传统:重复那不可重复之物——试析“传统”的几个教条

Tradition:Repetition of Unrepeatable Things——An Attempt to Analyze Several Doctrines of “Tradition”

复兴传统文化是国人面临的时代课题,然而对于什么是传统学界还需要进一步的思考。首先,从时间间距上看,传统分为"传统意义上的传统"也即具有悠久历史的古老传统,以及"现代传统"也即在近现代形成的传统,前者区别于后者的特征在于其神圣性、源头性、等级性和根系性等;其次,重复传统有两种路径,一是"回归源头的重复",二是"前行的重复",而这两种方式都无法实现重复传统;再次,在对传统的解释方面,"原本中心论"认为传统是难以摆脱的,一切解释都无法脱离传统,"述者决定论"则认为传统是阐释者共同塑造的;最后,传统不仅仅是时间性的,也是空间性的,尤其在全球化时代,不同传统之间的横向流动是传统发挥效力的更显著的维度。因此,是否具有"流通性"成为传统能否流动的关键。

Revival of traditional culture is a contemporary project set in front of the Chinese,but what is tradi-tion requires further thinking in the academic circle.First,in the temporal perspective,tradition can be divid-ed as＂tradition in the traditional sense＂,that is,ancient tradition with a long history,and＂modern tradition＂,that is,tradition formed in modern time.The former is distinguished from the latter in its divinity,originality,hierarchy and root system feature; secondly,there are two ways to repeat tradition.One is＂to go back to ori-gin＂,the other is＂to repeat by going forward＂,but neither of the method can repeat tradition; thirdly,in the ex-planatory perspective,＂original centrism＂believes that tradition cannot be got rid of and all explanations can-not break away from tradition,while＂narrative determinism＂believes that tradition is shaped by all interpret-ers; finally,tradition is not only temporal,but also special,and in globalization condition,cross flowing of dif-ferent tradition is an obvious dimension of the efficacy of tradition.Therefore,＂flowing capacity＂is the key ofthe transmission of tradition.