叙事研究的形而上学之维

Reflections on the Metaphysical Dimension of Narrative Study

叙事的泛化、认知转向、多学科研究及其所引出的深层次问题将叙事的形而上学研究提上了议事日程。其核心关切不是叙事作为文本是如何构成的,而是作为心灵的工具有何作用、作用的机制与奥秘等。要揭示叙事的本质与奥秘,既要区分叙事的"应该问题"和"事实问题",又应遵循从个别到一般的认识路线,尽可能全面认识人类叙事实践的个例和样式。叙事与心灵密不可分、相得益彰,如果没有叙事,心灵不会是其所是。没有心灵,叙事则成了无根之木。叙事除了有文学等所看到的形而下构成之外,还有心灵理论、自传性记忆、元认知等形而上构成。叙事有自己的对象世界,而对象有真实与虚构之别,虚构对象在现实世界尽管没有存在地位,但却有真实不虚的因果作用。叙事尽管有巨大的认知和解释作用,但泛叙事化显然有矫枉过正的偏颇。就叙事与自我的关系而言,不可能是叙事创造了自我,而只能是自我让人有自传式记忆进而有叙事的事实。

Metaphysical research on narrative has been put on the agenda by the generalization of narrative,cognitive turn and interdisciplinary study along with some underlying problems brought about by them.The core concern is not about how the narrative is constituted as texts but how it functions as the tool for mind,and the mechanism and the mystery of the role.To uncover the essence and mystery of narrative,we must distinguish between the matter of“ought”and“fact”of narrative as well as follow the route from the individual to the general,and acquire a comprehensive understanding of the cases and patterns of human narrative practice.Narrative and mind are inseparable and complement each other.If there is no narrative,mind will not be what it is.Without mind,the narrative will become rootless trees.In addition to the physical structure seen in literature,there are also metaphysical structures such as the theory of mind,autobiographical memory,metacognition and so on.Narrative has its own world of objects,and the objects have the distinction between reality and fiction.Although the fictional object does not exist in the real world,it has a real causal role.Although narrative has a significant cognitive and explanatory role,there is apparently an overcorrection bias in terms of pan-narration.As for the narrative and the self,the former is unlikely to create the latter,and the only fact is that the self enables individuals to have autobiographical memory and then to have the narrative.