作为反思现代性的实践美学——驳“实践美学终结论”

实践美学的批评论者错误地理解了实践美学的问题域,割裂了审美与现实社会、人生的丰富联系,他们从审美中心主义的视点出发,将现代性的主体性原则简单地等同于个人本位和感性本体,先入为主地认为实践美学片面强调必然、物质、群体、理性,因而断定实践美学“不具有现代性,还不是现代美学”,并宣称“实践美学作为一个具有理论规定性的学术流派走向终结”。这种简单的三段论式的思路无论是前提还是由此得出的结论都是值得商榷的。实践美学建基于马克思实践唯物主义的现代性构想之上,坚持从现实社会、人生出发理解审美问题,反对后实践美学对超验彼岸世界的乌托邦幻想;坚持感性与理性、个体与群体的统一,反对后实践美学对理性的激进批判。实践美学不仅具有现代性,是真正的现代美学;而且作为对现代性(包括启蒙现代性与审美现代性)的反思,实践美学是一项未完成的现代性工程。

Practice Aesthetics and its Reflection on Modernity

Those who are opposed to the practice aesthetics misunderstand the study domain of practice aesthetics, thus divorcing aesthetics from realistic society and life. Starting with the viewpoint of aesthetic centralism, they identify the subjectivity principle of modernity with individualism and sense ontology, accusing prejudicially practice aesthetics of overemphasizing certainty, materiality, society and rationality. They, thus, conclude that Practice Aesthetics is not modern aesthetics. This simple syllogism is suspicious in terms of both its premise and its conclusion. On the contrary, based on the modernity project of Marxism practical materialism, Practice Aesthetics persists in interpreting aesthetic issues with realistic society and life as its starting point, and it is opposed to the utopia illusion of the other world held by the post-practice aesthetic. Secondly, it advocates the unity of sense and reason, society and individuality, and is opposed to the radical criticism of reason initiated by post-practice aesthetics. Practice Aesthetics not only has modernity and is the authentic modern aesthetics, but as a project reflecting on modernity, it remains unaccomplished.