论老子无为而治的政治思想

老子基于其对人欲及掌权者之有为(妄作)偏好的认识,发现治国平天下不应“上仁”、“上义”、“上礼”,而应“惟道是从”。道的运行是无为的。道无为地作用于物时,道具有非自私性、非压迫性和非全能性,物则具有自足性、自由性和自主性。人类社会秩序的生机由道决定着,因而“复守其母”是必要的。所以,掌权者要坚持反思权力介入社会的恰当性,不断减损那些妨碍社会成员之“自由”、“自足”、“自主”的权力行为,如此才能达到无为而治的境界。

On laozi's political thought of governance avoiding active interventions

Based on his understanding of human desire and the ruler's preference for active interventions,Laozi recognized that the governance of a nation should follow the law of nature rather than abide by the principle of "grace","righteousness",or "norms".The move of the law of nature means without active intervention.When the law of nature relates to things,it presents non-selfish,non-depressive,and non-almighty characters while the things have characters of selfsufficiency,freedom and self-determination.Since the vigor of social order of the human beings are determined by its mother law of nature,it is then necessary for the social order to be built upon the law.On the basis of these reasons, the ruler has to keep in mind the relevancy of active interventions into the society and the restraint of the behaviors of social members from misusing political powers with freedom,self-sufficient,and self-determination characters.If so,then there comes what we call the governance without active interventions.