《淮南子》的政治觀──以養生而治國為核心

Abstract

本篇論文透過「身體治理」的視角，探討《淮南子》的政治思想。以身體治理為切入點，說明被班固及部分研究者歸類為雜家的《淮南子》，是可以由「道」作為核心，貫通《淮南子》相對駁雜的書寫。 在《淮南子》中，氣是闡釋大道開展、宇宙化生的關鍵概念。氣的思考在戰國以來的學術界快速的發展，《淮南子》對氣的論述富有與《管子》四篇、《帛書‧黃帝四經》等黃老道家相近的思考路徑。從物質性的氣之聚散變化，構建了能夠聯繫形而下現象世界的物質存有，與形而上精神相通的思考框架。因此，從氣的角度解讀《淮南子》的身體治理，即能跨越物質與精神層次的治理，達致身心安頓，並指向復歸於大道存有的路徑。 《淮南子》的政治思想始於統治者對自身的身體治理，統治者的修養延伸至對群體身體的治理，形成由養生通往治國一貫的進路。因此完成修養的統治者，對應於不斷變化的政治現實所進行之治理行動，會根據不同層次的「身體」採取相應的治理策略。在身體的面向上，由物質而精神，「性命之情處其所安」的復歸，即在政治治理上，從有為的治理行動，逐步走向「萬物固以自然」的無為秩序。 職是，從身體治理、養生而治國的觀點而言，《淮南子》之「雜」正是以把握「道」為核心，藉由多層次的思考回應身體治理的需求，同時也是在治國的面向上，採取多元的方法，以期達成復歸於無為的理想治理。

This thesis explores the political thought of the Huainanzi from the perspective of "body governance." Taking this perspective as a point of departure, this study demonstrates that the Huainanzi—traditionally classified as "Eclectic" (Zajia)—possesses a coherent internal logic centered on the Dao, which serves to bridge and integrate the text’s heterogeneous writings. Qi serves as the key concept in the Huainanzi for elucidating the unfolding of the Dao and the transformation of the cosmos. The discourse on qi in the Huainanzi aligns with Huang-Lao Daoism found in the "four chapters" of the Guanzi and the Huangdi Sijing. The aggregation and dispersal of material qi serves to link the material existence of the phenomenal world with metaphysical spirituality. Consequently, interpreting body governance from the perspective of qi enables a mode of governance that transcends the divide between the material and the spiritual, achieving the cultivation of body and mind while pointing toward a path for returning to Dao. The political philosophy of the Huainanzi begins with the ruler’s governance of their own body. This self-cultivation extends to the governance of the bodies of others, and further expands to the governance of the collective body, forming a consistent progression from health cultivation to statecraft. Accordingly, a ruler who has attained self-cultivation adopts governance strategies tailored to different levels of the "body" in response to shifting political realities. On the level of the body, the movement from the material toward the spiritual—allowing one's innate nature and vital essence to return to a state of repose—mirrors the shift on the level of political governance from active intervention (youwei) toward a "non-active" (wuwei) order where "all things follow their own nature." In conclusion, from the perspective of body governance and the continuity between self-cultivation and statecraft, the "eclecticism" of the Huainanzi is revealed as a multi-layered response to the requirements of body governance, centered on the mastery of the Dao. It employs diverse methodologies in statecraft to realize the ideal of a return to wuwei.