知识观光:中国研究的知识伦理框架

Knowledge Sightseeing: Knowledge Ethics Framework of China Studies

中国研究发展至今,研究对象与研究者都出现了自我认识上的困惑。原本各有其所的知识主体与知识客体出现混淆。在这样的背景下,中国研究遭到的挑战,其巨大的潜能与严肃的程度都是不言而喻的。某种知识伦理体系的勾勒,以及未来这个体系的开展,与个别研究者在其中位置的界定与迁移,共同赋予研究者一种赖以自我定位的空间意识,使研究者对自己所同意或不同意的知识立场,能掌握某种伦理上的相对关系。本文将知识的性质归纳成三个不同的面向——欧洲中心与中国中心;共时性与历史性;物质性与诠释性——使得在某一个面向看似迥异的知识立场,在其它面向却因为归属于相互接近的位置,出现对话的可能性,并得以一探彼此之究竟。更重要的是知识伦理关系的建立容许研究对象加入对话,这个对话可以由研究对象直接参与,也可以由研究者假想参与,更可以由其它研究者代理参与。这样的无限空间将吸引每一位研究者对自己的位置进行反省,丛而使他不会再继续甘愿拘泥在一个特定知识主张之中。

The social science community has responded to the cultural studies challenges in various ways. The result is not encouraging in the sense that the two epistemologies find no ready platform to engage in dialogue. Similar challenges appear in the China studies indirectly. Interaction among identities of China, China scholars and China scholarship casts doubt on the validity of knowledge in our community. In brief, the challenge is that if knowledge is an identity statement of those who produce the knowledge, then past research should all be disposed as sheer product of identity politics. A framework that is epistemologically tolerant enough to bring together scholarship based upon different philosophies of knowledge can provide an ethical relationship among all the knowledge of different nature. Such a framework allows each research agenda to have its own identities and enables the scholars to read knowledge of different nature without feeling threatened. This is the purpose of the paper.