阿甘本论奥斯维辛对人性的摧毁:伦理、存在论和语言

Giorgio Agamben on Auschwitz′s Destruction of Humanity:Ethics,Ontology and Language

阿甘本认为人性并非先定的,而是由西方形而上学中的“人类学机制”虚构出来的,这使得人性在极端境况下可以被剥离。在作为例外状态常态化和场所化的集中营中,人性的毁灭表现在伦理、存在论和语言三个层面上。首先,奥斯维辛的极端状况使囚犯们受动物求生本能的支配放弃了日常道德甚至助纣为虐;其次,生存状况最为恶劣的“穆斯林人”放弃了求生意志降低为植物生存状态;最后,“穆斯林人”还失去了使用理性言说意义的能力。奥斯维辛对人性的摧毁佐证了阿甘本关于西方形而上学虚构人性的观点,但同时也质疑了阿甘本以“身体使用”建构新型主体的努力。因此,我们必须将人性奠基于实践之上,以物质实践改变社会结构,方能实现人性的完善。

Agamben believes that human nature is not preordained but invented by"anthropological machinery"in Western metaphysics,which allows humanity to be stripped away in extreme circumstances.In the concentration camps,where the state of exception is normalized and localized,the destruction of human nature is manifested in three aspects:ethics,ontology and language.First,the extreme conditions at Auschwitz led the prisoners to abandon their everyday morality and even to engage in torture,driven by their animal survival instincts;secondly,“Muselmann”,who were in the worst condition,gave up their will to survive and were reduced to a vegetated state;finally,“Muselmann”lost the ability to use rational language to express meaning.Auschwitz′s destruction of human nature has verified Agamben′s view that human nature is invented by Western metaphysics,but meanwhile it has questioned Agamben′s efforts to construct a new subject with"the use of body".Therefore,we must lay the foundation of human nature on practice and change the social structure with material practice in order to realize the perfection of human nature.