本文從比較莊子和苟子關於「通明意識」的認知差異，探討兩人的意識哲學。首先，莊子以「聞和」「見曉」 ──一種深沉大通、超越主客、明暗相對性的意識界定「聰明」；荀子則以「兼聽齊明」──一種廣延整合、展現主體的感性與智性、絕對光明的意識界定「聰明」。其次，莊子的通明意識指向「氣化」向度──透過「聽之以氣」的意識運作，意識超越感性、智性而「知通於神」；荀子則觸及意識的「類化」向度──意識由於深入禮義精神而能「聽斷以類」。再者，莊子將通明意識與回歸「混芒」之道──政教文明未興的「原始樂園」相聯繫；荀子則將通明意識與再現「禮義」之道──將「過去」的政教文明不斷新生的「現在」相聯繫。總之，莊子傾向將人的意識活動融於自然氣化的宇宙之中，這是自然化、宇宙化的意識觀；荀子則傾向將自然氣化的世界收攝於展現人文精神的意識之中，這是人文化、社會化的意識觀。因此，兩人對於自我、世界、知識、語言和歷史的理解都呈現對立的情形。

This article probes the philosophy of consciousness of Chuang-tzu 莊子 and Hsun-tzu 苟子 by comparing their understanding of “sage consciousness” 通明意識. To begin with, Chuang-tzu links the sage with the qualities of wen­ho 聞和 and chien-hsiao 見曉- a state of holistic consciousness that surpasses the duality of subjective/objective and light/dark; Hsun-tzu identifies the sage with chie-t’ing-ch’i-ming 兼聽齊明- a state of purely bright consciousness which reveals the absoluteness of the subject both sensibly and intellectually. In terms of the achievement of sagehood, Chuang-tzu proposes using the method of t’ing-chih-yi-ch’I 聽之以氣 to let one’s consciousness surpass the sensual and the intellectual and achieve an awareness on the plane of the “supernatural” 神, while Hsun-tzu suggests t’ing-tuan-yi-lei 聽斷以類, or refining one’s consciousness in the subtleties of categories 類 through immersion in rites and right conduct 禮義. Chuang-tzu goes on to make a connection between the sage and a return to hun-mang 混芒, the natural utopia supposed to have existed before the advent of culture and civilization, while Hsun-tzu makes the connection between the sage and a re-emergence of rites and right conduct, the proposed essence of the civilization of “the past”. Overall, Chuang-tzu tends to merge consciousness with nature to develop a naturalistic, universal philosophy of consciousness; Hsun-tzu, on the other hand, tends to subsume nature to a civilized consciousness to develop a civilized philosophy of consciousness. As a result, they have conflicting viewpoints on topics such as the ego, the world, knowledge, language, and history.