生命的悲剧意识:关于“苦”的符号学漫谈

The Tragic Sense of Life:A Semiotic Causerie on"Duḥkha"

从符号学的视角看,悲剧意识赋予生命中的种种痛苦以意义,由此将这些苦“识别为”并“创造成”悲剧经验。悲剧现象可以从“历苦”(经验)、“知苦”(理解/阐释)、“述苦”(表征/再现)三个方面加以理解。这三个方面的划分,是以悲剧现象作为意义生成的具体例子而做出的。举凡意义生成,均发生在相对独立的个体身上,个体作为意义的主体和生成场而存在。“苦”与“消苦”的努力,也只能在主体上完成。因为符号活动,主体在意义生成的过程中,面临着“双重符号悖论”。但符号活动并非生命唯一必要的标准属性。对这一问题的反思,能够为理解生命的悲剧意识提供一个独特的切入点。

Tragedy is essentially a semiotic phenomenon:the tragic sense endows various pains in life(duḥkha)with significance,thereby"identifying"and"creating"these pains as tragic experiences.The phenomenon of tragedy can be understood from three aspects:"experiencing suffering"(experiences of duḥkha),"knowing suffering"(interpretation of duḥkha),and"narrating suffering"(representation of duḥkha).The division of these three aspects is made based on tragedy as a specific example of meaning generation.In all cases of meaning generation,it occurs within relatively independent individuals,where the individual serves as the subject and the arena of meaning generation.Both duḥkha and efforts to"alleviate duḥkha"can only take place within the subject.However,due to the ubiquitous existence of semiosis,the subject inevitably faces the"double semiotic paradoxes of humanity"in the process of meaning generation.Yet,semiosis is not the sole necessary attribute of life.Reflecting on this issue can provide a unique entry point for understanding the tragic sense of life.