“美学”作为一种政治哲学——柏拉图《希琵阿斯前篇》开场绎读

“Aesthetics”as a Political Philosophy:Reading the Opening of Plato's Hippias Major

《希琵阿斯前篇》在本质上是一篇政治哲学的对话,对话中关于美的定义只有放在开场的政治哲学语境中才能理解。苏格拉底与希琵阿斯虽然都承认自然与礼法的根本冲突,但他们从这一冲突中却得出了对于善的不同理解,这一分歧进而导致了他们对智慧的不同看法。从智慧出发理解美,发现希琵阿斯认为美的实质在于美的呈现,苏格拉底则认为美的实质在于美的知识,两人对于美的不同认识也最终导致在智慧与政治的关系上有着不同的理解。

Plato＇s Hippias Major is essentially a dialogue of political philosophy,in which the definition of beauty can make sense in the opening context of political philosophy. While both Socrates and Hippias were aware of the fundamental conflict between nature and law,they had different opinions about the Good,which further led to the divergent standpoints towards the Wisdom. In terms of the understanding of the beauty from the Wisdom,it is found that Hippias considered the essence of beauty as its presence,whereas Socrates its knowledge. Their distinct cognitions of the beauty finally lead to the different understandings of the relationship between the Wisdom and the Politics.