启蒙理性及其在20世纪初的中国的影响(上)

Enlightenment Reason and Its Influences on China in Early 20th Century(Part A)

康德说,启蒙运动的口号就是“要有勇气运用你自己的理智!”这里的“理智”一词,德文作verstand,汉语有译为“知性”的。按照黑格尔《小逻辑》,作为高于经验、低于理性的阶段性思维,知性有稳固性、准确性的优点,但也有专注抽象本质,无法保持具体性,常陷于非此即彼境地的缺点。启蒙运动中所标榜的理性在很多情况下就具有这种知性的特点。它在被用来批判迷信、宣扬科学、倡导人道、推动进步等方面曾做出过巨大贡献,在很大程度上为所谓的现代世界奠定了思想基础;但在科学、政治、社会、宗教、史学等主题上,也表现了明显的抽象、片面等缺点,尤其是对中国的认识,有出于自我证明的需要,表现了若干负面的倾向,影响至今。启蒙理性于19世纪末20世纪初在中国的新兴知识群体中传播,在辛亥革命前后的思想热潮中,受到全力追捧,被尊为“天演公理”;它所宣扬的人权、自由、平等、民主、共和等观念被奉为最高原则;接受启蒙理性的知识分子在政治、社会和学术等领域围绕着反专制倡民权、反奴役倡自由、反中央集权倡地方自治、反礼乐倡平等、反社会压制倡个人独立、反“公”倡“私”、反家庭羁绊倡政治活动、反陋习倡女权、反君史倡民史等西化气味浓烈的讨论主题展开了他们的论辩,也驰骋着他们的想象,激进者公开号召推翻清朝统治。同时,也有人在复兴中华传统、实行社会主义两大主题上发表了系统主张,可视为启蒙回响的变奏或启蒙镜像的延展。这是五四新文化运动之前最为壮观的一次思想热潮,它在开启智慧上的积极意义是不言而喻的。不过,它的负面效应也表现得非常突出,例如简单化、片面化、脸谱化、漫画化倾向较为严重;对中华传统否定过勇,有彻底决裂倾向;实证精神不足,道听途说、想象臆造、断章取义较为普遍;崇理性(知性),轻道德,对“公理”的膜拜和迷信较为严重。怎样评价启蒙理性及其在20世纪初中国的表现?在《社会主义从空想到科学的发展》中,恩格斯充分肯定启蒙理性在反对封建主义时的历史意义,同时又指出“这个永恒的理性实际上不过是恰好那时正在发展成为资产者的中等市民的理想化的知性而已”,探寻历史发展的现实基础是马克思主义超越启蒙理性的根本途径,这个认识有重要的理论指导意义。

About the Enlightenment,German philosopher Kant said that you should have courage to exercise your intellect or understanding("verstand"in German).According to"Shorter Logic"by Hegel,intellect,which is above experience,but lower than reason,has its advantages in that it is solid and accurate,and its disadvantages in that it is so abstract that it is hard to be concrete.In many cases in the Enlightenment,the so-called reason resembles the above-mentioned intellect,which,to a great degree,is used to lay ideological foundation for the modern world by criticizing superstition,advocating science,promoting humanism,making progress,etc.However,it is worthwhile to point out that it is obviously abstract and partial in science,politics,society,religion,history,etc.,and particularly that it exerts negative influences on China.The Enlightenment reason spread to China in the end of 19th century and the beginning of 20th century and was accepted by China's new intellectuals.In the Xinhai Revolution of 1911,it was highly regarded as a"natural principle,"as it promotes such thoughts as human right,freedom,equality,democracy,republic,etc.At the time,the new intellectuals were strongly against some viewpoints on politics,society,academics,etc.,and some of them even advocated overturning the sovereignty of Qing Dynasty.Meanwhile,some expressed a series of ideas about the rejuvenation of traditional Chinese culture and the practice of socialism.All of the above-mentioned constitutes a miraculous ideological change before the"May 4th Movement,"which intellectually plays a positive role,but also has some negative effects,such as the tendency to simplification,partiality,stereotype,etc.,the over-negation of Chinese tradition,the shortage of empirical spirit,and the emphasis on reason by neglecting morality.Then,how to appraise the Enlightenment reason and its influences on China in the early 20th century?In his"The Development of Socialism from Utopian to Science,"Engels affirms the historical significance of the Enlightenment reason in fighting against feudalism,and meanwhile points out that it has its limits.The fundamental way for Marxism to go beyond the Enlightenment reason is to explore the realistic basis for the development of history,which plays an important and theoretical role in answering this question.