儒家内在超越的终极关怀在心性—道德—理想人格这一方向上的成就已经受到广泛的注意, 其另一走向, 即礼—政治—理想社会这一方向的源流却很少被注意。从先秦儒家开始, 孔子对天的信仰向人文化发展的过程具体展现在“仁”与“礼”的双重关怀中; 孟子和荀子则分别发展了这两个方面的理论。考察从秦汉以来直到近代康有为等人以及现代新儒家在终极关怀理论上的历史变化, 将有利于我们全面认识儒家高度入世的终极关怀的丰富内容。

The achievement of the Confucian ultimate concern with immanent transcendency has received wide attention in its dimension of mind and human nature - morality - ideal personality; however, the source and development of its other dimension, that is, propriety - politics - ideal society, gains little attention. From pre-Qin Confucians forward, Confucius' belief in Heaven was particularized into his dual concern of "humanity" and "propriety" in its humanist development. And Mencius and Xun Zi, respectively, developed their theories in such two areas. It is helpful for our comprehensive recognition of the Confucian highly worldly thought of ultimate concern to examine those historical theoretical changes of ultimate concern.