唐君毅對民主政治的想像與批評

Tang Junyi’s Vision and Critique of Democracy

唐君毅是當代新儒學的一代宗師，他所宗奉的當然是人皆可為堯舜的性善論。站在性善論的立場，他對西方原罪論的不能贊同是必然的和不可避免的。由於原罪論被認為是成就西方民主政治的理論基石，唐君毅對民主政治的許多批評，從某一意義上，又可視為儒家性善論對基督教原罪論的批評。這些批評雖大都能言之成理擊中要害，但仍有某些地方不免失諸過嚴或求之過苛，對民主政治的值價和功績有時亦不免評價過低。如何消解性善論和原罪論在成就中國式的民主政治所引起的矛盾和衝突，使得中西文化有可能從互相衝突的關係，改變成為「相助相即的關係」，是唐君毅一輩子的用心所在。他強力引入儒家克己修身的功夫論，以救濟西方民主政治之缺失。唐君毅堅信中西文化各有所長，亦各有所短。他斷言中西文化的接觸，不應再是西洋向中國的單向輸入，而應是中國和西洋的雙向交流。也只有通過東西文化的取長補短、互相學習、共同提高，更圓善和更美好的世界新文明才有可能熔鑄，而更高級、更合乎人性，更能兼顧到法律、天理和人情的新民主制度才有可能建成。

Professor Tang Junyi, a leading scholar in the New Confucian movement of the twentieth century, advocated the Confucian doctrine of the goodness of human nature. It was therefore inevitable that Tang disagreed with the Christian doctrine of original sin. Since the doctrine of original sin has long been considered a cornerstone of theories of Western democracy, Tang's critique of Western democracy can be viewed, to an extent, as a criticism of the Christian doctrine of original sin doctrine on the basis of the Confucian doctrine of the goodness of human nature. Although Tang's criticisms are logical, focused, and persuasive, they do not always give full credit to the merits of democracy. The question for Tang then became how to reconcile the differences between the Confucian doctrine and the original sin doctrine to build Chinese democracy. Tang strongly believed that Chinese and Western cultures each had their own strengths and weaknesses, and hence he dedicated his lifework to integrate the Confucian theory of self-cultivation with concepts of Western democracy. Tang advocated mutual exchange between Chinese and Western cultures in order to achieve a new democracy that would be more balanced, harmonious, and reflective of human nature.