阿多诺论理论的自主性

Adorno on Theoretical Autonomy

阿多诺认为,在后期资本主义的封闭语境中,以彻底的、直接的社会变革为目标的政治实践不可能取得成功,这个时候,纯粹的理论思考只有拒绝直接运用于实践,才能够真正对实践产生积极作用。基于历史语境的变化,阿多诺赋予理论与实践关系模式一种辩证的理解,拒绝将理论工作的意义放置在实践有用性的框架来衡量,这可以被理解为对理论思考的自主性的捍卫;更深刻地理解世界的理论思考,本身就是具有改变世界的批判潜能的实践形式,其独特属性可以概括为康德式“无目的的目的性”。理论工作的性质独立于日常利害关系,我们切勿使用目的-手段推理方式来衡量其存在价值,而理论自主性的实现,很大程度上取决于思想者本人能否在认知上获得边缘视角。

According to Adorno,after the closure of political space in late modernity,politically transformative practice is doomed to be beat down,and then pure theoretical thinking shall play a positive role only through its refusal of practical application.Theoretical thinking should not be beholden to political activity and even to any kind of practical activity.This resolute refusal of direct utility could be interpreted as social critic s intransigent defense of theoretical autonomy.Pure theory is itself a form of practice,insofar as revolutionary activity builds on the analysis of the working of social institutions.Theoretical thinking,with a character summarized by the Kantian principle of purposiveness without purpose,is independent on any conceptual framework of means-end thinking.How to be able to criticize from the margin is the key to the preservation of theoretical autonomy.