Breaking with Aristotle＇s theory of tragedy in which the grand magnitude of the spirit of the tragic hero somehow trapped and misguided by a certain tragic flaw arouses the audiences＇ emotional intensity of pity and...Breaking with Aristotle＇s theory of tragedy in which the grand magnitude of the spirit of the tragic hero somehow trapped and misguided by a certain tragic flaw arouses the audiences＇ emotional intensity of pity and fear for the functioning of catharsis, Hegel analyzes the structure of tragedy in terms of the social conflict, in the case of Sophocles＇ Antigone, between the ruler Creon and the rebel Antigone, the patriarchal state and the individual woman, the civil codes and the divine law. Rejecting Creon＇s dictatorship and performing civil disobedience, Antigone intentionally buries the dead body of her brother Polyneices at the cost of being sentenced to death. Through this sacrifice, Antigone exposes the structural fissure of the civil society embedded in decaying morality for realizing the higher ideal of divine law and ethics. Through Antigone＇s sacrifice, the paradox of self-denial and self-elevation manifests the inner principle of dialectic through which the very opposite forces of contradiction engender the dynamic facets of the formation of modern civil society. As Hegelian dialectic is driven by its inner principle of negativity or negation of negation, through self-denial, Antigone transcends the moral codes of the mundane world for reaching the higher divine will. Yet, this dialectical ascending does not indicate a transcendent hero beyond the human world; instead, through the means of self-denying sacrifice, Antigone accomplishes the purpose of the divine will and conveys the divine spirit incarnated in the human flesh. For Hegelian tragic hero, the external and internal conflicts lead to the realization of self-consciousness and the ultimate consummation of heroic identity. Instead of being conditioned by Aristotelian tragic flaw and unconquerable fate, for Hegel, Antigone explicates the modern rebellious spirit of free will, and this martyrdom, not in the sense of scapegoat as the passive substitute for the sin of collective human community, presents a modern sense of tragic hero, an incarnated flesh invested with politically radical spirit. The flesh figure of heroine Antigone exemplifies the immanent power of ethical substance and dialectically transforms the divine will into the earthly spirit. Thus, this paper aims to investigate into the shift from Aristotle＇s concept of tragic hero to Hegelian dialectic tragedy and further examines how Hegelian tragic hero engenders the historical move into Western modernity through negative dialectic and accomplishes the self-other positioning of ethical substance presented in Sophocles＇ Antigone.展开更多
The fundamental task of Marxist philosophical studies today is to uncover contemporary social actuality. It was Hegel who first showed a possible way to social actuality in philosophical terms via sharp critiques of s...The fundamental task of Marxist philosophical studies today is to uncover contemporary social actuality. It was Hegel who first showed a possible way to social actuality in philosophical terms via sharp critiques of subjective consciousness and its external reflection. Marx critically inherited this legacy from Hegel. His critiques not only undermined the speculative, idealist alliance of Idea and Actuality, but also thoroughly reconstructed the essential dimension of social actuality. A Kantian interpretation of Marxist philosophy on this theme presupposes a dismissal of the dimension of social actuality, which means a return to the philosophy of subjective consciousness. The latter in turn means the actual collapse of historical materialism. The path to social actuality is vital to historical materialism. It is only through this path that the truth of the theory of historical materialism can be upheld.展开更多
My purpose here is to offer a critical self-reflection and meditation on Deng Zhenglai＇s unexpected and tragic passing. Drawing from the classical and critical Western traditions, with intermingled references to the ...My purpose here is to offer a critical self-reflection and meditation on Deng Zhenglai＇s unexpected and tragic passing. Drawing from the classical and critical Western traditions, with intermingled references to the Heraclitus, Plato, Aristotle, Hegel, Marx, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Freud, Benjamin, and Foucault, among others,I consider Deng＇s death as a personal death and as well as the death of everyman, while also humbling myself in consideration of his many achievements and sacrifices. The passing of a person like Deng offers a moment of sobriety and pause, when the best among us lays face up under a thin white sheet. Such people attract both supporters and critics and the only certainty between them is that death is that final, terrible cure, the one that settles all scores. Sometimes, such moments of sobriety produce their opposite, whether a modicum of panic or outright hysteria, when emotional responses overwhelm rational ones. When that happens it is helpful for the secular mind to return to philosophy, albeit like a penitent seeking both mercy and a few moments more within and without the Mystery and eternal pity.展开更多
文摘Breaking with Aristotle＇s theory of tragedy in which the grand magnitude of the spirit of the tragic hero somehow trapped and misguided by a certain tragic flaw arouses the audiences＇ emotional intensity of pity and fear for the functioning of catharsis, Hegel analyzes the structure of tragedy in terms of the social conflict, in the case of Sophocles＇ Antigone, between the ruler Creon and the rebel Antigone, the patriarchal state and the individual woman, the civil codes and the divine law. Rejecting Creon＇s dictatorship and performing civil disobedience, Antigone intentionally buries the dead body of her brother Polyneices at the cost of being sentenced to death. Through this sacrifice, Antigone exposes the structural fissure of the civil society embedded in decaying morality for realizing the higher ideal of divine law and ethics. Through Antigone＇s sacrifice, the paradox of self-denial and self-elevation manifests the inner principle of dialectic through which the very opposite forces of contradiction engender the dynamic facets of the formation of modern civil society. As Hegelian dialectic is driven by its inner principle of negativity or negation of negation, through self-denial, Antigone transcends the moral codes of the mundane world for reaching the higher divine will. Yet, this dialectical ascending does not indicate a transcendent hero beyond the human world; instead, through the means of self-denying sacrifice, Antigone accomplishes the purpose of the divine will and conveys the divine spirit incarnated in the human flesh. For Hegelian tragic hero, the external and internal conflicts lead to the realization of self-consciousness and the ultimate consummation of heroic identity. Instead of being conditioned by Aristotelian tragic flaw and unconquerable fate, for Hegel, Antigone explicates the modern rebellious spirit of free will, and this martyrdom, not in the sense of scapegoat as the passive substitute for the sin of collective human community, presents a modern sense of tragic hero, an incarnated flesh invested with politically radical spirit. The flesh figure of heroine Antigone exemplifies the immanent power of ethical substance and dialectically transforms the divine will into the earthly spirit. Thus, this paper aims to investigate into the shift from Aristotle＇s concept of tragic hero to Hegelian dialectic tragedy and further examines how Hegelian tragic hero engenders the historical move into Western modernity through negative dialectic and accomplishes the self-other positioning of ethical substance presented in Sophocles＇ Antigone.
文摘The fundamental task of Marxist philosophical studies today is to uncover contemporary social actuality. It was Hegel who first showed a possible way to social actuality in philosophical terms via sharp critiques of subjective consciousness and its external reflection. Marx critically inherited this legacy from Hegel. His critiques not only undermined the speculative, idealist alliance of Idea and Actuality, but also thoroughly reconstructed the essential dimension of social actuality. A Kantian interpretation of Marxist philosophy on this theme presupposes a dismissal of the dimension of social actuality, which means a return to the philosophy of subjective consciousness. The latter in turn means the actual collapse of historical materialism. The path to social actuality is vital to historical materialism. It is only through this path that the truth of the theory of historical materialism can be upheld.
文摘My purpose here is to offer a critical self-reflection and meditation on Deng Zhenglai＇s unexpected and tragic passing. Drawing from the classical and critical Western traditions, with intermingled references to the Heraclitus, Plato, Aristotle, Hegel, Marx, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Freud, Benjamin, and Foucault, among others,I consider Deng＇s death as a personal death and as well as the death of everyman, while also humbling myself in consideration of his many achievements and sacrifices. The passing of a person like Deng offers a moment of sobriety and pause, when the best among us lays face up under a thin white sheet. Such people attract both supporters and critics and the only certainty between them is that death is that final, terrible cure, the one that settles all scores. Sometimes, such moments of sobriety produce their opposite, whether a modicum of panic or outright hysteria, when emotional responses overwhelm rational ones. When that happens it is helpful for the secular mind to return to philosophy, albeit like a penitent seeking both mercy and a few moments more within and without the Mystery and eternal pity.
