走向实践的共同体——论现代性的反思性重建

现代性的基本矛盾是由其运作机制反思性唯我主义所导致的人类生存的具体性与抽象的客观体系的矛盾。重建现代性就需要克服反思性唯我主义。黑格尔的承认的辩证法、哈贝马斯的交往行动理论和马克思的实践的共同体,是现代性重建的三种不同路径。实践共同体就是马克思为之奋斗终生的人类理想社会自由人联合体的哲学表达。     

反思性现代性语境中的中国法制现代化

法制现代化论题始终需要置于现代性语境中予以阐释。后现代社会的形成,现代性的反思性日益凸显,构架现代性制度之维的现代法律和司法,需要因应现代性的反思性要求。反思现代性既是对理性前提预设的追问和重释,又在向世界蔓延过程中遵循实践逻辑表现为多元现代性状态。中国的法治道路既是对西方法治理念的反思,也是对自身传统的重释。在司法层面,中国法制现代化的反思性要求从方法论上入手,从具体的案件审理切入,将案件审理作为渐进式推进中国法制现代化的重要方案。     

马克斯·韦伯研究道教的目的及其启示

在《儒教与道教》一书中,马克斯·韦伯将道教与儒教置于同等地位,并对道教伦理思想与社会现代性之间的关系问题进行了梳理。韦伯认为,道教某些特征与现代性、西方理性主义之间具有亲和力,但其巫术严重阻碍了道教自身蕴含的理性化倾向,因而与现代性社会之间具有反向关系;韦伯研究世界诸多宗教的目的,并非在于论证西方文明优越论和西方中心论,而是通过探究西方现代性的起因,从而找到一种克服现代性危机的路径;为此,韦伯提出,应该在一个开放的、而非单一封闭的范围内寻找或建构克服危机的价值体系。韦伯对世界诸多宗教独特性的强调,恰恰可以视为韦伯力图解决现代性危机的一种思路和努力;在众多思想体系中,道教的价值观念和行为准则不失为一种推动社会制度合理化进程的思想观照。     

基于吉登斯现代性理论的校园空间设计研究

社会学是研究人的行为与社会群体的社会科学,大学生也属于社会群体,因此在研究大学校园的人与空间关系时,引入社会学概念是很有必要的,这也是一种创新。英国社会学家安东尼·吉登斯认为时空分离、脱域、反思性和全球化是现代性的重要特征,在大学校园户外空间设计研究中,对这些概念进行研究,可以应对现代性,提出更好的空间设计方法。     

论黑格尔的现代性时间意识

黑格尔的现代性、时间意识与精神辩证法是密切相连的。具体包含以下几点(1)现代性只有在线性的、不可逆的历史性时间意识中,才是可能的;(2)人的精神具有历史性,是在历史中自我中介、自我扬弃、自我提升的过程;(3)现代性属于精神的“自知”或“反思”阶段,表现出过渡、危机和意识分裂的特征。它具有三个原则,即理性主义、内在的主体性和自我意识的反思性。自由精神的实现是现代性的终极目的,在这个意义上,精神与现实的“和解”是精神辩证法的必然。在后黑格尔时代,黑格尔思想是否定和批判的源泉。     

文化危机与双重救赎——齐美尔视域中的现代性危机理论研究

齐美尔认为现代社会危机的实质是文化危机,这种危机源于核心文化观念的丧失和主观文化与客观文化之间的激烈冲突与对抗.齐美尔通过对都市生活景观中日常生活与微观视域的描写、分析,指出在现代社会中这种危机已全面渗透与深层爆破.面对着现代社会所生成的现代性危机与全面异化,齐美尔力图通过宗教信仰的回归与审美生活化的双重救赎和双重变奏予以克服.如果说宗教回归更多的是从信仰的神圣之维,那么审美则更多的是从感官的现实之维来克服现代性危机.虽就总体而言,齐美尔对现代性危机的克服与救赎充满着虚假性,并笼罩着浓重的虚幻乌托邦色彩.但与此同时,我们也应看到其在对现代性危机出路的探索过程中提供了某种典型范式,这种典型范式构成了20世纪以来众多思想家回应与克服现代性危机的重要维度.     

在崇高与虚无之间的自由意志——兼论现代自由原则及其可能出路

自由原则是现代社会的基本原则。如何面对自由、面对怎样的自由决定了我们对待现代性的基本态度。本文从目前学界热议的意志之缺席与出场现象出发,分析了现代自由意志的崇高性和给人带来的生存困境——面对虚无。前者是现代性由以论证自身的前提;后者则揭示了现代性自身的局限。为了克服自由意志的虚无性,现代哲学或者以自由为根据建构一套困难重重的"自由体系",或者从人实际的生存处境出发经受其存在身位的深度复杂性,并希冀对其自由身位作出另一种理解。这些分析显示,无论采用何种意义上的"解决"或"克服"方案,自由总是让人处于一种多少有些"尴尬"的境地,这种尴尬刻画了现代个体和现代社会的"准-无限"深度,以及其深度的悖论性。     

主体理性与理性批判——论现代性图景下的哲学话语

现代性本身是一个二律背反的矛盾体,它从产生起便预示着自身的两难结局。面对现代性的两难困境,以黑格尔为代表的理性主义者从包容理性的角度重构理性,反思现代性的困境;以尼采为代表的后现代主义者从非理性的角度进行激进的理性批判,并借助"理性的他者"解构现代性,克服现代性困境。但他们始终都是在意识哲学范式内兜圈子,不可能为从根本上走出现代性的困境提供路径。意识哲学范式是现代性难题的症候。转换思维范式,重构理性是解决现代性难题的根本和基础。     

意义的空虚感——查尔斯·泰勒论“现代性隐忧”及其效应

在现代性的形成过程中,自我认同的转型是其中的关键性因素。在查尔斯·泰勒的语境中,自我认同的转型指的是从"可渗透的自我"到"缓冲自我"的转型。但是,伴随着缓冲自我的逐渐确立,自我不可避免地遇到了现代性的隐忧。现代性的隐忧包括三种形式:意义的脆弱感、庄严感的消退、日常生活的空虚与平淡,这三种形式所共同指向的是意义的空虚。随着现代性的确立,超越性逐渐式微,人们无法像以前那样从超越性那里汲取意义。于是,现代性隐忧逐渐显现,并引发了诸多的效应,激进的人文主义、浪漫主义和尼采主义是其中的代表。它们都沿着内在性的路线试图克服现代性所带来的虚无主义危机。但是,在当下社会中,意义的空虚感似乎仍旧广泛存在。现代性的隐忧真的可以被克服吗?这是我们亟需反思的问题。     

交往行为理论视域中的康德审美理论

康德被公认为现代社会基本理念和现代性的主要缔造者。正是如此,康德受到自黑格尔至当代后现代思想家德里达、福柯等人的反思性批判。在当前现代性与后现代性对抗的场景中,对康德的理解如何才能够更具时代的合理性,本文运用哈贝马斯的交往行为理论视域来解读康德审美理论,就重建康德审美理论的当代理解做一探讨。一生活世界视域中的审美判断审美判断是康德审美理论的基本概念。在康德理论体系中,第一批判讨论的是人类认识能力,第二批判讨论的是人类实践能力,而第三批判即《判断力批判》则不仅要协调人类诸认识能力的关系,更重要的是考察认识…     

Feminism and Phenomenology: A Reply to Silvia Stoller

Responding to Silvia Stoller's comments on “Domination and Dialogue in Merleau‐Ponty's Phenomenology of Perception” ( Sullivan 1997 ), I argue that while phenomenology has much to offer feminism, feminists should be wary of Merleau‐Ponty's notion of projective intentionality because of the ethical solipsism that it tends to involve. I also take the opportunity to clarify the concept of hypothetical construction introduced in the earlier paper, in particular the transformative relationship that it has to pre‐reflective experience.     

Kant and German idealisms

This paper considers whether Hegel's master/slave dialectic in the Phenomenology of Spirit should be considered as a refutation of solipsism. It focuses on a recent and detailed attempt to argue for this sort of reading that has been proposed by Frederick Beiser – but it argues that this reading is unconvincing, both in the historical motivations given for it in the work of Jacobi and Fichte, and as an interpretation of the text itself. An alternative reading of the dialectic is proposed, where it is argued that the central problem Hegel is concerned with is not solipsism, but the sociality of freedom.     

Descartes' Error,with Reference to the Third and Fourth Meditations

Philosophers of mind often assume that methodological solipsism, as outlined in the Second Meditation, is Descartes' last bid on the nature of mental life. This paper argues, instead, that it is a transitional position he overcomes in the dynamic progression of his philosophical therapy. The Third Meditation questions the methodological solipsism that in fact owes much to (received) Cartesian dualism for its dissemination. Descartes' treatment of error has important analogies with Wittgenstein's private language argument. As Lévinas emphasises in his dialogical philosophy, Descartes' proof of God via the concept of error involves recognition of the irreducibility of the Other.     

Theological Education at the Crossroads

Theological education and ministerial training must prepare people for a post‐Christendom context. Moving on from the subject‐object dualism of modernity, where ministry is seen as a professional task done to and for others, this article proposes that attending to the subjectivity of others is necessary for the formation of mature community, and for genuine missional engagement. It proposes a contextualised training in which students learn theologically reflective practice from the heart of Christian community.     

A Critical Appraisal of Amish Studies’ De Facto Paradigm, “Negotiating with Modernity”

The predominant paradigm for Amish research over the past three decades has been “negotiating with modernity” (NWM). NWM explains how the Amish as a distinctive American culture and religion have overcome the threats modernity poses to their existence. This article argues that NWM has been accepted and replicated uncritically and without empirical testing due to properties making it inherently untestable. We first synthesize the central NWM literature, as the paradigm has never been fully constructed in one place. We then call attention to two sets of impairments that prevent empirical tests. First, the perspective contains several logical fallacies and terminology problems. NWM reifies “the Amish” as its unit of analysis; creates circular variable relationships (the Amish are Amish because they are not something else); employs terms problematically, notably “modernity” and “modernization”; dichotomizes phenomena; and is grounded in no particular theoretical tradition. Second, we argue that the production of knowledge within core NWM literature has not been sufficiently substantiated. Data collection procedures and methodological strategies are unclear or undefined and scientific peer review is relatively low. We conclude by suggesting more promising theoretical directions for Amish studies.     

Between Internalism and Externalism: Husserl’s Account of Intentionality1

There is a strong consensus among analytic philosophers that Husserl is an internalist and that his internalism must be understood in conjunction with his methodological solipsism. This paper focuses on Husserl’s early work the, Logical Investigations, and explores whether such a reading is justified. It shows that Husserl is not a methodological solipsist: He neither believes that meaning can be reduced to the individual, nor does he assign an explanatory role for meaning to the subject. Explanatory priority is assigned to objects which have an intrinsic property independently of any access or attitude we may have to them. Although not a methodological solipsist, there are nonetheless internalist elements to Husserl’s thought: He believes that we can think of non‐existent objects and his account of indexicals and demonstratives shows that there are two kinds of meaning: one is context independent and internally individuated, the other is partly determined by context and so externally individuated. The paper leaves it open whether this is sufficient to mark Husserl out as an internalist. However, even if he were considered as such, we can be sure of one thing, namely, that his internalism would not be a species of methodological solipsism.     

Philosophy, Solipsism and Thought

Wittgenstein's view of philosophy in the Tractatus presupposes that thought may be revealed without remainder in the use of signs. It is commonly held, however, that in the Tractatus he treated thought as logically prior to language. If this view, expressed most lucidly by Norman Malcolm, were correct, Wittgenstein would be inconsistent in holding that thought can be revealed without remainder in the use of signs. I argue that this is not correct. Thought may be prior to language in time but not in logic , for non-verbal symbols must have a logical structure in common with verbal ones. A view comparable with Malcolm's holds that Wittgenstein, under the influence of Schopenhauer, is committed to some form of solipsism. I argue that neither Schopenhauer nor Wittgenstein held any version of solipsism. For both philosophers, subject and object are correlative, so that it is incoherent to affirm the existence of the one without presupposing the existence of the other.     

The Art of Dying as an Art of Living: Historical Contemplations on the Paradoxes of Suicide and the Possibilities of Reflexive Suicide Prevention

The main aim of this paper is to reconstruct different aspects of the history of ideas of suicide, from antiquity to late modernity, and contemplate their dialectical tension. Reflexive suicide prevention, drawing on the ancient wisdom that the art of living is inseparable from the art of dying, takes advantage, it is argued, of the contradictory nature of suicide, and hence embraces, rather than trying to overcome, death, pain, grief, fear, hopelessness and milder depressions. This approach might facilitate the transformation of inner shame to inter-personal guilt, which is the precondition for coping with losses through grieving that is shared with others. The traditional projection of suicide on the ‘Other’, reinforced by modernity’s bio-political suppression of death, has inhibited development of good suicide prevention. Awareness of the ambiguity and ambivalence found in suicide may work as a resource when measures are taken to address as many causal mechanisms as possible, and bringing special emphasis to external factors.     

Diary of a Telepathic Solipsist

A thorough telepath in an otherwise mindless world would have an observational basis for solipsism. He would perceive an absence of other minds. How would things appear to the lone telepath? Given sufficient scepticism about introspection, exactly as they now seem to you . This perceptual solipsist would exclude other minds on the basis of evidence rather than the absence of evidence. He would be open‐minded, ready to revise his opinion as rapidly as any perceiver. Any intransigence would be a side‐effect of his theory about the senses. Temperamentally, he need not be a loner. The solipsist's ethics could be altruistic, his politics democratic, and his social preferences gregarious. At the same time, his solipsism would inform his hopes for immortality, his career choice and his means of communication. 1 1 The author is not ready to come out as a solipsist. For the sake of plausible deniability, he asks that his diary be published under the name of someone willing to characterize him as a fiction.