欧克肖特政治哲学要义新释

欧克肖特政治哲学要义新释欧克肖特政治哲学要义新释

中国论文联盟*编辑。

欧克肖特政治哲学要义新释

politicalphilosophywhiledealingwithtwokeyconceptsaboutit.

1PhilosophyandPracticeasModesofExperience

Oakeshottinsiststhatphilosophyshouldavoidbeingtoolofideologicalandpoliticalpropaganda.Philosophyshouldadheretotheattitudeof"radicalsubversion".Nevertheless,hisattitudeofsubversionisnotshowninakindoftheorywhichwouldbringaboutpoliticalrevolution,butinhisviewof"experienceasawhole".OakeshottdoesnotofferthisviewwiththemysteriousvEil.HejustdenotesthatwewouldrecEIvemoreconsistentunderstandingaboutworldinthemodeof"wholeexperience".AccordingtoOakeshott,thedualismabouttherelationof"experience'and"theobjectofexperience'wouldhavelessacceptabilitythanthedoctrinesuchas"thereisonlyanexperienceworldaswhole'.

ThereisnootherworkexpressingphilosophyofOakeshottmoredirectlythanexperienceandtheirmode.Thisearl

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欧克肖特政治哲学要义新释

yworkismainlybenefitedfromthoughtsofBradleyandHegel.ItlearnsfromPlato,AristotleandSpinozatoo.Infact,OakeshottplayedanimportantroleintheresearchmunityofBritishNeo-Hegelianatthebeginningof20thcentury.Inthisbook,hetrieshardtoshowthereisnoessentialdifferencebetween"experienceoftheworld"and"theworlditself".Modesofscience,historyandpracticearealldifferentvisualanglesinunderstandingexperience.Eachmodeofexperiencetrieshardtoproceedfromitsownassumptionandacquirestotalunderstandingofexperience.Meanwhile,everykindofmodeisabstractunderstandingofthesoleworld.Duetothecontradictoriesbetweenvariousmodes,peopleshouldnotendorseanycertainmodeanddenyanotheroneabsolutely.

Certainly,itisimpossibleforustosurveythetheoryofmodesofexperiencepletely.Sothispapermustexpresslyconsidertheviewof"theseparationbetweenphilosophyandpractice".Inexperiencea

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欧克肖特政治哲学要义新释

中国论文联盟*编辑。Philosophyshouldnotbeanysystemwhichconsistsofextrinsicconcepts.Anyextrinsicconceptcannotdefinephilosophy,andphilosophyneedsnottointroduceanyexternalconcepts.Therefore,philosophywouldnotallowthescopeandstandardofitselftobeprovidedbypractice.Peoplemustkeepphilosophyfromdisturbanceoffeelandeffectwhichisbroughtforthinpractice.Exceptitself,philosophycanacknowledgeanyotherauthority.

However,thepurposeofrationalisminphilosophyistoreplaceallofothermodesofexperienceandthensecurea

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欧克肖特政治哲学要义新释

systematicalunderstandingoftheworld.Buttheexperienceoftheworldisunique.Practicehasitsexternalfeatureswhilephilosophycontendswithitthroughcritique.Butthestrengthofcritiqueofphilosophydoesnotgiveitselfrightofreplacingpractice.Philosophywon'tbeabletoprovideanyspecificinstructionforpractice.

AccordingtoOakeshott,philosophyisrelevanttoactuallife,buttherelationofthemshouldnotbeelevatedartificially.Inotherwords,philosophycan'tfundamentallycontrolpractice.JustasFrancoreviews，rationalisminpoliticsresultsinruinofpractice,butthelatteristheinviolablefountainofpolitics.

2Practiceas"BehaviorinChange"

Oakeshottarguesthatphilosophyhadnoabsoluterelationwithpractice,becausehebelievestheconcretesituationinactuallifecan'tbeconsideredbyphilosophy.AccordingtoOakeshott,practiceisdefinedasthebehaviorinchange,unabletoobtainabsoluteconsistency.Pra

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欧克肖特政治哲学要义新释

cticeisformedbybehavior.Itisactionitselfandtotalbehavioral.PeoplealwaystrytochangethEirlifemomentarily.Actionshouldbeunderstoodasthinginakindoftransitioninthisworld.Peoplealwaysask"whattheworldis',buttheworldisunstable,transientandvariableindeed.Thisisthekeytounderstandtheconceptofpracticecorrectly.OakeshottthinksthatweshouldexpectnEIthereternaltruthwhichcontainedinasystemofconcept,noranyconsistenttheorywhichkeepsupwithbehavior.Truthalwayscannotcatchuponbehavior.Anyendeavorofconstructingsystemofphilosophytoexercisecontroloverbehaviorwouldbefutileeventually.

Oakeshotthaspointedoutthekeycharacteristicofpracticewhichisposedofchangingbehaviorsintheworld.Throughemphasizingpracticeasabehavioralfield,Oakeshottwantstoshowthatwearealwaysdemandedtotakeactioninspecificenvironment.Thoughtcanbeassumed,suspected,criticizedand

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欧克肖特政治哲学要义新释

regained,butthebehavioristransientandfinalonceithasbeendone.Itisirrevocable,unabletobecancelled.Thishintsthatpracticealwayssubmitstothesenseofurgency,becauseproblemmusthavebeensolvedbeforeitslipsaway.

Practiceincludesassumption,andhasnodoubtaboutitsauthenticity.Thereiscertaintensionbetween"oughttobe'and"beinfact'.Philosopherhopestheirthoughthasunifiedsystem,butbehaviorinrealityisalwayslinkedtochange.Attemptingtodispelallcontradictionanddifferenceofpractice,rationalphilosophywillcausedisasters.Wehavenoadequatereasontochangethecontradictioninpresentpractice.Contradictionanddifferencecanbetolerated.Furthermore,theyarenecessaryforustobehaveeffectively.

中国论文联盟*编辑。PracticeandphilosophyareverydifferentineyesofOakeshott.Practiceisinthechange,andisrestrainedbyanurgentmatter.Itneedsnotthestabilizationasinthe

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欧克肖特政治哲学要义新释

systemofphilosophy,butitmusthavetheabilitytomakeadecisioninthechangingsituation.Inotherwords,itisinappropriateforpracticetobemandbyphilosophy.Practiceisintheworldfilledwithvalue.Itattemptstodefinesuchconceptsas"good',"right'and"ought'.Philosophyshouldnotconstructanysystemofvalueorprincipleofcorrectbehaviors,buttrytounderstandthem.

3Conclusions

Oakeshottsviewpointoftherelationofphilosophyandpracticeisthebasisofhiscritiqueofrationalisminpolitics.TherelativeseparationbetweenphilosophyandpracticeshowsthatOakeshottkeepsatadistancewithapletesystemofphilosophy,whichisfeatureofrationalism.Asknownbyall,rationalismisthemostremarkablefashionofmodernphilosophy.butwhatiswrongwithrationalism？Oakeshottacknowledgesthenecessityofsystematicknowledge,buthearguesthatitisinsufficientforpractice.Thushe

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欧克肖特政治哲学要义新释

primarilycontendsagainstrationalisminpolitics.Oakeshottthinksofpoliticsaspracticalactivities.Butrationalisminpoliticstriestoconvertpoliticalactivitiesintoabstractions.Itcreatestheillusionofcertainty,andthenleadspeopletobelievethatallproblemscanbesolvedcertainly.SinceitmisconcEivestherelationofphilosophyandpractice,andsomisconcEIvestherelationofphilosophyandpoliticstoo,ithasharmfuleffectsonpoliticalactivities.Oakeshotttriestopromotethepoliticsofcivilassociation4.Heseekstohaveuscultivateourcharacters.Individualsindependencewouldnotbeproductofrationalpoliticalsystem,buthisownabilitytounderstandthehintsintradition.

Notes:

MichaelOakeshott.ExperienceandItsModes.Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress,1933:21

PaulFranco.ThePoliticalPhilosophyofMichaelOakeshott.NewHavenandLondon:YaleUniversityPress,1990:113

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