防御与建构——爱默生的惯习与思想体系

Defense and Construction——Emerson's Habitus and Thought System

惯习是人们认识世界、生成策略、建构自我过程中不可或缺的中介。从一个人的惯习入手,解析其思想的建构原则,有助于更准确地把握其内涵。爱默生的思想体系是一个以自恋、自卑、逃避、怀疑、内省等禀性为原则,在身份建构过程中,发展出来的一个防御与建构兼顾的策略系统,包括真空下的自助、平等神圣主义、极端个人主义、傲慢的怀疑主义、直觉、超灵等概念与主张。其思想的现代性和复杂性对后世不同人群适应"去中心化"的现代社会,具有重要的启示意义。而其思想与美国主流价值观之间良好的兼容性,令其具备了超越时代的生命力,爱默生也因此成为美国主流价值观的另类代言人。

Habitus,which could be understood as a structure of the mind characterized by a set of acquired schemata,sensibilities,and dispositions,plays an indispensable shaping role when people seek to understand the world,build strategies,and construct the selves. Therefore,the study of a person's habitus provides valuable insight into the nature of his ideas. Constructed during the process of his identity construction,Emerson's system of ideas,with sheer self- reliance,equal divinity,extreme individualism,haughty skepticism,intuition,and Over- Soul as the core,is virtually a complex system of strategies,both defensive and constructive,based on his set of dispositions,such as narcissism,inferiority,escapist,skeptic,and introspection,etc. His system of ideas can inspire people of various backgrounds in their adaptation to a decentralizing society due to its complexity and modern characteristics,while its compatibility with mainstream American values enable his ideas to live on for generations,making him an alternative spokesperson of American values.