后形而上学时代的理性与民主——论韦默尔的现代性理论

Reason and Democracy in Post-metaphysical Times——On Wellmer's Theory of Modernity

本文主要探讨后形而上学时代理性与民主这一核心问题。韦默尔认为 ,后形而上学现代性是“第二现代性” ,是一个没有终极基础与和解梦想的现代性 ,一个不可避免地带有偶然性、不确定性、只有靠解释学的反思才能继续前进的现代性。理性批判需要抛弃绝对主义和先验主义立场 ,回到日常交往的生活世界。只有借助维特根斯坦的语言哲学反思 ,才能走出自我意识的囚笼 ,找到通向“他者”的道路。后形而上学理性观为民主的思考确定了新的哲学坐标。政治现代性是个人的否定自由和人类共同自由的历史和解 ,民主既不是一个确定的乌托邦 ,也没有一个先验的基础 ,它只能依赖于后传统的民主伦理生活形式。现代民主既依赖保护个人自由的法律和市场经济 ,也依赖公共自由的政治实践和制度 ,如公共辩论和民主决策。这一政治思想本质上是自由主义的 ,因为它立足于资本主义社会结构和政治文化传统。

This paper discus ses the relationship between reason and democracy in post-metaphysical times. I n Wellmer's view, post-metaphysical modernism is'second modernity' . It is a m odernity which has its inevitable contingency and non-determinacy, and can cont inue to develop only by hermeneutic reflection. In rational criticism, we must d iscard the stand of absolutism and empiricism and return to the real world of da ily communication. Only with the help of Wittgenstenian linguistic and philosoph ical reflections, can we find a way out of the confines of ego-consciousness an d a way leading to'others'. The post-metaphysical views of rationality set a new philosophical framework for the discussion of democracy. In wellmer's view, political modernity is the historical reconciliation between negative individual freedom and sharing human freedom. Democracy is not a definite Utopia, nor does it have a transcendental basis. It can only rely on post-traditional democrati c form of ethical life. Modern democracy relies on both laws and market economy, which protect personal freedom, and political practices, rules and regulations, which protect public freedom. Th is political thinking is liberalistic in nature, as it is based on the social st ructure and the political and cultural tradition of capitalist society.