施特劳斯、欧克肖特论洞穴之喻

Strauss and Oakeshott on Plato's Cave

现代政治哲学家列奥.施特劳斯和迈克尔·欧克肖特对柏拉图的洞穴之喻作出了针锋相对的理解。施特劳斯坚持古典政治哲学的思路,认为超越意见的哲学才能为政治生活提供标准。他认为,只有这样才能解决现代社会价值多元化所造成的混乱。而欧克肖特则认为,哲学只能揭示意见的有限性,不可能成为政治生活的原则和指导。现代社会的政治价值之间的冲突本质上不在于多元本身,而在于每一种意见都试图成为唯一的真理。施特劳斯和欧克肖特从各自的哲学立场出发试图重新解释柏拉图的洞穴之喻,通过洞穴之喻这一透镜来理解现代社会中政治和哲学之间的紧张。这反映了现代西方保守主义对这一基本的政治哲学问题的新思考。

Modern political philosophers Leo Strauss and Michael Oakeshott had made contradictory understandings of Plato's cave metaphor.Strauss insisted on the idea of classical political philosophy that only philosophy which was be-yond people's opinions could provide value standards for political life.He be-lieved that only in this way could we solve the value diversification of mod-ern society.Oakeshott,on the other hand,believed that philosophy could on-ly reveal the finiteness of opinion and could not become the principle and guidance of political life.The conflict between the political values of modern society is not essentially in pluralism itself,but every opinion seeks to be.the only truth.Strauss and Oakeshott attempted from their respective philosophi-cal positions to restate Plato's cave to address the tensions between politics and philosophy in modern society.It reflected the new thinking of modern conservatism on this basic question of political philosophy.