The Usefulness and Limitations of Analytic Method in Chinese Philosophy

分析方法在中國哲學中的應用與限制

馮耀明(Yiu-Ming Fung)

《哲學與文化》 42卷3期 (2015/03) Pp. 19-53

摘要

個人認為，反對用分析哲學的方法來處理中國哲學的問題和觀念，至少有下列三種理由：（1）從思想史的進路（如胡適的進路）看，分析方法是不能用來分析中國歷史中的複雜觀念。要了解中國思想，此一進路的學者認為，歷史及語言的考據方法是唯一可信賴的工具。（2）從西方思考方式的角度看，一些強調中國與西方的思考方式為不可通約的學者認為，古代中國哲學的關聯式思考方式與西方傳統的分析性思考方式的鴻溝是不可溝通的。（3）從當代儒家的超越觀點看，中國哲學可以被理解為一種超越的哲學和生命的學問，它只能以道德實踐去掌握，以一種特殊的內在和超越的體驗去確證。因此，這種可以用道德實踐來享用的智慧，便會因分析方法的解釋而喪失掉。個人並不認為上述的理由是論證嚴整的和有堅實的證據。如果中國哲學歷史中有理論的成份，包括有各種觀點和問題，對於理解和詮釋中國哲學中的這些觀點和問題，使用概念分析和邏輯分析的方法乃是不可或缺的。然而，分析方法也有它的限制，雖然它是不可或缺的工具。本文將會提供一些中國哲學研究的個案，以助闡示應用與限制這兩方面的問題。

關鍵字

分析方法 ； 超越論證 ； 史語考據方法 ； 性與偽 ； 道與技 ； 抽象指涉 ； 物質名詞

並列摘要

I think the reasons for rejecting using methods and theories of analytic philosophy in dealing with problems and ideas in Chinese philosophy at least include the following three: (1) From the approach of intellectual history, such as Hu Shih's approach, analytic method cannot be used to analyze the complicated ideas in Chinese history. To understand Chinese thought, scholars with this approach think, historical cum philological method is the only reliable tool. (2) From the perspective of Western way of thinking, scholars who stress the incommensurability between Chinese and Western modes of thinking believe that the gap between the correlative mode of thinking in ancient Chinese philosophy and the analytic mode of thinking in the Western tradition cannot be bridged. (3) From the transcendental viewpoint of contemporary Confucianism, Chinese philosophy can be understood as a kind of transcendental philosophy and a learning of life which can only be grasped by moral practice and ascertained by a special kind of inner and transcendental experience. So, using analytic method would explain away the wisdom which can be entertained by moral practice. I don't think the reasons of rejecting to use analytic methods and theories in Chinese philosophy are well-formed in argument and also well-grounded on evidence. If there are theories in the history of Chinese philosophy which include views and problems, to use the method of conceptual analysis and the method of logical analysis is a necessity in understanding and interpreting them. However, analytic method has its own limitations though it is a necessary tool to understand philosophy, including Chinese philosophy. In this paper, I will provide cases in ancient Chinese philosophy some of them can be used to illustrate the usefulness of analytic method, while the other ca n be used to show the limitations.

並列關鍵字

Analytic Method ； Transcendental Argument ； Historical cum Philological Method ； xing (nature) and wei (artifact) ； dao and skill ； Abstract Reference ； Mass Noun

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