本雅明的“两面神”精神之价值与意义

The Value and Significance of Walter Benjamin's "Janus-faced" Spirit

瓦尔特.本雅明的思想范式以"两面神"("Janus-faced")面貌著称,即犹太教卡巴拉与马克思主义的独特结合。两者看似矛盾,实则在本氏思想体系中却互为养分,互相强化,因为前者并不是被用来做神秘主义冥思,而是被用作激进的文化批判视角,其激进程度就在于,这从救赎的角度对现代性的反思,突出两极的巨大反差,强化救赎的迫切性,更为振聋发聩。本文揭示了这一范式的思想渊源,并阐述了其在20世纪文论中的定位和价值意义。

Walter Benjamin is well-known for his 'Janus-faced' mode of thought which is a combination of Kabbalah and Marxism.The apparent incongruence is in essence a cross-fertilization and mutual intensification in Benjamin's thought,because the Benjaminian Kabbalistic thinking is more of a critical perspective than a theological speculation.As such,it is a radical critique of modernity from the perspective of Messianic redemption by highlighting the contrast and tension between the two poles.Thus,it is especially acute and enlightening.The paper traces the origins of this mode of critique and discusses its value and significance in connection with critical theory of the 20th century.