中西方對自然的詮釋相當不同，本文以陽明文本為素材，首先區分了自然與良知概念的不同層次的意義；再以人與自然、人與社會為分析主軸，使各層次的分析能兼顧本體基礎與其實踐動機。本文的問題意識主要有二：其一，在探討儒家自然觀的要求下，反思其如何處理形上自然宇宙與道德主體的倫理實踐，使文本的分析既能保有傳統道德主體的表述語言，又能以一較具知性的方式視良知學為一方法論，以較為系統的方式對自然的內涵加以分類，指出論述自然的第一項的屬性為一種「隱含的自然項」，並說明其意義。其二，在保有自然與良知主體的存在前提下，說明此種以致良知框架詮釋自然觀的方式，在理論上較能減少自然與人性間的張力。此問題意識實延續思孟子所言的勿忘與勿助、魏晉自然與名教的衝突、宋明天理與人欲的張力與其解消的探討；希望能取得一較佳的自然背景減緩人與社會的對立性，此既屬傳統上禮之本問題，亦屬儒家天人關係議題新型態表述方法的嘗試。

Chinese and western philosophies interpret nature in very different ways. Based on Wang Yang-ming’s texts, this article will first differentiate between the Chinese and western concepts about nature and mind at different levels; revolving around “man vs. nature” and “man vs. society,” our analyses would take into account both the ontological foundation and the motivation for practice. There are two parts of question consciousness in this article. First, demanded by our exploration of the Confucian view of nature, we would reflect on how to deal with the metaphysical cosmos of nature and the ethic practice of the moral subject, whereby the textual analyses will not only maintain the formulation language of the traditional moral subject but also consider more intellectually the doctrine of the innate knowledge as a methodology, categorize the content of nature more systematically, point out that the first attribute of nature is the implicit item of nature and then explain what it means. Second, on the premise of maintaining nature and the subject of innate knowledge, we explain how framing and interpreting the view of nature in this way would theoretically reduce the tension between nature and human nature. This part of question consciousness actually continues the explorations on Mengzi’s “letting not the mind forget its work, but letting there be no assisting the growth of that nature,” the conflicts between nature and Confucian ethical codes during the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the tension between heavenly principles and human desires during the Song and Ming Dynasties along with its resolution. Hopefully, we would find a natural background better in alleviate the opposition between man and society; this is traditionally an issue of the foundation of rites and also an attempt at formulating the Confucian relationship between heaven and man in a new manner.