哈贝马斯认识与旨趣英.docx

哈贝马斯认识与旨趣英.docx

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哈贝马斯认识与旨趣英

JürgenHabermas（1968）

TheIdeaoftheTheoryofKnowledgeasSocialTheory

fromKnowledgeandHumanInterestsby

Source:

Knowledge&HumanInterest,1968,publ.PolityPress,1987.ChapterThree:

TheIdeaoftheTheoryofKnowledgeasSocialTheoryreproducedhere.

TheinterpretiveschemesetforthbyMarxforthePhenomenologyofMindcontainstheprogramforaninstrumentalisttranslationofHegel'sphilosophyofabsolutereflection:

ThegreatnessofHegel'sphenomenologyanditsendresult-thedialecticofnegativityasmotiveandproductiveprinciple-isthus...thatHegelgraspstheself-generationofmanasaprocess,objectificationasde-objectification,asalienationandtheovercomingofthisalienation;inotherwords,thathegraspstheessenceoflabourandcomprehendsobjectiveman,whoistruemanbecauseofhisreality,astheresultofhisownlabour.[Marx,CritiqueofHegel'sPhilosophyinGeneral]

Theideaofself-constitutionofthespeciesthroughlabouristoserveastheguidetoappropriatingthePhenomenologywhiledemythologisingit.Aswehaveshown,theassumptionsoftheidentitykeptHegelfromreapingtherealharvestofKant,andtheydissolveonthismaterialistbasis.Ironically,however,theveryviewpointfromwhichMarxcorrectlycriticisesHegelkeepshimfromadequatelycomprehendinghisownstudies.Byturningtheconstructionofthemanifestationofconsciousnessintoanencodedrepresentationoftheself-productionofthespecies,Marxdisclosesthemechanismofprogressintheexperienceofreflection,amechanismthatwasconcealedinHegel'sphilosophy.Itisthedevelopmentoftheforcesofproductionthatprovidestheimpetustoabolishingandsurpassingaformoflifethathasbeenrigidifiedinpositivityandbecomeanabstraction.Butatthesametime,Marxdeludeshimselfaboutthenatureofreflectionwhenhereducesittolabour.identifies"transformativeabolition（Aufheben）,asobjectivemovementwhichreabsorbsexternalisation,"withtheappropriationofessentialpowersthathavebeenexternalisedinworkingonmaterial.

Marxreducestheprocessofreflectiontothelevelofinstrumentalaction.Byreducingtheself-positingoftheabsoluteegotothemoretangibleproductiveactivityofthespecies,beeliminatesreflectionassuchasamotiveforceofhistory,eventhoughberetainstheframeworkofthephilosophyofreflection.Hisre-interpretationofHegel'sPhenomenologybetraystheparadoxicalconsequencesoftakingFichte'sphilosophyoftheegoandunderminingitwithmaterialism.Heretheappropriatingsubjectconfrontsinthenon-egonotlustaproductoftheegobutrathersomeportionofthecontingencyofnature.Inthiscasetheactofappropriationisnolongeridenticalwiththereflectivere-integrationofsomepreviouslyexternalisedpartofthesubjectitself.Marxpreservestherelationofthesubject'spriorpositingactivity（whichwasnottransparenttoitself）,thatisofhypostatisation,totheprocessofbecomingconsciousofwhathasbeenobjectified,thatisofreflection.But,onthepremisesofaphilosophyoflabour,thisrelationturnsintotherelationofproductionandappropriation,ofexternalisationandtheappropriationofexternalisedessentialpowers.Marxconceivesofreflectionaccordingtothemodelofproduction.Becausehetacitlystartswiththispremise,itisnotinconsistentthathedoesnotdistinguishbetweenthelogicalstatusofthenaturalsciencesandofcritique.

Infact,Marxdoesnotcompletelyobliteratethedistinctionbetweenthenaturalsciencesandthesciencesofman.Theoutlinesofaninstrumentalistepistemologyenablehimtohaveatranscendental-pragmatisticconceptionofthenaturalsciences.Theyrepresentamethodicallyguaranteedformofthekindofknowledgewhich,onapre-scientificlevel,isaccumulatedinthesystemofsociallabour.Inexperiments,assumptionsaboutthelaw-likeconnectionofeventsaretestedinamannerfundamentallyidenticalwiththatof"Industry,"thatisofpre-scientificsituationsoffeedback-controlledaction.Inbothcases,thetranscendentalviewpointofpossibletechnicalcontrol,subjecttowhichexperienceisorganisedandrealityobjectified,isthesame.Withregardtotheepistemologicaljustificationofthenaturalsciences,MarxstandswithKantagainstHegel,althoughhedoesnotidentifythemwithknowledgeassuch.ForMarxasforKantthecriterionofwhatmakessciencescientificismethodicallyguaranteedcognitiveprogress.YetMarxdidnotsimplyassumethisprogressasevident.Instead,hemeasureditinrelationtothedegreetowhichnatural-scientificinformation,regardedasinessencetechnicallyexploitableknowledge,enterstheprocessofproduction:

Thenaturalscienceshavedevelopedanenormousactivityandappropriatedanevergrowingbodyofmaterial.Philosophyhasremainedjustasforeigntothemastheyremainedforeigntophilosophy.Theirmomentaryunion[criticisingSchellingandHegel]wasonlyafantasticillusion...Inamuchmorepracticalfashion,naturalsciencehasintervenedinhumanlifeandtransformeditbymeansofindustry...Industryistherealhistoricalrelationofnature,andthusofnaturalscience,toman.[Marx,PrivateProperty&Communism,]

Ontheotherhand,Marxneverexplicitlydiscussedthespecificmeaningofascienceofmanelaboratedasacritiqueofideologyanddistinctfromtheinstrumentalistmeaningofnaturalscience.Althoughhehimselfestablishedthescienceofmanintheformofcritiqueandnotasanaturalscience,becontinuallytendedtoclassifyitwiththenaturalsciences.Heconsideredunnecessaryanepistemologicaljustificationofsocialtheory.Thisshowsthattheideaoftheself-constitutionofmankindthroughlaboursufficedtocriticiseHegelbutwasinadequatetorendercomprehensibletherealsignificanceofthematerialistappropriationofHegel.

Invokingthemodelofphysics,Marxclaimstorepresent"theeconomiclawofmotionofmodernsociety"asa"naturallaw."IntheAfterwordtothesecondeditionofCapital,VolumeIhequoteswithapprovalthemethodologicalevaluationofaRussianreviewer.WhilethelattergoesalongwithComteillemphasisingthedifferencebetweeneconomicsandbiologyontheonehandandphysicsandchemistryontheother,andcallsattentioninparticulartotherestrictionofthevalidityofeconomiclawstospecifichistoricalperiods,heneverthelessequatesthissocialtheorywiththenaturalsciences.Marxhasonlyoneconcern,

todemonstratethroughprecisescientificinvestigationthenecessityofdefiniteordersofsocialrelationsandtoregisterasirreproachablyaspossiblethefactsthatservehimaspointsofdepartureandconfirmation...Marxconsidersthemovementofsocietyasaprocessofnaturalhistory,governedbylawsthatarenotonlyindependentofthewill,consciousness,andintentionofmenbutinstead,andconversely,determinetheirwill,consciousness,andintentions.

Inordertoprovethescientificcharacterofhisanalysis,Marxrepeatedlymadeuseofitsanalogytothenaturalsciences.HeInevergivesevidenceofhavingrevisedhisearlyintention,accordingtowhichthescienceofmanwastoformaunitywiththenaturalsciences:

Naturalsciencewilleventuallysubsumethescienceofmanjustasthescienceofmanwillsubsumenaturalscience:

therewillbeasinglescience.[Marx,PrivateProperty&Communism]

Thisdemandforanaturalscienceofman,withitspositivistovertones,isastonishing.Forthenaturalsciencesaresubjecttothetranscendentalconditionsofthesystemofsociallabour,whosestructuralchangeissupposedtobewhatthecritiqueofpoliticaleconomy,asthescienceofman,reflectson.Scienceintherigoroussenselackspreciselythiselementofreflectionthatcharacterisesacritiqueinvestigatingthenatural-historicalprocessoftheself-generationofthesocialsubjectandalsomakingthesubjectconsciousofthisprocess.Totheextentthatthescienceofmanisananalysisofaconstitutiveprocess,itnecessarilyincludestheself-reflectionofscienceasepistemologicalcritique.Thisisobliteratedbytheself-understandingofeconomicsasa"humannaturalscience."Asmentioned,thisabbreviatedmethodologicalself-understandingisneverthelessalogicalconsequenceofaframeofreferencerestrictedtoinstrumentalaction.

Ifwetakeasourbasisthematerialistconceptofsynthesisthroughsociallabour,thenboththetechnicallyexploitableknowledgeofthenaturalsciences,theknowledgeofnaturallaws,aswellasthetheoryofsociety,theknowledgeoflawsofhumannaturalhistory,belongtothesameobjectivecontextoftheself-constitutionofthespecies.Fromthelevelofpragmatic,everydayknowledgetomodernnaturalscience,theknowledgeofnaturederivesfromman'sprimarycomingtogripswithnature;atthesametimeitreactsbackuponthesystemofsociallabourandstimulatesitsdevelopment.Theknowledgeofsocietycanbeviewedanalogously.Extendingfromthelevelofthepragmaticself-understandingofsocialgroupstoactualsocialtheory,itdefinestheself-consciousnessofsocietalsubjects.Theiridentityisreformedateachstageofdevelopmentoftheproductiveforcesandisinturnaconditionforsteeringtheprocessofproduction:

Thedevelopmentoffixedcapitalindicatestheextenttowhichgeneralsocialknowledgehasbecomeanimmediateforceofproduction,andtherefore[!

]theconditionsofthesociallifeprocessitselfhavecomeunderthecontrolofthegeneralintellect.[Grundrissep594]

Sofarasproductionestablishestheonlyframeworkinwhichthegenesisandfunctionofknowledgecanbeinterpreted,thescienceofmanalsoappearsundercategoriesofkno