《莊子》與《繫辭傳》思想中?常?與?變?研究

Abstract

提要 本文討論《繫辭傳》與《莊子》兩者對「變化」的認定、態度，以及「常」在變化中出現的可能性與方式，並從這個角度比較《繫辭傳》與《莊子》以確定兩者之間的異同。除此之外，本文的還處理了在《繫辭傳》與《莊子》中人對「常」與「變」認定下的實踐、人於變化中守「常」的具體作為等。《繫辭傳》與《莊子》討論變化有一個共同的出發點，兩者都試圖透過對變化的理解以解決變化對人造成的問題。但兩者對此問題的答案完全不同：《繫辭傳》由「乾」、「坤」所主導的變化展現一種秩序，這秩序還展現道德涵義。《繫辭傳》認為，外界變化中原本就蘊涵著「常」的規律，人依循著外界之「常」可在社會與自己內心中呈顯貫串外界、人文與內心三者之「常」。《繫辭傳》的作者基於積極樂觀的態度陳述《易經》的符號系統、外界與人文三者之間的變化規律，因此較重視社會組織、人文建設等群體活動。《莊子》在各方面所敘述變化的最大特質是它的不確定性。因此在《莊子》書中，人無法從於他們面前發生的變化推出一個具有合理性的、善意的變化規律。對《莊子》而言，外界變化本身不展現可以依循的「常」。人唯一能改善自己處境的方式就是自我轉換，《莊子》的作者對人修養的論述甚多的原因就在於此。因此，守「常」的場所就是人之「心」。《莊子》修養論的主要意義也就在人「心」中呈顯外界或人文活動無法實現的「常」。 基於如是探討，本文認為，在學術上《繫辭傳》與《莊子》對「常」與「變」的哲學反省提供於其他文明在這個永恆的哲學問題上之對照與討論平台。從一般意義來說，《繫辭傳》與《莊子》對變化的反省值得活在快速變化的當代人作為參考。

Abstract

The question how to attain continuity in change goes beyond specific disciplines or individual cultures. This thesis discusses the relationship between continuity and change in two philosophical works in ancient China, the Zhuangzi 莊子and the Xici 繫辭commentary of the Yijing易經 in a comparative manner. The thesis treats the subject from different angles. First continuity in change in the outside world is discussed, then the implications of this concept of change in the outside world for the human practice in such a world are examined. The organisation of the individual life and the community in line with the underlying concept of change are the focus of this part of the discussion. Finally, the concrete action in world defined by change is discussed. The Zhuangzi and the Xici commentary offer radically different approaches to the question of continuity and change. For the Zhuangzi the world is by random change controlled by a “maker” (zao wuzhe造物者) whose motives are not accessible to humans. This precludes any sort of constructive human effort and leaves the individual focusing on attaining stability in his own mind. In the Xici commentary change in the world is determined by the interplay between the two begnign and constructive forces qian and kun. The human world is part of this greater process, thus the society is to be organized along the lines of this interplay. The hexagrams of the Yijing mirror this change and are thus be consulted to underrstand the underlying continuity of the world process on the one hand, and to guide human action in concrete situations. The two counterpointing positions in the two texts can be characterized as follows: The ways of Heaven and man fall apart in the Zhuangzi and a crisis of meaning sets in, in the Xici commentary the relate to each other in a meaningful whole.