本文以《論語》為分析文本，探究孔子及其門人弟子對「政治」 的瞭解。第一節先討論英文的“politics”與中文的「政治」有何異同。 第二節至第四節分別以「理想政治秩序」、「統治正當性」、「從政者 德行」等三個項目為分析對象，逐一說明《論語》對這些問題的看 法。本文認為：儒家的「德治」思想與西方的「法治」原則存在根本 差異，固然有彌補現存民主政治缺憾的價值，卻面臨無法制度化以及 無法對付失德君主的困難。其次，孝悌與治國平天下連成一氣，雖然 是儒家思想的一大特色，但也有混淆公共領域與私人領域運作原則的 問題。最後，《論語》關於從政者德行的討論，確實是極為珍貴的思 想遺產，這使得儒家在欠缺「民主」論述的情況下，依然可以對現代 政治思想有所貢獻。

The article explores what “politics” means for Confucius and his disciples by examining the text of The Analects. First, I make a comparison between the English word “politics” and its Chinese translation. Then I discuss the ideal political order of Confucianism, the problem of political legitimacy, and the virtue of a Confucian statesman. I argue that the rule of virtue is fundamentally different from the western tradition of the rule of law, and deficient in that it cannot be institutionalized though it helps supplement the latter. The emphasis on filial and fraternal virtue in politics, moreover, messes up the principles of the public and the private. However, the comprehensive account of political virtues in the Analects provides us with an invaluable treasure for political theorization, not being affected by the fact that it is not a democratic theory.