君子必辯：行動視域中的荀子名辯論述

Abstract

有關荀子的名辯研究，在二十世紀末以前，學界大多偏重闡發其「正名」之義理，並將其視為一種「概念」或「理論」來對待。這種取徑雖有助於建立討論支點，並找到與西方理論對話的契機，但也同時形成了若干限制。特別是當我們注意到荀子「君子必辯」與「正其名，當其辭，以務白其志義者也」，這類帶有鮮明規範性質的論述時，便不難發現在純粹邏輯、語言的理論之上，事實上還隱含著一個「君子之所以為君子」的核心關注，而這也同時提醒我們留意「名」與「辯」在荀子思想中的密切關係。職此，為了突破過去研究的限制，並凸顯出在名辯論述背後的主體意識，本文將試圖從一種「行動」的視域來進行詮釋，將荀子的「名辯」視為一「連續的」、「動態的」、「辯證的」單元。這種詮釋視域的轉換，不僅不會排除過去的研究成果，反而還能更進一步涵括對於世俗之論、辯證思維、倫理學等方面的討論。更重要的是，當我們將「名辯」視為一種行動來理解時，便順勢帶出了對於「行動主體」的關注，也就是有關個體道德修身、存有價值的面向，以及此種行動所代表的身份意義。而透過對以上問題的梳理，我們將會發現荀子的名辯乃是一種綜合「論」、「名」、「道」、「聖」等多層次意涵的行動，並飽含著強烈的自我認同與社會責任意識。經由一連串的非難、詰問與證成，個體於是乎得以從原先的「習禮義」轉化為「所行即禮」的境界。而紹述禮義的使命，也正是在這樣的轉化下獲得了可能。同時，荀子藉由名辯以批判地繼承王道的方式，亦將展示出另一種具有前瞻意義的經典詮釋態度。

Until the end of the 20th century, researches on Xunzi’s Argumentology mainly focused on the Name Correcting aspect, treating it as a concept or a theory. This approach provided a shortcut into discussion and built up dialogue with western philosophy, but also formed certain limits: Behind his seemingly sheer logical and philological discourse, Xunzi has deep down his pivotal concern on the question of “What a Confucian should be like?” His wording was written down in hopes of having a normative effect. Thus, we should focus on the closely intertwined Terms and Argumentation. In this respect, to push the limits for past researches and highlight the subject behind Xunzi’s discourse, this paper tries to interpret Xunzi’s Argumentology in the scope of action, viewing it as dialectical, dynamic, and continuous. This shift of scope could not only contain all the past researches but also take in discussions on the mundane society, argumentative thoughts, and ethics. Most importantly, when Ming-bian(名辯) is comprehended as action-oriented, the actor is not excluded from the discussion anymore. Aspects on cultivation of one’s moral character, value of existence, or personal identity through representations of action can thus be further explored. To put it in a nutshell, we can find that Xunzi’s Argumentology is about action with layers of meanings such as Public Issues, Ethical Terms, Dao(道), and Paragon, and it also contains strong self-identification and a sense of social responsibility. Through a series of critiques, arguments, and justification, the individual transforms from Learning into the state of Acquiring. And the mission of passing on Li-yi(禮義) was made possible by this transformation. At the same time, how Xunzi adopted a critical way in passing on Dao was also a forward-looking exposition of classic interpretation.