德性论的精英主义悖论——从亚里士多德的“公正”谈起

The Paradox of Elitism in Virtue Theory: From Aristotle’s “Justice”

亚里士多德在其德性论中,将"公正"视为一切德性之总汇,而追求公正的目的则是对"善"的实现,然而在他德性论内部却存在着精英主义的悖论。他在对于作为最高目的的善的论述过程中,不论是其必要前提"理性",还是实践过程中的"中道"原则,抑或是"幸福"这一具体的表现形式,皆预设了人们生而具有后天无法改变的差异,这种差异决定了并非所有人都具有获得幸福的可能性。因此内含于德性论内部的精英主义不仅有违个体的公正,同时也与城邦公正相背离。

Aristotle,in his theory of virtue,regards"justice"as the aggregate of all virtues,while the aim of pursuing justice is to realize"goodness". However,there is a paradox of elitism in its theory of virtue. In the process of discussing goodness as the highest goal,whether it is its necessary premise "rationality",or the principle of "middle way"in the process of practice,or the concrete manifestation of "happiness",all presuppose that people are born with the difference that cannot be changed,and this difference determines that not all people have the possibility of obtaining happiness. Therefore,elitism embedded in virtue theory not only violates individual justice,but also deviates from city-state justice.