是有、实有、本有——“存在”与“本质”区分之史前史

Being,Ousia,Essence:A Chapter in the Prehistory of the Distinction Between Essence and Existence

西方思想家之探问"是有"(einai,esse,Sein)始自古希腊,到中世纪的时候衍生出"本有"与"存在"(essentia et existentia)之区分,此后几乎每位重要思想家对之都有所讨论。由于历史久远,源头难知,学者对此区分一直有一些误解,一是以为其在古希腊哲学中已经出现,另一是以为其用法始终一成不变。实际上existentia与essentia两术语之对扬是在阿奎那以后才出现,两词的用法在古代、中世纪与近代不尽相同。考察其史前史不单有助排除误解,而且亦能丰富对其当代使用之理解,此即本文所作之目的。在汉语学界,由于翻译之障碍,对此区分之源头更显隔膜。有鉴于此,本文将以"是有"一词为中心,运用一连串的新译名,务求能使译文在字面上更充分反映外语的原义。

The quest for Being by Western thinkers began in ancient Greece,and during the Middle Ages,distinction was made between essence and existence,which proved to be so important that it has claimed the attention of all subsequent philosophers.Due to the complexity of its history,misunderstandings are frequent.One is to look for its origin in ancient Greece.Another is to see the meaning of the two terms as fixed over time.In fact,the contrast between"essence"and"existence"was established only after Thomas Aquinas,and the philosophical meaning of the two terms has kept evolving.A study of the prehistory of their distinction can contribute to dispelling misunderstandings of its past as well as elucidating its present applications.The aim of this paper is to write a chapter of this history.