孝与慈:儒家美德的再诠释

Abstract

<p>面对当今社会中的代际矛盾,儒家的孝观念需要新的诠释来焕发传统美德的生命力。一般而言,儒家认为父母之爱是与生俱来的,而孝则需要后天教育来获得。在古代,因为年迈的父母往往丧失了劳动能力甚至不能自理,孝的观念尤其强调成年子女对于年迈父母的奉养。孝作为成年子女的美德,与年迈父母的生存息息相关。而如今子女与父母之间的冲突经常发生得更早,例如未成年子女和父母之间。无论是孝还是慈,都要从天然的爱与习得的美德这两个层面来展开论述,使得孝与慈能够对于当今中国的亲子关系有更多的现实解释力,并且提供更多伦理实践层面的规范性引导。<br></p>

Confronted with intergenerational conflicts, the Confucian idea of filial piety requires a new interpretation to be defensible in modern China. In the past, Confucian thinkers stated that parental love is innate, whereas filial piety is acquired through ethical cultivation. Such views were developed in a historical context that required adult children to take care of elderly parents when the latter were often incapacitated. In today’s China, however, there are frequent conflicts between children and parents at a younger age. In this context, it is more appropriate to argue that filial piety and parental love should both be based on innate love and require ethical cultivation.