作為體現道家傳統核心價值的觀念,"自然"經老子提出之后,一直受到后來解釋者和研究者的關注。本文從"然"字所包含的存在和價值兩方面的意義出發,認為"自然"應該從存在和價值兩個方面進行理解。在存在的意義上,"自然"肯定事物自己如此的狀態,并要求從事物內部尋找事物如此存在的根據,由此發展出以無為中心的本原理論,并導致對造物者的否定。在價值的意義上,"自然"傾向于肯定每一個事物的意義,要求從事物自身出發來肯定其如此存在的合理性,由此發展出以無名為中心的政治哲學,主張事物的自我命名。本文引入了然、所以然、同然、然不然等,以更好地展開"自然"觀念的內涵。

As a concept that exhibits a core value in the Daoist tradition,"ziran"has,since its appearance in the Laozi,received extensive attention from commentators and scholars. The starting point of this paper is taking both the aspects of existence and of values as being incorporated into the character ran,and claiming that"ziran"should be understood through both of these aspects. While it has the meaning of existence,"ziran"affirms the situation of things as they are,and moreover demands an introspective search for the confirmation of their existence. Thus comes about a theory of origins which focuses on"nothingness"( wu) and leads to the denial of a creator. Viewed from the aspect of values,"ziran"tends to affirm the significance of each existence,demanding an internal affirmation of the legitimacy of their existence. Thus a political philosophy that emphasizes "namelessness "( wuming) and advocates for the self-naming of things emerged. This paper also uses the words ran,suoyiran,tongran,and ran-buran to expand upon the connotations of the concept of "ziran. "