孟子在中国思想史上的地位大抵相当于柏拉图在西方思想史上的地位,二者的著作不约而同地采用了对话体方式,研究二者对话体的不同,可以从中窥见中西方思想起源的差异,寻找中西文化发展脉络的源头,揭示中西文化的互补性。一、对话双方地位不同《孟子》一书中对话双方地位是不平等的。其一,在社会地位上,孟子属于“无恒产而有恒心”的士阶层,以为诸侯大夫出谋划策为生。而他的对话对象则是掌握着国家权力的诸侯大夫。如果士说话不符合诸侯的心意,则会 The position of Mencius in the history of Chinese thought is roughly equivalent to that of Plato in the history of western thought. The two books invariably adopt the mode of dialogues and study the differences of the dialogues between the two, from which they can glimpse the differences in the origins of the thoughts between China and the West, The origin of cultural development context, reveals the complementarity of Chinese and Western cultures. I. The Two Parties Have Different Roles The two parties in the book Mencius have unequal status. First, in terms of social status, Mencius belongs to the taxonomist class of “no-yield and perseverance”, thinking that the princely and hospice workers should give advice and suggestions for their livelihood. His dialogue object is the princes who hold the power of the state. If the priests do not speak the minds of the princes will be