Page 9 - 《社会》2021年第4期
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社会·2021·4
depth in tackling issues of social relations and social structure of contemporary Chinese
society. The fundamental reason of this problem lies in the lack of theoretical
understanding of Chinese social structure, the same bottleneck difficulty for
constructing sociology with Chinese characteristics. This article starts with the
traditional Chinese family theory and uses the “feedback mode” proposed by Fei
Xiaotong as an entry point to discuss in depth the nature of the father鄄son relationship
to reach a basic understanding of the differential order pattern(chaxu geju)and Chinese
social relations. The paper suggests that the basis of Chinese traditional social structure
is an “integration standard ”(yiti) rather than an“individual standard”. The idea of
oneness(yiti) stems from the social consciousness of“one foundation”(yiben), that
is, regarding parents, rathan Heaven or God, as one’s foundation, a belief that is
explicitly reflected in traditional Chinese sacrificial rituals.“Oneness”(yiti) refers to
“father and son as one ” and “mother and child as one ”. This deep social consciousness
is prominently expressed in Chinese classic texts. The paper offers a detailed analysis
and interpretation of relevant Confucian classics. The Chinese social consciousness of
oneness (yiti) and one foundation(yiben) constitutes a system of social ethics based
on “filial piety”(xiao), upon which lies the whole social structure of family and
country. Under such a social structure, “filial piety” is not just personal virtue, but
“public morality” with a basic social function. Filial piety is the foundation of all
virtues, and a true filial son is also a loyal vassal. All this constitutes the theoretical
basis for us to understand many social phenomena today. The transformation of Chinese
society depends on the transformation of the deep social consciousness and social
structure.
Keywords:differential mode of association,feedback mode in Chinese family,yiben,
yiti
当前中国的社会学研究面对艰巨的理论建设任务,表现为各种关
于社会学本土化、中国化和中国话语等主题的讨论。 这些讨论并非完全
出于意识形态的需要,而是更多来自于经验研究的压力。 经验研究发现
的许多具有中国特色的社会现象和社会机制难以用西方的社会学理论
进行深入、贴切的理解和解释,其根本原因在于理论产生的“水土”有
异。 西方的社会学理论产生于资本主义兴起的时代,其问题意识、立言
宗旨来自于工业革命引发的社会变革,带有较为强烈的个体化、理性化
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