著者

小林 等

出版者

三田哲學會

雑誌

哲学 (ISSN:05632099)

巻号頁・発行日

no.85, pp.p27-48, 1987-12

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Studying the Japanese view of nature, we must take attention to the fact that the Japanese didn't distinguish nature from human being. "Shizen" (自然, that is to say, nature) meant all things and facts that seemed to be natural, so that history was also regarded as "Shizen". In the Edo era, the school of the teachings of Chu-tzu insisted that the order of universe pierced through both nature and society. It functioned as legitimation of the Tokugawa Government, especially of its hierarchy. Ninomiya Sontoku emphasised that "Jin-do" (人道), human ways of actions, was different from "Ten-do" (天道), "Shizen", and we had to try hard to accomplish our own purposes. Yet "Jin-do" isn't totally but partly opposed to "Ten-do", because "Ten-do" is the very base of "Jin-do". The public order as "Jin-do" had its natural foundation, the affection between parents and children. It based the feudal morals, consequently Sontoku never had a will to break up the hierarchy. But within the limit of feudalism, he tried to change the situation, that is, the desoration of farm villages and financial difficulties, and criticized severely feudal lords and samurais, higher in social standing than he, requiring them to deliver farmers from poverty. One of the faults of Sontoku was that he legitimated the public order by unchangeable nature. In this point of view, he resembled Ogyu sorai who is famous as a turning point of the view of order. Sorai reproached the school of the teachings of Chu-tzu for regarding the public order as "Shizen" and insisted it was made by "Sei-jin" (聖人), the Emperors of ancient China. But he legitimated it by "Ten" (天), supernatural beings and considered it universal. We should rate high their merits that they distinguished the public order from "Shizen" and attached much importance to human activities. But, at the same time, we have to learn from their faults as above and to be always critical about the existing systems and our own views on it.一. 序ニ. 尊徳の秩序観三. 改革としての仕法四. 徂徠と尊徳五. 結