儒家德治思想及其价值的现代阐释

德治理念确立于西周时期 ,在《尚书》中已有明确表述 ,以孔子为代表的儒家学派则在某种程度上对其进行了理论上的系统化。“德治”的观念依据是天命君权的神圣性与绝对性 ,其现实基础则是以血缘家族为基本结构的宗法社会 ,而其贯彻的制度保证则是“礼乐刑政”相互辅成的互动机制。在“德治”理念的背后隐藏着王权的绝对性以及“治者”与“被治者”之间在政治地位以及价值理念上的根本不平等。但作为一种政治模式 ,“德治”充分强调了对于统治者本身之道德素质的本质要求 ,因此它仍蕴含着现代政治在现实性上趋于合理化的基本前提

A Modern Elucidation of the Thoughts of Confucian Moral Politics and Their Values

The basic orientation of "moral politics" in ancient China is to bring about a reasonable politics in reality through moral implementation. Morality and its application are considered the preliminary basis of politics, while politics is a universal realization of the ruler's morality. We can trace back the idea of moral politics to the period of Western Zhou Dynasty. It was elucidated in the Book of Ancient History, and was systematized by the School of Confucianism to a certain extent. Conceptually, moral politics is based upon the idea of divinity and absoluteness of regality; practically, it is based on the society of patriarchal clan system that is organized by families of blood-kinships. As a political scheme, its implementation in practice is guaranteed by the multi-reacted and complemented system of Rite, Music, Penalty and Political Order. Since the existence of the absoluteness of regality, the idea of moral politics implicates a primary inequality between the ruler and the ruled in political status and even in the idea of value. Nevertheless, owing to its emphasis of essentialmoral diathesis of the ruler, it contains some elements to turn modern politics to and ideal rationalization.