洛克的“经验论”是唯物主义哲学吗?——基于《人类理解论》的辨正及其意义

Is Locke's Empiricism a Materialist Philosophy?-A Critical Examination of An Essay Concerning Human Understanding and Its Significance

按照传统的解释,经验论有唯物主义与唯心主义的分野,而洛克则被视为唯物主义经验论体系的“完成者”。基于《人类理解论》文本内容展开的梳理表明,在洛克的经验论体系中,“观念”处于核心地位,是其最重要的研究对象,所有方面的探讨和论证都围绕它展开。由被动的无观念状态到简单观念的酝酿、确立,再由简单观念的蓬勃展开推进到复杂观念的多种形态和“万千气象”,最后形成严整而科学的知识体系,洛克为我们建构起一幅完整的观念论框架。这里有关于作为“经验”基础的外在事物的考量,即意味着包含唯物主义的因素或成分,但对这一点的关注不是洛克哲学的意旨所在,所以将其视为唯物主义哲学并不准确和到位。突破藩篱、“开放”洛克的经验论体系,突出“观念”在其中的重要地位,不仅有助于还原一部哲学名著的原初的思维逻辑和一个哲学家真实的思想状态,而且对于重新把握近代以来受其影响的西方哲学史的演变进程,特别是马克思“新哲学”体系的内涵具有重要价值。

Traditional interpretations often distinguish between materialism and idealism within empiricism,viewing Locke as the"completer"of the materialist empiricism system.However,an analysis of An Essay Concerning Human Understanding reveals that in Locke's empiricism,the concept of"idea"is central and serves as the primary focus of his research.His entire exploration and argumentation revolve around this concept.Locke's framework progresses from a passive state devoid of ideas to the development and establishment of simple ideas,then from the elaboration of simple ideas to their complex forms and numerous manifestations,ultimately culminating in a rigorous and systematic knowledge framework.While Locke's theory does consider external things as the basis of experience-which includes materialist elements-this focus is not the main aim of his philosophy.Therefore,categorizing Locke's empiricism as purely materialistic is not entirely accurate.By transcending conventional boundaries and emphasizing the significance of"ideas"within Locke's empirical system,we not only recover the original logical structure of this philosophical masterpiece and the philosopher's genuine thought process but also gain valuable insights into the evolution of Western philosophy influenced by Locke,particularly in relation to Marx's concept of"new philosophy".