從早期到晚期的變化，是反映著陽明如何回應對意念之善或惡的判斷的問題。本文認為，耿寧這些觀點未必得陽明學之實。實際上，陽明學中之向善之意念與內在的自知是一而二、二而一的，並不構成所謂良知早、晚期的變化。良知概念從陽明使用之以致成為其學說宗旨，都只是良知在陽明思想系統中之逐漸顯題化而已。雖然如此，本文歡迎耿寧研究陽明學的真誠態度，並期望他的研究會有豐碩的成果。

This essay investigates Iso Kern’s (a western phenomenologist and sinologist) interpretation of Wang Yangming’s theory. He thinks that the concept of liangzhi in Yangming’s thought had undergone two different stages. The concept of liangzhi at the early stage means a motivation or thought to do good, whereas liangzhi at the later stage means the simultaneous internal self-reflection of a thought that arises in the mind. And the change of the meaning of liangzhi from an early to a later stage reflects how Yangming confronted the problem of the judgement of a good or evil thought. However, this essay holds that Iso Kern’s interpretation may not be compatible with Yangming’s theory. For Yangming, the intention to do good and its self-knowing are two aspects of the same liangzhi, and thus there is no real change of the meaning of liangzhi from an early to later stage. That liangzhi gradually became the key concept of Yangming’s thought represents only the change of the role played by the concept in his system of thought, but not the concept’s meaning. Nevertheless, this essay welcomes the genuine attitude of Iso Kern in his research in Yangming’s philosophy, and has high hope that he will produce fruitful results in the future.