笛卡尔的“清楚分明性”知识标准——一种隐藏的数学化认识论的模型

Descartes'Clearness and Distinctness as Criterion for Knowledge An Implicit Mathematized Epistemology

“清楚分明性”是笛卡尔哲学的知识或真理的标准,但这个著名的概念本身显得既不“清楚”也不“分明”,学界缺乏广泛共识。本文尝试在《沉思集》中重构这一标准,压缩弹性解释的空间,澄清相关误解。研究表明,存在四种清楚性或分明性的类型:纯粹理智、感觉、想象和启示。而作为知识标准的“清楚分明性”是纯粹理智的直观或理解,包含三方面的特点:(1)知觉主体是一个摆脱感觉依赖和消除旧有信念影响的被纯化的、心智健康(非疯子)的成熟理性;(2)知觉对象要么是自明的简单命题(或公理,比如“2+3=5”),要么是由简单命题演绎出的相对复杂的命题(或定理,比如勾股定理)的推理链,公理和定理内部都包含一种内的逻辑必然性;(3)知觉活动要么是对简单命题的一个单纯心灵直观(mental intuition),要么是包含从简单命题到复杂命题演绎(deduction)推理链的复杂心灵直观。笛卡尔的清楚分明性知识标准是以数学为榜样的隐藏的数学化认识论模型。

“Clearness and distinctness(CD)”is Descartes’criterion of knowledge or truth.However,the conception itself seems neither“clear”nor“distinct”,and there is no interpretation that is satisfactory and generally accepted by scholarship.This article attempted to provide a systematic reconstruction of this conception.It shows that,there are four kinds of CD,separately from pure intellect,sensation,imagination and divine grace;the“CD”of knowledge is one kind of mental intuition or pure understanding of pure intellect:(1)the subject is a mature reason which is purified,sane,and free from the dependence of sensory perceptions and the influence of old beliefs;(2)the objects are either self-evident simple propositions(or axioms,such as“2+3=5”),or reasoning chains of relatively complex propositions(or theorems,such as Pythagorean theorem)deduced from simple propositions;(3)the act is either a simple mental intuition of simple propositions or a complex mental intuition that contains the deductive reasoning chain from simple propositions to complex propositions.CD as Descartes’criterion for knowledge,taking mathematics as its model,is an implicit mathematized epistemology.