伦理学视阈中的尊重

【作者】 周治华；

【导师】 陈根法；

【作者基本信息】 复旦大学 ， 伦理学， 2007， 博士

【摘要】 “尊重”无疑是现代社会最为关键的道德语词之一。尊重什么?缘何尊重?怎样尊重?对于这些问题的理解和回答不仅表达了人们的道德立场和道德主张，而且在很大程度上承载着人们的日常道德观念和普遍伦理共识。但是，就其作为一个概念来说，“尊重”本身的道德意义始终是模糊不清的；而且，在我们这个价值多元化的时代，它被赋予的越来越多的规范内涵也并不总是具有内在一致性。本文在国内外相关研究、特别是在当代西方学者现有研究的基础上试图从一般意义上对尊重概念作出界定，并以历史的视角和方法对尊重在伦理学视阈中所呈现或被阐释出来的道德蕴涵展开深入研究，而后进一步通过反思现代尊重观念的历史渊源和当代境遇以揭示其发展趋势。循着尊重概念的内在逻辑和历史发展，本文的主要内容依次展开为以下四个部分：首先，从最一般的意义上说，尊重是主体基于特定的视角关注、认识、评价某种客体、从而以恰当的方式做出回应。它是一种复杂的“对待某个事物的方式”，包含着认知、情感、意志、评价、行为等的不同维度。正是因为这一点，尊重必然呈现出不同类型的意义和用法。但是，任何一种类型的尊重，只要它不至于偏离我们对这一概念的一般界定，都潜在地包含着一种道德意蕴：正如它的英文对应词“respect”在词源学意义上暗示的，尊重所意味的“回头看”或者“再看一次”恰恰表明了人作为道德的存在物不同于动物的内心状态或行为模式。尊重在一般意义上所显现出的这种德性内涵，亦即其在主体方面所产生的“尊则谦谦”和“谦尊而光”的道德后果，虽然在现代社会被遗忘和忽略，但在传统社会却是至关重要的。因而，即便尊重概念本身并未出现，我们仍然可以在传统伦理学文献中发现它作为德性的理解和论述：面对尊重的客体时，一个人应当反身自省，认识到自身作为个体和类的无知和有限性，从而避免恣意骄横、居功自傲、漠视一切，培养和保持严肃谨慎、心存谦卑、有所敬畏的内在品性和行为方式。这种尊重之为德性的传统理解随着传统德性概念的边缘化而被现代伦理学家偏狭地阐释为促使人遵从道德规则的道德情感，从而使这一概念的规范意义凸现出来。如果说，尊重之为德性是由于“我尊重某种对象意味着我应当具有一种好的品格”而成为可能，那么，尊重之为规范就是由于“你应该尊重某种对象是建构一种理想的道德秩序所必需的”而成为可能。因此，尊重的规范意义既包含着承接传统的方面，更包含着它在现代伦理学视阈中被严格限定的方面。作为一种典型的、同时也是最具影响力的规范性理解和建构，康德从三个方面论述了对人的尊重：始终把人作为目的本身对待的承认性尊重，给予一个人应得赞许的评价性尊重，以及作为道德准则和义务的尊重。由此，康德将一种以人为对象的规范性尊重推向了道德原则的位置，从而构成了一种对现代社会生活产生普遍影响的“尊重(人)之伦理(ethics of respect)”。源于康德的“尊重(人)之伦理”虽然包含着不可否认的道德洞见，并确实推动了道德的进步，但它忽视人作为尊重之对象的认同和差异，以及排斥非人类存在物作为尊重之对象的人类中心主义立场，致使它在当代不可避免地受到文化多元主义的质疑和道德扩展主义的挑战。本文的最后一部分通过反思“尊重之伦理”的当代境遇，揭示了尊重在现代伦理学视阈中作为规范的理解范式无法容纳非人类存在物作为其对象的局限性，从而显现出回归传统理解、亦即恢复其德性内涵的可能性和必要性。就尊重概念所涉及的诸多道德问题而言，本文的上述探讨诚然是远远不够的，同时也并未包含任何理论上的建构；但我们有理由相信，本文的哲学分析和历史考察将有助于提高我们对“尊重”这一道德语词的敏感度，有助于打碎现代社会对它的偏狭理解，并避免它在道德话语中变得越来越空洞无力、乃至于成为个人情感和偏好的表达。更多还原

【Abstract】 "Respect" is undoubtedly one of the most pivotal moral words in the modernsociety. People’s answers to and convictions about "what to respect", "why torespect’and "how to respect" not only convey their moral position and claim, but inno small measure bear their everyday moral opinions and widespread commonunderstanding of ethics. However, what "respect" implies morally has remainedconceptually factually elusive, and in an era of diverse values like ours, more andmore prescriptive connotations that it is endowed with are no less than internallyconsistent.Deploying related studies at home and abroad, especially available discussions bycontemporary western scholars, this dissertation attempts to define the concept ofrespect in its most general sense, and explore thoroughly from a historicalperspective its moral implications which unfold and are elucidated in the horizon ofethics, and then reveal its developmental trend via rethinking the historical originand the contemporary situation of the modern idea of respect. According to theinherent logic and historical development of the concept of respect, the main contentof this paper is arranged into the following four parts:First of all, Respect is, most generally, a subject’s response to an object, whichinvolves the subject’s paying attention to, perceiving and valuing the object from acertain perspective, and consequently acting in some appropriate way. It is acomplex "way-of-being-toward-something", in which there are cognitive, affective,conative, valuational and behavioral dimensions. And this brings about no other thanthe fact that there are different kinds and usages of respect. At the same time, none ofthese different types of respect, so far as it is in accordance with the most generaldefinition, contains potentially no moral implication. As suggested by its derivation,respect means "to look back at" or "to look again", viz. a frame of mind or a mode ofconduct, which exactly indicates that man as a moral being is different from ananimal.Although forgotten and neglected in the modern society, this virtuous connotation that respect bears in its most general sense, that is to say, the moral consequence ofbeing modest, and hence becoming dignified that it renders on the part of the subject,is of great significance in a traditional society. Therefore, even if the concept ofrespect itself did not turn up, we can find in the literature of traditional ethics theformulation and accounts of taking it as a virtue: confronted with an object of respect,one should rethink himself or herself, be aware of his or her ignorance andlimitedness, thereby cultivate and preserve a character and conduct of seriousness,prudence, humility and reverence, rather than being arbitrary, arrogant,self-conceited and indifferent. As the traditional conception of virtue wasmarginalized, this understanding of respect as a vitue has been interpreted by modernethicists a moral feeling that urges one to obey moral rules. And as a result from it,the normative meaning of the concept of respect came into view.If to understand respect as a vitue is owing to the fact that "respect I feel about orshow for something means that I ought to maintain a good character ", then tounderstand it as a norm is due to the fact that "respect you should give to somethingis indispensable to an ideal moral order". Thus the normative meaning of respectthough inherits partly its traditional virtuous connotation, involves in a great degreewhat is prescripted strictly in the horizon of modern ethics. As normativeunderstanding and constructing that is typical, as well as the most lasting, Kant gavethree accounts of respect for persons, namely, recognition respect that alwaystreating a person as an end in itself, appraisal respect that given some persons astheir due tribute, and respect as moral maxim and duty. On these accounts, Kantpromoted a kind of normative respect for persons to be the moral basic principle,which develops into the ethics of respect that has had universal influence on themodern social life.Although the ethics of respect (for persons) origining from Kant affordsundeniable insight into morality, and has indeed furthered moral progress, itsdisregard of persons’ identities and differences as the objects of resepct, and itsanthropocentricism that claims only persons are respectworthy, confront it inevitablywith the query by multiculturalists and the challenge from moral extensionism in thepresent age. The contemporary situation that the ethics of respect finds itself in isdeliberated carefully in the last part of this paper. And that will demonstrate thelimitation of the understanding paradigm that taking respect as a norm in the horizonof modern ethics cannot adopt nonpersons as the objects of respect, and display the possibility and necessity of renewing the traditional understanding, that is to say,resuming the virtuous connotation of the concept of respect.So far as the numerous moral problems the concept of respect is concerned, theinvestigation heretofore in this dissertation is surely far from enough and complete,and yet involves no theoretical proposition. Notwithstanding, it is truly admitted thatthe paper’s philosophical analysis and historical examination will redound to oursensitivity to the richness of the moral word of "respect", and help to break up theparochial understanding of it in the modern society, and withhold it from beingincreasingly empty and impotent, even becoming into the expression of individualfeeling and inclination.更多还原