德性概念的困境——德性的歧义

Difficulties with the Concept of Virtue:The Ambiguity of Virtue

德性伦理学或德性论重新成为当前伦理学讨论的焦点。回顾伦理学史,亚里士多德首先规定了德性概念的基本轮廓,并使之普遍化。托马斯·阿奎那则在其神学思想的发展中将亚里士多德的伦理学和基督教的恩典论内在地融合在一起,这构成了天主教德性论的传统。宗教改革中,马丁·路德尖锐批判天主教德性论,从根本上打破了德性论与恩典论的一致性。而在尼采尝试颠覆整个德性论的传统之后,德性论一度淡出了人们的视野。麦金太尔和斯托克试图在当前语境中复兴德性论。德性论虽然能补充规范伦理学的某些局限,但也并不能满足当今伦理学所需的一切要求。我们仍需审慎地看待德性论或美德伦理学在伦理学建构中的作用和局限。

The word virtue has recently come back into vogue.Ethics owes the concept and thought of virtue to Aristotle.Aristotle determines the intrinsic profile of virtue.Such universalisation of the concept of virtue then enabled the theologians of the ancient church to integrate the philosophical doctrine of virtue of antiquity into Christian ethics.In Thomas Aquinas,the linking of Aristotle's doctrine of Virtue and the Christian doctrine of grace finds its theological conclusion and completion.The concordance between the doctrine of virtue and the doctrine of grace is fundamentally broken up by Martin Luther,with his new conception of justification as an act of God.Nietzsche's critique exposes several weaknesses in the concept of virtue.Nietzsche made the appeal to virtue questionable.Alasdair MacIntyre and Konrad Stock's effort to rehabilitate virtue has currently remained with resonance and approval.In this respect,the rehabilitation of virtue points to deficits in normative ethics.But it is wrong to want to solve all ethical problems by renewing the doctrine of virtue.We still need to be cautious about the role and limitations of virtue ethics in the construction of ethics.