伦理冲突与应然生活:作为政治哲学序曲的《安提戈涅》

Ethical Conflicts and Life as It Should Be:Antigone as a Prelude to Political Philosophy

《安提戈涅》呈现了城邦法令与习俗礼法、神圣律法之间激烈的伦理冲突,这种冲突表现为政治正义与习俗正义两种正义观的对抗。但无论是政治的正义观还是习俗的正义观都无法实现对自身真正有效的辩护,在异质性的他者逼问之下,两种正义观都无可避免地走向了崩溃。那么善好的生活究竟应当依凭何种正义观才是可能的呢?《安提戈涅》借用悲剧的形式最终把“人应当如何生活?”这一人生根本处境问题给抛掷出来。但在藉此可以超越悲剧双方以独立地追问“何谓善好生活?”的当口,索福克勒斯却把伦理冲突的双方最终都重新置于对习俗礼法、神圣律法的信靠之上,从而中止了理性地省察公共生活的可能。《安提戈涅》通过伦理悲剧的冲突把观众领到对善好生活反思的关口之处,虽然最终无力继续领着我们叩关而入,但它却使我们真切地体会到对人类善好生活进行理性反思何以必要,因此,可以作为进入政治哲学反思之域的绝佳序曲。

Antigone presents the fierce ethical conflicts between the laws of the city-states and the customary laws and the sacred laws.The conflict is reflected in the confrontation between political justice and customary justice.However,neither the political justice nor the customary justice can achieve a truly effective defense for themselves.Under the refutation of the heterogeneous others,both views of justice inevitably collapse.So by what kind of view of justice is a good life possible?Antigone borrows the form of tragedy and finally throws out the question of the fundamental situation of life which is“How should one live?”When we can go beyond tragedy itself to independently ask“what is a good life?”,Sophocles has put both sides of the ethical conflicts back on the trust of the customary laws and sacred laws,thus suspending the possibility of a rational examination of life as it should be.Through the conflicts of moral tragedy,Antigone leads the audience to the initial reflections on a good life.Although Antigone is ultimately unable to usher us into the realm of political philosophy,it makes us realize why rational reflection on the life as it should be is necessary.Therefore,Antigone can serve as a perfect prelude to entering the reflective realm of political philosophy.