“历史生成论”与“历史决定论”之辨

An Examination of“Historical Generativism”and“Historical Determinism”

黑格尔历史哲学的逻辑起点和马克思唯物史观的逻辑起点都是对“历史”进行的前提预设。不同的“历史规律观”塑造了人们不同的“历史观”。唯物史观认为,历史是人类追求自己目的的活动表明,它的“历史本体观”不应该是黑格尔历史哲学的“理性规律观”,而属于“实践规律观”。“历史生成论”是基于“唯物辩证思维”所理解的唯物史观的“历史观”,是对历史就是人类追求自己目的的活动过程的马克思唯物辩证思维的理解。“历史决定论”是基于“知性思维”所理解的唯物主义意义上的“历史观”,是对历史就是理性过程的黑格尔唯心辩证思维的扬弃。“历史决定论”的局限性在于其遮蔽了社会存在与社会意识的辩证关系意义。“历史生成论”的合理性在于,它准确地界说了“历史”的本质是对“实践历史规律”的哲学表征,而不是试图抽象出社会历史发展的“一般性历史哲学”。

Both the logic of Hegel’s philosophy of history and the logic of Marx’s historical materialism start from a presumption of "history". Different opinions of the "law of history" lead to different conceptions of the "history". Historical materialism holds that history is nothing but the activity of man pursuing his aims. This indicates that its "ontology of history" is not about the "law of reason" in the sense of Hegel’s philosophy of history, but is about the "law of practice". Historical generativism is a conception of history based on historical materialism as understood with the materialist dialectical thinking. It respresents an understanding of Marx’s materialist dialectical thinking that history is nothing but the activity of man pursuing his aims. In contrast, historical determinism is a conception of history in the sense of materialism as understood with the "thinking of understanding", showing a transcendence of Hegel’s idealistic dialectics that history is a rational process. The limit of historical determinism lies in that it obscures the meaning of the dialectical relations between social being and social consciousness. However, the rationality of historical generativism lies in that it accurately defines the nature of history as the philosophical representation of the "law of the practical history", instead of trying to propose an abstract "general philosophy of history" concerning the socio-historical development.