德性的“主体性”与“普遍性”——基于孔子和亚里士多德的观点的一种探讨

Subjectivity and Universality of Virtues: An Investigation Based on Confucius and Aristotle's Views

德性在今天被看做要么是主体性的,要么是普遍性的。孔子与亚里士多德都不曾提出这样的论题。不采纳德性的主体性论题的表层原因是他们都把德性看做属于心灵的,深层原因是他们都认为人始终具有成为一个实践者的可能性,可能的实践的观点取消了提出德性的主体性论题的必要性。他们不提出德性的普遍性论题的原因,是他们都不认为德性对于所有当下心灵都直接具有普遍性,他们把普遍性看做基于实践者所达到的心灵状态,而人们所达到的心灵状态差别巨大。他们认为,德性含有的普遍性是能够在具有相同德性的心灵上呈现的那种普遍性。孔子和亚里士多德的思想非常接近地表达了一种对于人的问题的伦理学观点。由此可以合理地推论,德性具有今天哲学家们所称的普遍性,但它是一种基于实践的可能、基于德性的心灵展开的可能的普遍性。

Virtues are likely to be viewed today either as something subjective or something universal.However,Confucius and Aristotle,who made the most profound investigations into virtues,did not develop such theses.The surface reason why they did not adopt the subjectivity thesis of virtues is that they both think that virtues belong to mind.The deep-seated reason lies in their belief that there is always a possibility for a human being to become a man of practice.The standpoint of this potential man of practice cancels the need of proposing subjectivity thesis.The reason for their not raising the universality thesis of virtues is that they do not think that virtues are directly universal to all contemporarily existing minds.They think that this universality is based on certain states of mind reached through the practice of human beings,and the states of mind reached by human beings may differ greatly.In their view,virtues involve a possible universality that may present in a virtuous mind.Both Confucius and Aristotle＇s ideas express an ethical view on the problem of human beings,at least very similarly.From that similarly expressed view we can reasonably infer that virtues do possess the character called by philosophers today as universality,but it is a possible universality whose possibility is based on practice and on the development of virtuous minds.