行动的目的:阿伦特对亚里士多德实践概念的批判

The End of Action: An Arendtian Critique of Aristotle’s Concept of Praxis

阿伦特对哲学传统的批判蕴含着对亚里士多德实践概念的根本性批判。在前哲学的实践观念中,希腊人以政治作为对实践的即逝性的解决。亚里士多德则以自足性区分实践和制作:制作总是以自身之外者为目的,而实践以自身为目的。此外,沉思之为最高的活动正是因为它是无时间性的,一种完全的在场,而这意味着完全的现实性;因此沉思的生活是最好的生活,也是最自足的生活,最集中于当下的生活。在阿伦特和海德格尔看来,西方形而上学的一种持续的特征就是亚里士多德对实践概念的校正,即将过去的偶然性和事实性和未来的不可控制性、不可预测性都从属于当下的必然性和确定性。阿伦特试图通过对亚里士多德实践概念的批判性阐释表明,哲学从亚里士多德开始就致力于消除真正政治性的东西,它在制作的意义上思考政治,让实践的时间性从属于沉思的时间性,将其作为通向更高的、超政治的目的的途径。阿伦特认为,极权主义就是这种政治思想方式的最极端的结果。

Arendt’s critique of the philosophical tradition entails a fundamental critique of the Aristotelian concept of praxis itself.The pre-philosophical Greek tradition takes praxis as the solution for the transience of human life,while Aristotle distinguishes praxis and poeisis in terms of self-sufficiency.This distinction is further connected to a change in the temporality of action:the Aristotelian version aims at the present,which makes contemplation as the highest life.In Arendtian and Heideggerian terms,a persistent feature of Occidental metaphysics is at work within Aristotle’s realignment of the concept of action,namely,the subordination of the contingency and factuality of the past and of the uncontrollability and unpredictability of the future to the necessity and certainty of the permanent present-in other words,the subordination of the temporality of action to the temporality of thinking.Despite some interpretational problems,Arendt’s reading of Aristotle support her claim that philosophy has,since ancient times,effectively aspired to dismiss the truly political by thinking politics in terms of production,as a means for attaining a higher,supra-political end.