论美的超越向度及其特征－一种对海德格尔和巴尔塔萨的美学思考

On the Transcendence & Uniqueness of Beauty: Reflections on Heidegger & Balthasar's Aesthetics

宋旭红(Song Xuhong)

《基督教文化學刊》 7期 (2002/05) Pp. 217-234

並列摘要

Since Ancient Greece, beauty can be understood in two dimensions: experiential beauty and transcendent beauty. Modern studies in aesthetics had largely ignored transcendent beauty until the relationship between modern epistemology and existence became a focus of study. As a valuable complement and counterbalance to metaphysics, transcendent aesthetics regained prominence in the field. On transcendent aesthetics, Martin Heidegger and Hans Urs von Balthasar agree and disagree on many points, all of which have invigorated the study of aesthetics. First of all, both Heidegger and Balthasar build their philosophies on the foundation of aesthetics, embracing both experiential and transcendent aesthetics. Secondly, both philosophers locate the essence of transcendent aesthetics in ultimate truth, i. e. ＂the ontology of existence＂ or ＂God＂. Both the hermeneutists strive to resurrect from antiquity to the classic trinity of ＂truth, goodness and beauty＂. But their theoretical divergence set them on different paths. Balthasar's theological treatment points to love as the ultimate beauty, thus giving aesthetics a clearly ethical value and definition. Heidegger on the other hand, in an effort to maintain axiological neutrality, overlooked the axiological significance of transcendent beauty. After comparing Heidegger and Balthasar on their aesthetics, the author concludes that it is important to preserve the transcendent dimension of aesthetics. Furthermore, transcendence must ultimately be based on axiology.