敬慕-鉴证-赞美:中国“力行”知识论中的范例问题

Admiration-Authentication-Compliment:Exemplar Problems in Chinese Epistemology of“Practice”

中国哲学强调“道行之而成”,由此形成了一种重在道德实践的“力行”知识论。扎格泽博斯基的范例主义道德理论描述了人们经由范例而获取道德相关知识,与中国知识论具有一定兼容性。但是,扎氏将理论建基于敬慕情感之上,却无力对敬慕的根据作出进一步说明,有落入社会建构主义及道德空洞化的危险。而儒家则以人本具的性理之“天”为敬慕范例奠定了最高价值原则,保障了成德之教的规范性。范例之所以为范例,是否值得敬慕,有赖于鉴证。肯定性的鉴证呈现为对范例内在德性及外在表达的赞美。“力行”知识论与伦理学、美学相互关联,经由以譬喻性语言为基础的赞美,善、君子之风、圣人境界等价值观念更生动地为行动者所理解,更有利于广泛传诵,从而促进公序良俗的建设。

Chinese philosophy emphasizes that“Tao is achieved by practice”,thus forming a kind of knowledge theory of“practice”which focuses on moral practice.Zagzebski’s exemplarist virtue the-ory describes that people acquire moral knowledge by exemplars,which is compatible with Chinese theory of knowledge.However,Zagzebski bases his theory on the emotion of admiration,but he is unable to further explain the basis of admiration,which would be in danger of falling into social con-structivism and moral hollowness.Confucianism,on the other hand,establishes the highest value principle with the“heaven”of human nature as the model of admiration and ensures the standardi-zation of moral education.What makes an exemplar an exemplar,or whether it is worthy of admira-tion or not,depends on authentication.Positive authentication is presented as a compliment to the inner virtue and external expression of the exemplar.The epistemology of“practice”is closely relat-ed to ethics and aesthetics,through the compliment based on metaphorical language,the values of goodness,gentleman’s demeanor and realm of the saint are more vividly understood by actors and more widely spread,thus promoting the construction of public order and good morals.