价值何以可能? 齐美尔《货币哲学》初探

Why Value Is Possible?A Preliminary Research on Simmel's Philosophy of Money

齐美尔的《货币哲学》不只是要从哲学出发讨论货币问题,更是要从货币出发切入最深刻的哲学问题。齐美尔延续康德的问题,把货币认作"价值何以可能"的先验条件。齐美尔认为对象的呈现形式就是主体与客体如何拉开距离的形式,而就价值而言,其距离化就是经济活动。货币通过升华事物的相对性实现了价值的绝对化。齐美尔通过追溯古代到现代的经济史,揭示出货币观念和价值意识的关联。货币的普遍化促进了现代人的自我膨胀与自我迷失。齐美尔认为货币是一种最纯粹的手段,但现代人将其逆转为最空洞的目的。齐美尔试图通过重新肯定货币作为"存在之相对性的历史象征物"的意义,恢复生活和价值的多元性。

In The Philosophy of Money Simmel is discussing the issues of philosophy start from money, rather than discussing the issues of money by philosophy. As a continuation of Kant, Simmel considers money as a transcendental condition of ＂Why value is possible？＂ Simmel believes the way of the presentation of an object is just the way of how to distances the object from the subject. In terms of value, the distance is the economic activity. Money makes value absolute through sublimating relativity of things. Simmel reveals the relation between the concepts of money and value by tracing ancient to the modem economic history. The universalization of money cause self-aggrandizement and self-losing of modern people. Simmel considers money as one of the purest means; however, modem people consider money as a vacuous end.