智慧之言
编者按:
近日,孔子研究院院长杨朝明研究员接受了《环球时报》记者的专访,谈及儒家思想发展过程中遇到的误解和挫折,认为在当今中国文化体制改革的大背景下,习近平总书记考察孔子研究院,并发表重要讲话,充分体现了中央大力弘扬优秀传统文化,建设社会主义核心价值体系的决心,儒家文化应乘势而上,勇担历史重任和社会责任,促进社会的和谐进步,为实现中国梦提供精神支撑。现将采访报道编译如下。
在曲阜,古代哲学家孔子(公元前551年—479年)的故乡,出版社正紧张地忙碌着。习近平主席近期考察曲阜对《论语诠解》和《孔子家语通解》给予认可之后,订单不断涌入,当地出版社紧急再版加印这两本书。
《论语诠解》和《孔子家语通解》得到习总书记在山东考察时的认可,这两本书的作者杨朝明先生在星期一(12月9日)接受《环球时报》采访时仍然表现得很激动。
杨朝明回忆道,“习总书记说,这两本书,他要仔细看看”。
在11月份考察曲阜期间,习总书记对学者们说,对历史文化特别是先人传承下来的道德规范,要坚持古为今用,去粗取精,去伪存真,因势利导,深化研究。
据山东友谊出版社和齐鲁出版社的工作人员透露,近期他们的书市场需求量大增。
山东友谊出版社出版部主管,杨朝明的出版商陈敬(音译)向《环球时报》透露,“习总书记的认可令我们十分振奋。这本书原本是为学术交流而作,而现在却成了市场焦点。我们正准备更多的促销活动。”
但对于杨朝明和他的出版商而言,习总书记的认可并不只是潜在的摇钱树。它激励了儒学学者们,释放出儒学传统复兴的信号。
被遗失的思想体系
在漫长的中国历史中,儒家思想作为诚信思想的来源一直被高度重视。儒家思想是中国众多思想流派中的一支,虽然经常被道家和其他思想流派所批判,但它在国家支持的教育体系中起到至关重要的作用。孔子被尊为中国最伟大的圣人,历代封建统治者建造并翻新孔庙、孔林和孔府,使它们形成了少见的能与皇宫媲美的家族建筑群。
但是,“五四”运动推崇“新文化”、反对儒学,批判儒学是阻碍中国社会进步的传统文化的残留,呼吁将儒学全部抛弃。之后,儒学开始走向衰落。
杨朝明指出,“从那之后在很长一段时间里儒家思想遭到误解。我们民族的落后和战争的耻辱历史使人们将愤怒指向传统文化。人们陷入现代化就是疏离历史的认识误区。”
一位运行介绍儒家文化网页的学者任重(音译)认为,文化大革命(1966-1976)标志着反传统情绪的顶峰,儒家思想被指责为反革命的思想。
任重告诉《环球时报》的记者,习主席的认可对于中国传统文化和儒家思想具有标志性的意义,因为中国共产主义源于现代反儒思想。任重指出,“这可能是自1949年以来最高当局的首个认可信号,我们相信社会道德的提高指日可待。”
失落的传统
北京航空航天大学教授和儒家学者姚中秋曾对于未能成为传统文化载体的中国大陆教育表达过失望。
姚中秋指出,“儒家思想提倡个体的自我教化和自我约束。它同时要求人们认识的自己与他人共存于一个社会圈子,这就意味着,人们在追求自己利益时不应该损害他人权益。并且如集体主义所倡导的,人们自身的努力也不应被牺牲。”
姚中秋指出,孔子的哲学在于培养君子,这里的君子可以理解为其价值观影响管理方式的政府官员和管理人员。“儒家思想推崇仁义,但现在很多人崇尚实利主义,也就有了前一段的强调经济建设。”
对于孔子的著名言论,“君君,臣臣,父父,子子。”杨朝明解释道,自汉代以来广为流传的误读单方面地强调下属的忠诚和顺从,“但它实际上是说当政者自己必须有道德(每个人都应做好本职工作,各安其位,方可实现国之大治)。”
任重从儒家的角度指出,当前行政成本过高,行政负担过重。应给予社会自治更多的空间,让人们可以通过源于儒家思想的共同价值观团结在一起。
中央民族大学哲学与宗教研究院教授赵士林补充说,儒家思想与当今法律体系结合能更好地服务国家,因为强化的公共道德能进一步减少犯罪而且高尚的领导者能影响整个社会。
道德之源?
近些年,社会上出现了诸如路人对处于危险中的老人孩子漠视致其死亡,老师性侵学生等一系列事件,从而引发了国人的道德恐慌。
姚中秋指出,“如果我们仅仅依靠改革社会体制,许多社会问题,包括人与人之间的不信任,将得不到解决。我们需要改变我们已经深受实利主义影响的文化、价值观和道德观。”
姚中秋同时指出中国正面临西方的强势文化入侵,现在是时候通过回归传统重获民族自信了。
习主席在8月份一次会议上强调中国的软实力在于“灿烂的文化”,这份灿烂的文化也孕育了中国特色社会主义。中国共产党11月份发布的改革计划决心深化文化体制改革,将中国建设成社会主义文化强国。
附:英文原文
Words of wisdom
Global Times (2013-12-12 P06) By Jiang Jie
In Qufu, the birthplace of the ancient philosopher Confucius (551-479 BC), the printing presses are running hot. With orders flooding in, local publishing houses can't afford to stop printing two recent books about the sage, after President Xi Jinping offered them his stamp of approval at a recent trip. The author of the books Yang Chaoming still sounded excited on Monday when he was reached by the Global Times, after his works, The Interpretation of The Analects and The Collected Sayings and Dialogues of Confucius, were recognized by Xi during his visit to the Shandong city. "He said he would read them carefully," said Yang. During his visit to Qufu in November, Xi said scholars should follow the principles of "making the past serve the present" and "keeping the essential while discarding the dross" when researching ethics passed down from forefathers. Staff from Shandong Friendship Publishing House and Qilu Press told the Global Times that their books have experienced an uptake in demand recently. "We are thrilled to know of Xi's approval. The book was designed for academic exchanges only, but now it is becoming a market focus. Now we are planning to organize more promotional events," Chen Jing, head of the publication department of Shandong Friendship Publishing House, Yang's publisher, told the Global Times. But Xi's approval isn't just a potential moneymaker for Yang and his publisher. It's encouraged many scholars, who see it as a sign of a revival of the long tradition of Confucianism. Lost ideology For most of China's history, Confucianism has been given the greatest priority as a source of ideological credibility. Confucianism was one among many schools of thought in China, often criticized by Daoists and others, but it played a critical role in the State-backed education system. Confucius was worshiped as the greatest of Chinese sages, and emperors from different dynasties built and renovated Confucius' temple, cemetery and family mansion in Qufu, making them a rare family compound that rivaled royal palaces. However, the decline of Confucianism began after the May Fourth Movement in 1919 which advocated "new culture" against Confucianism, blaming it as a remnant of traditional culture that stemmed the progress of Chinese society and calling for its wholesale jettisoning. "Confucianism has been mistreated for a long time since then. The underdevelopment of our nation and the shameful history of warfare have made people directed their anger at our traditional culture. People fell for the belief that modernization equals estrangement from traditions," said Yang. The notorious Cultural Revolution (1966-76) marked a peak of anti-traditional sentiment when Confucianism was denounced as counter-revolutionary thinking, according to Ren Zhong, a scholar who runs a website offering an introduction to Confucian culture. Ren told the Global Times that Xi's approval hence has symbolic significance for traditional Chinese culture and Confucianism, as Chinese Communism originally developed from modern anti-Confucian ideas. "It may be the first sign of approval from the top authorities since 1949 and we have every reason to believe that an improvement in social morality can be expected," Ren said. Failed tradition Yao Zhongqiu, a professor at Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Confucian scholar, expressed his disappointment in education in the Chinese mainland, which has failed to serve as a carrier for traditional culture. "Confucianism calls for self-cultivation and self-rule by individuals. It also requires people see themselves as existing in a social circle with others, which means one should not harm others' interests in pursuit of their own. Neither should their own efforts be sacrificed, as in collectivism," Yao said. Yao noted that the philosophy of Confucius lies in the cultivation of junzi ("superior people"), which could refer to the government officials and managerial staff whose values affect the way to govern. "Confucianism preaches benevolence and justice, but today many worship materialism, hence the previous emphasis on economic construction." As for the famous saying of Confucius, "Let the king be a king, the minister a minister, the father a father and the son a son," Yang explained that the common misinterpretation started in the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD) when it one-sidedly emphasized the loyalty and compliance of subordinators. "But it actually means that governors must be virtuous themselves." Ren stated that from a Confucian perspective, the cost of governance is too high at present, and the burden of administration too heavy. Instead, more space should be encouraged for social self-governance, where people can be bound together with common values originating from Confucianism. Zhao Shilin, a professor from the School of Philosophy and Religious Studies at the Minzu University of China, added that a combination of Confucianism and the present law system can better serve the country as strengthened public morality can further reduce crime and noble leaders can influence their followers. Source of morality? There have been a series of moral panics in China in recent years, following cases of elderly people or children being left to die by passersby, teachers sexually abusing students, and similar incidents. "Many social issues, including the prevailing mistrust between people, will not be solved if we rely solely on reforming systems alone. Rather we need to change our culture as well as our values and ethics, which have been affected by materialism," Yao said. Yao said this is part of the setbacks China has suffered in pursuit of modernization, which lacked the consciousness that a nation's modernization should be rooted in its culture and in China he sees that as Confucianism. Yang also noted China is under strong cultural invasion from the West and it is high time to regain national confidence by returning to tradition. President Xi has emphasized at a conference in August that China's soft power lies in its "splendid culture," which also breeds socialism with Chinese characteristics. The reform plan issued by the Communist Party of China in November vowed to deepen cultural system reform and build China into a socialist cultural power. Wang Rui contributed to the story
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