康德对自由意志的证成及其实践意义

Kant’s Justification of Free Will and Its Significance in Practice

每一个有理性存在者何以要对自己行动的正当性担负道德责任?何以能够在事实上担负道德责任?这两个问题构成了理论伦理学的根本性问题,前者可视为规范论的难题,后者可当作德性论的困境。对此,康德给出了有别于从行动主体外部寻找根据的路径,这形成了他两个世界理论的逻辑起点。若一个行动的动因不是出于行动者的决意或意向,而是出于外部的决定,那么他就不是自主的行动者,他遵循的便是因果性规律;若行动者把自己视为其行动的最终发动者、承担者、责任者和评价者,他遵循的则是自己制定的实践法则,康德将这一行动根据称为原因性逻辑。而完成归责的根本道路就是人通过理性和意志将其自身划分为同时属于知性世界和感性世界的成员,前者对后者具有逻辑在先的性质,它可以依照实践法则对自己属于感性世界的部分实施支配性要求,其本质是特殊意志即善良意志和实践理性对一般意志即效用动机和实用理性的主导性作用,以保证他的行为是出于义务,而不是简单地合于义务,更非反乎义务。康德的两个世界理论及其对自由意志的证成之于当代道德哲学的重构仍然具有极其重要的意义,对于推进中国式现代化更是具有重大的实践价值。如何将康德的自由意志理论运用于对当代中国社会实践中的意志自由及其道德责任问题的分析上来,无疑是一个重要的理论任务。

Why should every rational being be morally responsible for the validity of his or her actions?How can we be morally responsible in practice?The two questions are fundamental in theoretical ethics:the former is regarded as a problem of normative theory and the latter is related to a dilemma of virtue theory.On this issue,Kant offered an approach different from laying a basis external to the action agent,which formed the logical starting point of his“two worlds theory”.If the motive of an action is not from the agent’s determination or intention,but from an external decision,then he or she is not an autonomous agent and just follows the law of causality;if the agent regards himself or herself as the ultimate initiator,undertaker,responsible person and evaluator of the actions,he or she follows the practical rules formulated by himself or herself,which was named by Kant as causal logic.The fundamental way to accomplish imputation is that man divides himself or herself into members who belong to both the intelligible and sensible worlds through reason and will.It can impose dominance requirements on itself that belong to the sensible world by practical laws,and its essence is the leading role of special will,namely,good will and practical reason,over general will,namely,utility motivation and practical reason.It ensures that the behaviors are motivated by obligations,not simply in line with obligations,let alone contrary to obligations.Kant’s“two worlds theory”and its justification of free will are significant in reconstructing contemporary moral philosophy;it is also practical to promote Chinese modernization.How to apply Kant’s theory of free will to analyze the problem of the freedom of will and its moral responsibility issue in contemporary Chinese social practice is undoubtedly an important theoretical task.