摘要
從孔子到孟子，界定君民關係的民之父母觀念從對君王道德責任的期許，進入了君王善盡道德義務的要求。告誡始作俑者身為民之父母，不可率獸食人，寓藏著民之父母舉行祭祀不得牲人的禮法思想；民之父母思想也漸從接駁血緣政治的正當性轉向以民意接駁天命正當性的可能；內在於民之父母觀念的民本思想並將民權推向神權之先的位置；民之父母所蘊含的人道觀念，也不可避免地撞擊並動搖牢不可破的禮教階級堅持；種種約束君王濫用武力戕害人民、善用資源為民興利的較高法意識，也在先秦踱向漢代的歷史經驗中出現，無體的人國之禮於是乎在。 以其探及憲政思想的進度言之，從孔子到孟子的民之父母說，漸漸彰顯了人牲非禮的祭祀政治秩序規範；用合乎天命的仁義道德而非血緣關係來證成統治正當性；據於民本思想提昇人民的位置並淡化了神權的政治作用；人牲非禮思想背後隱然連結平等的人道觀埋下挑戰禮教階級不平等的種籽……。
From Confucius to Mencius, the concept of a parent king evolved from emperors fulfilling moral duties into ones who owed an obligation to their subjects. Mencius' admonishment that a parent king cannot be a commander of man-eating beasts is rooted in a li taboo against human sacrifice as a ceremonial exercise conducted by the parent king. The institution of parent king gradually shifted from emphasizing the legitimacy of the ruler under a patriarchal clan system to tracing the source of the ruler's legitimacy to a proven mandate from heaven. But the humanism inherent in the benign parent king inevitably shook the hierarchical foundation of the li institutions of Confucianism.
關鍵詞
民之父母、天命、民本、人殉、人國之禮
the parent king、 mandate from heaven、 humanism、 human sacrifice、 li between the state and its individual subjects
