舊學、新思維論新題──廖文奎《學》、《庸》論述探究

Modern Interpretation of Ancient Texts: Liao Wen Kui’s Reinterpretation of Da Xue and Zhong Yong

廖文奎（1905-1952）是首位留學歐美的台灣學者，其經驗西學，時值日治逼侵，因懷抱家國之思而身赴大陸，後回台從事政治與思想革命，豐富的經歷與思想發展，為台灣文化與思想多元特色下典型之一。廖文奎提出具有本體論、方法論與施行具體策略的《學》、《庸》新說，將論學與教化的焦點集中在人生哲學。對人生哲學之論述，關注在宇宙論與應用哲學層面；先以「唯生論」說明人與宇宙萬物存在秉具同樣同理，肯定人作為宇宙間深沉意義的存在，從而推出具有《中庸》、《易經》意味的「生生之易」以為別出之說，以明中國本體論之合乎當代生物演化說、物理新發現，具有科學與現代價值。其次，在應用哲學方面，以「唯生論」做為「人生何出」之本體，以「人生何來」、「人生何能」與「人生何用」三題，說明《大學》條目與《中庸》思想，具體開展人類生命於：一、「誠意、正心、修身」，屬個人內在修養之價值追求與施行原則；二、「齊家、治國、平天下」作為社會存在的原則與理想。由此，廖氏通過說明三綱：由個人修養之明德、群體淑生之親民、個人群體之價值與理想之止於至善；八目：包括人生各層面的問題，作為人生觀的實際而具體可行的解說指導，體大思深，實為經典現代化精心之作，亦為現代中國哲學之思想先驅。

Liao Wen Kui (1905-1952) was the first Taiwanese scholar to study in Europe and the United States. He proposed a new interpretation of Da Xue and Zhong Yong that incorporated ontology, methodology, and concrete implementation strategies, while also centering the discussion of learning and education around the philosophy of life. His discourse on the philosophy of life focused on two aspects: cosmology and applied philosophy. Firstly, applying the“Wei Sheng Luen”(Vitalism,唯生論), Liao explained that humans and all entities in the universe shared a common, empathetic existence, affirming the profound significance of human life within the universe. Secondly, by proposing the theory of“Sheng Sheng Zhi Yi”(The Dynamics of Continuous Creation,生生之易), Liao explained that Chinese philosophical ideas were aligned with contemporary theories of biological evolution and recent discoveries in physics, thus reflecting scientific and modern values. In the realm of applied philosophy, Liao employed“Wei Sheng Luen”to underpin the question of where life originated (人生何出). Liao also elucidated Da Xue and Zhong Yong by exploring three questions: how life came into being (人生何來), how life was empowered (人生何能), and how life serves a purpose (人生何用). His discourse is profound and far-reaching, serving as a paradigm of modern interpretation of the classical texts and positioning Liao as a pioneering figure in modern Chinese philosophy.