社会杂志 ›› 2022, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (5): 95-123.

• 专题二:教育、伦理与自由:现代性的关键议题 • 上一篇    下一篇

无须德性的伦理生活——黑格尔论现代社会的理念

陈涛   

  1. 中国社会科学院社会学研究所
  • 出版日期:2022-09-20 发布日期:2022-11-11
  • 作者简介:陈涛,E-mail:chengt1986@163.com
  • 基金资助:
    本文得到国家社科基金项目“基于晚期韦伯‘国家社会学’的国家理论研究”(20CSH009)的资助。

Ethical Life without Virtue: Hegel on the Ideal of Modern Society

CHEN Tao   

  1. Institute of Sociology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
  • Online:2022-09-20 Published:2022-11-11
  • Supported by:
    This paper was supported by the National Social Science Foundation of China (20CSH009).

摘要: 比较黑格尔的伦理概念与古代伦理概念的区别有助于澄清现代社会的理念。在亚里士多德那里,“伦理”是一个借助习惯、法律和政制搭建起来的、旨在塑造人的欲求和欲望的生活方式。对于处在自然德性和思虑德性之间的伦理空间而言,习惯、法律和制度并不是自足的,它们着眼并取决于德性。相比之下,在黑格尔那里,现代人无须具备多么高的德性,仅仅通过服从健全的法律和制度就能够驯化自己的欲望,从而赢得他人的承认和自由。不过,我们需要反思,在法律和制度的健全和完备之外是否还有其他可能性?或许,这仍然取决于我们能否在自身的文明传统中再度唤醒某种伦理特质,去驾驭这些理性化的法律和制度,营造出一种值得欲求的共同生活。

关键词: 欲望, 伦理, 德性, 法律, 市民社会

Abstract: Hegel’s concept of “Sittlichkeit” can help us to clarify the ideal of modern society and the challenge it poses to traditional ethical practices. By comparing it with the ancient concept of “” (ethos), we are able to see the dynamics and ideas of modern society. In Aristotle, “” constitutes a way of life that is constructed by means of customs, laws, and polity to shape human desires and appetites. Laws, institutions and customs are never self-sufficient and complete for the ethical space between natural virtues and intellectual virtues. They are fundamentally depended on human virtues. In contrast, in Hegel’s “Sittlichkeit”, modern ethical life is able to incorporate our various desires into system as “activities” by means of complete and rational laws and institutions. In principle, modern men do not need to be highly virtuous to pacify and transform their desires and win the recognition of others and freedom. By simply obeying laws and institutions, this could be achieved. However, while modern society can offer us economic, social and political independence and freedom, it cannot provide us with a place to live that is a truly comparable to a home. What we need to think is that whether we have other possibilities besides the rationalization and perfection of laws and institutions. For us, a nation with a strong ethical tradition, the future still depends on whether we can find and revive those ethical traits from our own tradition to steer rationalised laws and institutions to create a communal life worthy of desire.

Key words: desire, ethos, virtue, laws, civil society