走下神壇的知識分子

Displaced Intellectuals

黃憲作(Hsien-Tso Huang)

《大漢學報》 25期 (2011/12) Pp. 71-93

https://doi.org/10.29704/JDIT.201112.0004

摘要

誰是知識分子？自哲學的突破（philosophic breakthrough）以來全世界都有類似知識分子的階級或階層存在，然而具有現代意義的知識分子一詞的來源有兩個，一是自俄國部分貴族轉化而來的知識階層（intelligentsia），具有強烈的愛國意識與濟世精神，這些知識分子的理想主義精神，帶有宗教性的彌賽亞意識，追求終極價值的人文精神，是知識分子的一個典型；然而西方一向以法國德雷福斯事件以來的知識分子（intellectual）內涵為主流：他們通常是自由職業者，不依附於任何體制，相信自己代表了普遍的真理、正義，也就是以自由主義的精神站在普遍價值的立場，借助知識和理性的力量，對社會表現出強烈的公共關懷。自從二次世界大戰結束以後，由於現代知識的分化愈來愈精細，知識分子對於普遍性的公共議題已經愈來愈無法掌握，加上職業的分化也愈加厲害，知識分子必須依附於某種體制內，基本上現代社會已經失去自由知識分子存在的空間。原本大學是知識分子最後的堡壘，如今大學本身也已經成為商業運作的一部分，大學教師已經失去與公眾對話的能力，同時後現代主義者也質疑知識分子所宣稱的普遍真理的存在，在教育、知識普及的後現代，我們還需要知識分子嗎？知識分子何去何從，是值得探討的議題。

關鍵字

知識分子 ； 知識階層 ； 普遍真理 ； 社會良心 ； 社會正義 ； 德雷福斯事件

並列摘要

Who is the intellectual? There exists such a class or level since the philosophical breakthrough. However, the origin of the intellectuals with modern meaning comes from two sources: one is from the ”intelligentsia” consisted of the Russian aristocracy; another is from the intellectuals since the Dreyfus affair in France. The Russian intellectuals have strong patriotism and the spirit of benefiting the others. This spirit of idealism carries a kind of religion-like messiah consciousness and aspires to pursue the ultimate value in humanism. It is the typical features of these intellectuals. In the West, however, the representative intellectuals since the Dreyfus affair usually are the freelancers, who do not attach themselves with any political system and believe themselves as representing the universal truth and justice. Based on the spirit of liberalism and the universal values, as well as relied on the power of knowledge and reason, they had strong public concerns for the society. Since the end of the WWII, the classification of knowledge and occupation at the modern times has an orientation towards detailed division. It is getting more and more difficult for the intellectuals to have a firm grasp of the universal and public issues. Intellectuals nowadays have to attach themselves to certain system where their freedom of thoughts has lost. Universities are generally conceived as the last fortresses for the intellectuals. However, universities have now become part of the commercial operations. Teachers in the universities have lost the ability to converse with the public. In the meantime, postmodernists also doubt the universal truth proclaimed by the intellectuals. Therefore, do we still need the intellectuals in the postmodern times at which the education and knowledge is in all its aspects and pervasiveness? Where the intellectuals should head to is an issue worth discussing.

並列關鍵字

intellectuals ； intelligentsia ； universal truth ； social consciousness ； social justice ； The Dreyfus affair