一种对亚里士多德功能论证的重构与辩护

A Rebuilding and Defence of Aristotle’s Function Argument

在《尼各马可伦理学中》,亚里士多德给出了著名的功能论证。它建立在亚里士多德的目的论系统之上,目的是内在于事物的本性之中的,目的是一事物自然地朝向的目标;而功能对应着目的,适应事物之为此事物的存在方式,是事物的特定的实现其目的的能力。德性使功能发挥得好,因此功能合乎德性的发挥就是善好。一切事物都有其功能,通过对灵魂各部分的排除性论证,可以得出人的功能是理性,不过人的理性与神的理性不同,人的理性在其潜能上是可以实现神的理性的。人的理性按照德性行动就能够实现幸福,而好运的加入使人可以被称为是至福的。由于人的二重性,人可以有两种幸福的选项,分别是伦理的幸福和沉思的幸福,不过由于作为人之本质的灵魂所具有的理性是朝向神的理性的,因此人具有模仿神的生活的潜能,并且人应该去追求这种最高的幸福。

In Nicomachean Ethics,Aristotle gives his famous function argument.It is based on Aristotle’s teleological system,the end lies within the nature of things,and it is the object of things naturally toward;The function corresponds to the end,and is the specific ability of things to achieve its end.The virtue makes the function perform well,so good is the performance of the function conforming to the virtue.All things have their functions,and,by the exclusion argument of the soul,the function of man is reason,but different from that of God.Human reason is oriented towards divine reason in its potential sense.Human reason can achieve happiness in accordance with virtue,and the addition of good luck makes man can be called blessed.Man can have two options of happiness,respectively,the ethical happiness of human beings and the contemplative happiness of the god,but because the reason of the soul as human essence is towards divine reason,the highest happiness man should most pursue is contemplative happiness.