对亚里士多德的实践逻各斯思想的梳理

在亚里士多德的用法中,实践主要指道德行为,有时也包括制作活动,偶尔还包括思辨活动。逻各斯的词典意义是语言及其所表达的东西,特别是普遍性的道理。亚里士多德把人的灵魂分为植物性部分、动物性部分和专属人的部分——前两部分没有逻各斯,后一部分有逻各斯,从而把逻各斯看做人之为人的本质规定。他又把有逻各斯的部分分为有理论逻各斯的部分和有实践逻各斯的部分,前者以不变的原因、原理为对象,后者以可变的人、物、事为对象;运作前者的机能叫理论理智,运作后者的机能叫实践理智。逻各斯的最完整的语言形式为三段论。表达原理的三段论为理论三段论,其大、小前提和结论都是普遍性命题;指导实践的三段论为实践三段论,其大前提为跟人有关的普遍性命题,其小前提为跟行为者有关的个别性命题,其结论为行动。实践三段论的复杂性在于一个行为往往受多个互相异质的三段论的影响,因此,要做出恰当的行为,就既要让欲求习惯于听从正确的大前提从而养成德性,又要善于运用理智在不同的三段论之间计虑权衡,即要有实践智慧。

Summary of Aristotelian Practical Logos

According to Aristotle,practice mainly refers to morality,sometimes including manufacturing activity,and occasionally meditative activity.According to dictionaries,logos refers to language and the meaning it expresses,particularly,the universal truth.Aristotle divides human soul into three parts,that of plant,of animal and of man.The former two do not possess logos,but the third one has,which distinguishes man from others.He further divides the part with logos into another two parts,theoretical part and practical part with the former having unchanging reason and principle as object and the latter changing man,thing and event;the mechanism of the former is called theoretical reason and the latter practical reason.The complete linguistic form of logos is syllogism.Syllogism expressing principles is theoretical syllogism,whose macro and micro premise and conclusion is universal proposition;syllogism guiding practice is practical syllogism,whose macro premise is a universal proposition related to man,micro premise is a particular proposition related to man of behavior and conclusion is action.The complexity of practical syllogism lies in the behavior influenced by multiple related heterogeneous syllogisms,particularly the conflict between certain macro premise expressing correct reason and micro premise expressing the strongest desire of the animal part of the soul.Therefore,a proper behavior requires the submissiveness of desire to the correct micro premise so as to form virtue and the balance among different syllogism with reason,that is,with practical wisdom.