界定正义概念——以《理想国》和《罗马书》为文本

Defining the Concept of Dikaiosune Based on the Republic and the Romans

正义问题起于人如何在社会生活中进行适宜判断并过一种适宜生活的需要。希腊思想史上出现了两个界定正义概念的基础性文本,即《理想国》和《罗马书》。它们表达了两种有内在关联却全然不同的思路。追踪并呈现这两本书在正义概念的界定上思路,不仅可以使我们深入了解西方思想史上的两个原始性的正义概念,同时,我们还将发现,这两种思路至今仍然在发挥影响。简略而言,《理想国》认为,在社会生活过一种正义的生活,归根到底,人必须从真理出发,因而寻找真理乃是追求正义的前提。这是一种建构性的正义观。《罗马书》则把真理问题归结为解构问题,认为人凭着现有的理解结构是不可能认识真理的;真理是在人的理解结构不断解构的过程向人呈现的。这是一种解构性的正义观。

The issue of dikaiosune(Justice or righteousness)derives from the need that human beings make proper judgments to live properly in a society.There are two texts,namely the Republic and the Romans,in ancient Greek thought in which the concept of righteousness or justice is analyzed and discussed extensively,which provide two definitions representing respectively two perspectives in thinking.To demonstrate these two perspectives comparatively and present them in the contemporary context will help us to understand the origin of the concept of justice or righteousness in western thought.In fact,these two perspectives are still influencing the contemporary thought.Put it in short,the Republic considers that a just life in a society must begin with truth.To pursue a just live,we must acquire the truth.This is a socalled constructive concept of justice.Meanwhile,the Romans ascribes the issue of truth to that of deconstruction,claiming that human beings cannot understand the truth by their established intelligence,and therefore unless the truth reveals itself,receivable by faithful human beings,through which they may deconstruct their own understandings,they will never be able to reach the truth.We may call this the constructive concept of justice.