Citation:
Jing LIU. The Cost of Abandoning the Personification Principle and the Perspective of the Responsible Person[J]. Academic Monthly, 2023, 55(3): 35-44, 139.
The Cost of Abandoning the Personification Principle and the Perspective of the Responsible Person
The revolution in biotechnology has redefined “human life” but challenges traditional philosophical thinking about what a human being is, and Kant’s proposition that “human being is the end” faces difficulties and challenges. How does Kant’s theory of dignity based on rationalism accommodate the new ethical identity, and how to justify “moral status of nonrational beings” have become new problems for ethics. Within the framework of Kant’s deontological ethics, Wood breaks the dichotomy between “person” and “thing” by reconstructing the value theory of the formula of humanity, completes the extended argument for the transition from “human being is the end”to “thing is the end” under the concept of logocentrism, and finally introduces the “the moral status of nonrational beings” and the “the direct duties regarding animals”. However, Wood’s reconstruction and expansion of the value theory is at the expense of abandoning the personification principle, which causes the separation of humanity and personality and weakens the moral subject status of the responsible person. In fact, on Kant’s view, “human being is the end” is a “moral imperative” that does not depend on the premise of value theory. Freedom and dignity are first a “duty”, not a “value” or “right”. Therefore, we have to hold on to the foundation of human dignity and nature of human freedom, insist on a “the responsible person” perspective, and construct and expand the horizon of ethical concerns based on the constructivism of duty. This paper will defend the “dignity of nonrational human beings” and justify a “strong” indirect duties regarding animals.
首先,“人性”是否能够作为“自在目的”?为了回应康德绝对命令面临的空洞形式主义和形而上学包袱,科尔斯戈德和伍德试图搁置形而上学前提,将理性本性理解为更宽泛的人性,把人性解读为“设立目的和自由选择的理性能力”①20,从而挖掘人性公式的价值论意义。但当科尔斯戈德和伍德重新修订“人性”和“理性”概念的同时,却将康德的理性概念进行了“最小化解读”。迪恩批评了科尔斯戈德和伍德对理性的最小化解读,指出这种理性最小化解读导致“设立目的的理性能力”和“遵守道德法则理性能力”的不相容性。①21帕菲特也指出,康德的人性不可能指称“非道德的理性”,他认为把人性仅仅理解为非道德的理性是不充分的。①22而在康德的文本中,并没有明确指出“人性作为自在目的”的论证,他的表述更是“有理性的本性(die vernünftige Natur)作为自在目的而实存着”①23,有理性的本性不同于伍德解读的更宽泛意义上的人性,而康德所指的人性更是一种“人格中的人性”(die Menschheit in der Person)①24。而伍德曲解了康德对人格与物严格区分的用意,康德更是在人格中的“人格性”(Persönlichkeit) 维度上坚持人格和物的严格区分。有理性的本性作为自在目的更是在人格性层面上的,正像康德所说,“只有凭借人格这些造物才是自在的目的本身”①25。因此,在康德那里,人格中的人性不仅仅是一种设立目的和自由选择的一般理性能力, “理性的本性”比“人性”更高,理性和人格性之间存在内在的联系。
为了在康德伦理学框架内证成非理性人的道德地位和对动物的直接义务,伍德不得不改造和弱化康德人格性意义上的道德自主性,取消人格化原则,但当他在剥离理性和人格性的关系,拉近人性和动物性的同时,却将这种修正的自由任意(Willkür)退回到更弱意义上的低层次的自主性(autonomy)。①28奥尼尔认为伍德的论证负担是特别大的,“如果非人类动物不是代理人,也没有义务,那么很难找到康德的论点来证明它们有权利,或者它们本身就是目的。问题是论证负担的一种(one of burden of proof)”①29。可见,延伸或吸收康德的论证适合非理性动物将是非常困难的论证,因为这就弱化了责任者的道德地位。迪恩对道德主体地位进行了分层处理,认为拥有道德承诺的人比缺少这种承诺的存在者具有更高的道德地位,许多人类具有这种承诺,而动物却没有,因此许多人类具有比非人动物更好的道德地位。①30因此,在伍德打开“人格”与“物”的界限,拉平人与动物平等地位的同时,却弱化了责任者的道德主体地位,失去了人之为人的深层尊严基础。
在康德伦理学中自由是一种义务,“人是目的”是一个道德命令式,并不依赖于价值论的基础,尊严首先是一种义务,而不是价值和权利。显然,伍德和科尔斯戈德在对人性公式进行价值论重构过程中,脱离了绝对命令的整个语境,把人是目的命令从绝对命令中抽离出来,变成了一个不证自明的前提。伍德在更广泛的价值论基础上,将人性和价值相连,从价值推出自尊和尊严,形成一种价值论的尊严观。但在康德那里,价值更是一个次一位的概念,尊严并不依赖于价值,人是目的更是一个道德命令式,而尊严不是一种价值,相反,尊严是一种义务。①42因此,在康德义务论下,尊严与义务、敬重更加联系紧密,是一种“责任者”的视角,更强调“我们应该做什么”,从而去建构更广泛的伦理视界。而伍德的价值论尊严观更是一种当代范式的权利尊严观,尊严与权利、自尊更加紧密,强调“尊严的平等性”,提出“所有理性存在者的价值是平等的”(The worth of all rational beings is equal)①43,并把这种价值(道德地位)和权利延伸到非理性存在者和非人动物之上。在这种价值论尊严观的视角下,尊严依赖于一个价值的概念,从“价值”推出“尊严”,价值和权利使我们感到自尊,自尊的感情是同我们的道德地位和权利联系在一起的。相反,“责任者”的视角并不依赖于一个价值的概念,从“义务”推出“尊严”,我们之所以要敬重他人,是因为这是理性的道德命令式,而产生对道德法则的敬重情感。
Abstract: The revolution in biotechnology has redefined “human life” but challenges traditional philosophical thinking about what a human being is, and Kant’s proposition that “human being is the end” faces difficulties and challenges. How does Kant’s theory of dignity based on rationalism accommodate the new ethical identity, and how to justify “moral status of nonrational beings” have become new problems for ethics. Within the framework of Kant’s deontological ethics, Wood breaks the dichotomy between “person” and “thing” by reconstructing the value theory of the formula of humanity, completes the extended argument for the transition from “human being is the end”to “thing is the end” under the concept of logocentrism, and finally introduces the “the moral status of nonrational beings” and the “the direct duties regarding animals”. However, Wood’s reconstruction and expansion of the value theory is at the expense of abandoning the personification principle, which causes the separation of humanity and personality and weakens the moral subject status of the responsible person. In fact, on Kant’s view, “human being is the end” is a “moral imperative” that does not depend on the premise of value theory. Freedom and dignity are first a “duty”, not a “value” or “right”. Therefore, we have to hold on to the foundation of human dignity and nature of human freedom, insist on a “the responsible person” perspective, and construct and expand the horizon of ethical concerns based on the constructivism of duty. This paper will defend the “dignity of nonrational human beings” and justify a “strong” indirect duties regarding animals.
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Jing LIU. The Cost of Abandoning the Personification Principle and the Perspective of the Responsible Person[J]. Academic Monthly, 2023, 55(3): 35-44, 139.