明清儒家自然氣本論的哲學典範

The Philosophical Paradigm of the Naturalistic Qi-based Philosophyin Ming and Qing Dynasty

明清時期羅欽順、王廷相、吳廷翰、顧炎武、戴震等人的哲學可以統稱為「自然氣本論」。它的哲學典範跟程朱理本論以及陸王心本論有明顯的、基本的差異，因此一向被理學主流觀點所排擠。事實上，經由所謂創造的詮釋，我們可以發現它是荀學一路，這就難怪明清以來它在尊孟抑荀的氛圍下得不到恰當的理解和肯定了。本文跳出孟學中心的思維，從荀學的進路，對它的哲學典範做出正面的詮釋。大致上，明清自然氣本論以混沌的自然元氣為世界的本原、本體，以人的稟氣為人性的本原、實體；這自然元氣與稟氣的流行與開展，就形成了宇宙與人生的一切。由於宇宙、人生的一切現象都是「自然中有其必然」，因此成德之道就是直接就著宇宙、人生的種種現象，探求其中所蘊涵所潛在的必然之則，予以凝定並且據以遵行。這樣的思想理路，是荀學思維在宋明理學主流觀點的質疑與貶抑下一個創造性的發展，它關於宇宙、生命、成德之道的認知和詮釋比宋明理學主流觀點更貼近現代一般人的感受，它是表現了「中國文化脈絡下的早期現代性」的一個哲學典範。

The purpose of this paper is to construct a philosophical paradigm of the Naturalistic Qi-based Philosophy in Ming and Qing dynasty with the approach of Xunism through a whole, comprehensive interpretation. To achieve the purpose, the author gets away from the traditional Mencius-centered thought to investigate the philosophy of Luo Qinshun, Wang Tingxiang, Wu Tinghan, Gu Yanwu and Dai Zhen in Ming and Qing dynasty, which can be generally called the Naturalistic Qi-based Philosophy. Basically different from philosophy of Cheng-Zhu and that of Lu-Wang, the Naturalistic Qi-based Philosophy has always been excluded from the mainstream Neo-Confucianism.In fact, through creative interpretation mentioned by Fu Weixun, their philosophy does belong to Xunism, which serves as the main reason that they have been misunderstood and disapproved by scholars under the atmosphere where Mencius has been highly honored since the Ming and Qing dynasty. Broadly speaking, scholars of the Naturalistic Qi-based Philosophy in Ming and Qing dynasty considered the primordial force as the origin and the substance of the world, the endowment of material force as the substance of the human life. Moreover, they thought the transformation and development of the primordial force and the endowment of material force form everything of the universe and the human life.As latent principles lie in all natural phenomena of the universe and the human life, if a man wants to perfect himself, he must recognize, search for the latent principles of the natural phenomena, manifest and then practice them. Indeed, such philosophical theory is a creative development of Xunzi’s philosophy under the criticism and depreciation of the mainstream Neo-Confucianists of the Song and Ming period. The cognition about the universe, life, and the way of self-perfection stated in this theory are actually much closer to thought of contemporary ordinary people than those stated in the mainstream Neo-Confucianism of the Song and Ming dynasty. Therefore, the Naturalistic Qi-based Philosophy is the philosophical paradigm that has displayed “the early modernity in the context of Chinese civilization.”