莱布尼茨“信仰与理性一致性”学说的思想基础及其认识论意义

The Thought Foundations of Leibniz’s Theory of‘the Conformity of Faith with Reason’and Its Epistemology Meaning

在莱布尼茨的思想体系中,哲学和宗教具有重要的地位。他有关“信仰与理性一致性”学说的提出,即是这种重要性的一个集中体现,其中既包含着宗教的因素,也关涉到了哲学的考虑。作为一个理性主义者,理性原则不仅是莱布尼茨建构本体论和认识论的基本思维原则,也是其考察宗教问题的一个规范性原则。他在理性真理逻辑必然性的维度上考察了信仰与理性的关系,并尝试通过矛盾原则、充足理由原则等基本思想原则来重构和完善传统自然神学的存在论证明,体现了他与笛卡儿、洛克等人相同的试图将人类的合理性知识建立在可靠证据之上的基础主义立场。然而莱布尼茨在运用理性原则阐释启示命题时,更多地把它看作是解释规则而不是理解规则和论证规则,他关于“信仰与理性一致”的设定也包含着相应的传统宗教因素。在有关认知合理性的问题上他试图保持信仰和理性间的解释平衡,使他的宗教认识论体现出了一种弱理性主义的特点。

Philosophy and religion have important places in Leibniz’s thought system.His theory of‘the conformity of faith with reason’is a central embodiment for the importance,and in which there are both religious element and philosophical thinking.As a rationalist,Leibniz regards rational rule not only as a basic thinking principle in the process of building his ontology and epistemology,but also as a regulative principle when he investigates religious problems.He examines the relationship of faith and reason in the dimension of logical necessity of rational truth,and reconstructs and completes the traditional proofs of God’s existence on the basic principles of contradiction,sufficient reason,and etc.His examination and arguments reflect his foundationalist position that tries to build human’s rational knowledge on the basic of reliable evidences,which reflects the agreement with Descartes and Locke.But Leibniz regards the rational principle as a explicate rule rather than a comprehension rule and a proof rule,and tries to keep a balance between faith and reason about epistemic rationality.These bring out a feature of weak rationalism in his religious epistemology.