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1、the spheres of living 阅读理解 This article is selected from Feng Yu-Lans A Short History of Chinese Philosophy, aiming to discuss the function of traditional Chinese philosophy from the perspective of living spheres. The Spheres of Living 人生的境界 What is the function of philosophy? In chapter one I sugge
2、sted that, according to Chinese philosophical tradition, its function is not the increase of positive knowledge of matters of fact, but the elevation of the mind. Here it would seem well to explain more clearly what I mean by this statement. 哲学的任务是什么？在第一章里我说，按照中国哲学的传统，哲学的任务不是为了人对客观实际增加正面的知识，而是为了提高人的
3、心智。这里正是对这句话加以说明的一个好机会。 In my book, The New Treatise on the Nature of Man, I have observed that man differs from other animals in that when he does something, he understands what he is doing, and is conscious that he is doing it. It is this understanding and self-consciousness that give significance
4、for him to what he is doing. The various significance that thus attaches to his various acts, in their totality, constitute what I call his sphere of living. Different men may do the same things, but according to their different degrees of understanding and self-consciousness, these things may have
5、varying significance to them. Every individual has his own sphere of living, which is not quite the same as that of any other individual. Yet in spite of these individual differences, we can classify the various spheres of living into four general grades. Beginning with the lowest, they are: the inn
6、ocent sphere, the utilitarian sphere, the moral sphere, and the transcendent sphere. 在我所著新原人（人性新论）里，我说过自己的看法：人与其他动物不同，在于当他做什么事时，他知道自己在做的是什么事，并且自己意识到，是在做这件事。正是这种理解和自我意识使人感到他正在做的事情的意义。人的各种行动带来了人生的各种意义；这些意义的总体构成了我所称的“人生境界”。不同的人们可能做同样的事情，但是他们对这些事情的认识和自我意识不同，因此，这些事情对他们来说，意义也不同。每个人有他的生命活动的范围，与其他任何人都不完全一样。
7、 尽管人和人之间有种种差别， 我们仍可以把各种生命活动范围归结为四等。由最低的说起，这四等是：一本天然的“自然境界”，讲求实际利害的“功利境界”，“正其义，不谋其利”的“道德境界”，超越世俗、自同于大全的“天地境界”。 A man may simply do what his instinct or the custom of his society leads him to do. Like children and primitive people, he does what he does without being self-conscious or greatly understan
8、ding what he is doing. Thus what he does has little significance, if any, for him. His sphere of living is what I call the innocent sphere. 一个人可以按照他的本能或社会习俗而生活。 这样的人好像儿童或原始社会中的人，他们做各种事情，而对自己所做的事缺乏自觉，或并不真正意识到它的意义。因此，他所做的对自己并没有什么意义，这种人生是“自然境界”的人生。 Or man may be aware of himself, and be doing everythin
9、g for himself. That does not mean that he is necessarily an immoral man. He may do something, the consequences of which are beneficial to others, but his motivation for so doing is self-benefit. Thus everything he does has the significance of utility for himself. His sphere of living is what I call
10、the utilitarian sphere. 还有一种人，他有私，时刻意识到自己，所做的事情都是为了自己。这不一定表明他就是全然不讲道德。他也可以做一些于别人有益的事情，但他这样做的动机是为了自己的好处。因此，他所做的每一件事，对他自己来说，都是“有用”的。他的人生境界可以称作“功利境界”。 Yet again a man may come to understand that a society exists, of which he is a member. This society constitutes a whole and he is a part of that whole.
11、Having this understanding, he does everything for the benefit of the society, or as the Confucianists say, he does everything for the sake of righteousness, and not for the sake of personal profit. He is the truly moral man and what he does is moral action in the strict sense of the word. Everything
12、 he does has a moral significance. Hence his sphere of living is what I call the moral sphere. 还可能有些人，懂得世上并不是只有自己，还存在着一个社会，它是一个整体，自己是社会的一个组成部分。本着这样的理解，他做任何事情，都是为了整个社会的好处；或者用儒家的话来说，他行事为人是为义，而不是为利（“正其义而不谋其利”），他是真正有道德的人，所做的都合乎道德，都具有道德的意义。他的人生境界可以称之为“道德境界”。 And finally, a man may come to understand that
13、 over and above society as a whole, there is the great whole which is the universe. He is not only a member of society, but at the same time a member of the universe. He is a citizen of the social organization, but at the same time a citizen of heaven, as Mencius says. Having this understanding, he
14、does everything for the benefit of the universe. He understands the significance of what he does and is self-conscious of the fact that he is doing what he does. This understanding and self-consciousness constitute for him a higher sphere of living which I call the transcendent sphere. 最后， 人也可以达到一种认
15、识： 知道在社会整体之上， 还有一个大全的整体，就是宇宙。他不仅是社会的一个成员，还是宇宙的一个成员。就社会组织来说，他是一个公民，但他同时还是一个“天民”，或称“宇宙公民”。这是孟子早已指出的。一个人具有这样的意义，在做每一件事时，都意识到，这是为宇宙的好处。他懂得自己所做的事情的意义，并且自觉地这样做。这种理解和自觉使他处于一个更高的人生境界，我称之为在精神上超越人间世的“天地境界”。 Of the four spheres of living, the innocent and the utilitarian are the products of man as he is, while
16、 the moral and the transcendent are those of man as he ought to be. The former two are the gifts of nature, while the latter two are the creations of the spirit. The innocent sphere is the lowest, the utilitarian comes next, then the moral, and finally the transcendent. They are so because the innoc
17、ent sphere requires almost no understanding and self-consciousness, whereas the utilitarian and the moral require more, and the transcendent requires most. The moral sphere is that of moral values, and the transcendent is that of super-moral values. 在这四种人生的境界中，前两种都是人的自然状态，后两种是人应有的生命状态。前两个境界可以说是来自天然，
18、后两种境界则是人自己的心灵所创造的。自然境界是最低级的存在，功利境界比自然境界稍高一点，更高是道德境界，最高是天地境界。 这样排列是因为，自然境界的人生不需要对人生有任何理解和自我意识； 功利境界和道德境界需要有一点对人生的理解和自我意识；天地境界需要的人生理解和自我意识则最高。 道德境界所讲求的是道德价值， 天地境界所讲求的则是超越道德的价值。 According to the tradition of Chinese Philosophy, the function of philosophy is to help man to achieve the two higher spheres
19、 of living, and especially the highest. The transcendent sphere may also be called the sphere of philosophy, because it cannot be achieved unless through philosophy one gains some understanding of the universe. But the moral sphere, too, is a product of philosophy. Moral actions are not simply actio
20、ns that accord with the moral rules, nor is a moral man one who simply cultivates certain moral habits. He must act and live with an understanding of the moral principles involved, and it is the business of philosophy to give him this understanding. 按照中国哲学的传统，哲学的任务是为了帮助人达到后两种人生境界，特别是天地境界。天地境界也可以称之为“
21、哲学境界”，因为唯有经验哲学给人的宇宙情怀，人方始可能达到天地境界。道德境界其实也是一种哲学境界，因为道德行动并不仅仅是符合道德规范的行动，或由于人养成某些符合道德的习惯，它还要求人懂得自己行为中涉及的种种道德问题，而这正是哲学所要给予他的。 To live in the moral sphere of living is to be a hsien or morally perfect man, and to live in the transcendent sphere is to be a sheng or sage. Philosophy teaches the way of how
22、to be a sage. As I pointed out in chapter one, to be a sage is to reach the highest perfection of man as man. This is the noble function of philosophy. 人在道德境界中生活的衡量标准是“贤”，它的含义是“道德完美”。人在天地境界里生活，则是追求“成圣”。哲学就是启发人追求“成圣”。在本书第一章里我曾说，成圣是人所能达到的生命最高点。这便是哲学的崇高任务。 In the Republic, Plato said that the philosoph
23、er must be elevated from the cave of the sensory world to the world of intellect. If the philosopher is in the world of intellect, he is also in the transcendent sphere of living. Yet the highest achievement of the man living in this sphere is the identification of himself with the universe, and in
24、this identification, he also transcends the intellect. 柏拉图在理想国一书中曾说，哲学家必须从感觉世界的“洞穴”里上升到“智性的世界”。哲学家如果是在智性世界中生活，他也就是超越于人间世。在这样的境界里，最高的成就是和宇宙合一。在这种和宇宙的融合中，他也超越了智性。 Previous chapters have already shown us that Chinese philosophy has always tended to stress that the sage need do nothing extraordinary in
25、order to be a sage. He cannot perform miracles, nor need he try to do so. He does nothing more than most people do, but, having high understanding, what he does has a different significance to him. In other words, he does what he does in a state of enlightenment, while other people do what they do i
26、n a state of ignorance. As the Chan monks say: Understanding this one word is the source of all mysteries. It is the significance which results from this understanding that constitutes his highest sphere of living. 在前面我们已经看到，中国哲学强调一点：圣人并不需要为当圣人而做什么特别的事情。他不可能施行神迹，也不需要去那样做。圣人所做的事无非就是寻常人所做的事， 但是他对所做的事有
27、高度的理解， 这些事对他有一种不同的意义。换句话说，寻常人在蒙昧状态（佛家称之为“无明”）中做事，圣人则是在完全自觉（觉而又悟）的状态中做事。禅僧常说：“觉字乃万妙之源。”由厕身宇宙之中的“觉”而直觉地“悟”到和宇宙融为一体，这便是天地境界。 Thus, the Chinese sage is both of this world and the other world, and Chinese philosophy is both this-worldly and other-worldly. With the scientific advancement of the future, I
28、believe that religion with its dogmas and superstitions will give way to science; mans craving for the world beyond, however, will be met by the philosophy of the future a philosophy which is therefore likely to be both this-worldly and other-worldly. In this respect, Chinese philosophy may have something to contribute. 因此，中国人所说的圣人，既在世界里生活，又不属于世界；中国哲学既是现世的，又是彼岸世界的。随着未来的科学进步，我相信宗教的教条和迷信将让位给科学，人对于彼岸世界的追求将在未来的哲学中得到满足。这个未来哲学既是现世的，又是彼岸的。在这方面，中国哲学可能有所贡献。
