斯多亚的美德理论

The Stoic Theory of Virtue

斯多亚学派在关于美德秉性是什么的问题上,与其他学派的理解并无不同,他们都把美德视为一种好的秉性,即有助于事物自然目的或完美状态的实现。同样地,把美德视为具有一致性或连贯性的行为秉性,在斯多亚的哲学体系那里也能说得通。但是,如果据此把斯多亚学派美德的一致性或连贯性解读为一种灵魂内部的自我连贯,那就是完全误读。斯多亚学派追求美德,把具有美德之人视为完全幸福之人、圣人,而圣人的德性就在于他们使自己善于把握宙斯的意志,使自己的行为合乎自然和宙斯的意志,而不是关注自身理性的自我连贯,因为这种自我连贯也为更高的外在标准所保证。所以,有美德的行为虽然都是圣人的行为,但其正确性却不是建立在行为者自身的美德上的,而是建立在与外在的自然宙斯保持一致上的。就此而言,斯多亚学派尽管有一种伦理学,却不是美德伦理学。

The Stoics did not differ from other schools in their understanding of what a disposition of a virtue is.They all agree that a virtue is a good disposition,which contribute to the realization of the natural end or perfection of things.Likewise,it makes sense in the Stoic system of philosophy that regarding the virtue as a consistent or agreeing behavior disposition.But it is a complete misreading to read the consistency or agreement of Stoic virtues as a kind of self-consistency within the soul.The Stoics pursue virtue,and regard those who possess it as perfectly happy,as Sages,whose virtue lay in their ability to make them extremely good at discerning the will of Zeus,and to act in agreement with nature and Zeus's will,rather than in their own rational selfconsistency,which is also guaranteed by a higher external standard.Therefore,although every action that a Sage performs is a virtuous action,their correctness is not grounded in the virtue of the agent,but in the agreement with the external natural Zeus.To this extent,there is an ethics in the Stoics,but it is not a virtue ethics.