不合時宜的冥想：尼采談叔本華（二）

Animality of Modern Men 現代人的動物性

續前篇：

任天飛：不合時宜的冥想：尼采談叔本華（一）zhuanlan.zhihu.com

在上一篇末尾我提到，在建立「動物」這一概念的共識後，尼采開始討論人類，尤其是當代人類的「動物性」，並區分動物性和人性的界限。

那麼更詳細說，現代人類看起來發展得有模有樣，為什麼出現了動物性這一返祖現象呢？誠然，現代人類在歷史的長河中漲了很多姿勢，但是並不一定說人類掌握更多知識，就更有意識、簡樸或者真誠哇。相反，富裕、浮誇、過量、奢靡的知識量可能會嚇到人們讓他們不敢追尋自己生命中最重要的東西，而是回到最原始的動物性，「無意識的本能」。

Then more specifically, how do the seemingly well-developed modern men bear the primitive trait of animality?

Granted, modern men have accumulated enough knowledge along their history. However, it is not necessary that the more knowledge men have, the more conscious, simple or honest they are.

On the contrary, the affluent, superfluous, excessive, extravagant knowledge can intimidate men from finding the one true source of life and prompt them to return to their primitive animality, the 「unconsciousness of instinct」 (158) .

尼采觀察到我們現代人類「急著把心交給國家，掙錢，社交，科學僅僅是為了不捧著心燙手山芋不知道往哪裡放，而是埋頭做日常手頭工作，不去多想」。現代人們背負著太多社會責任，每天有做不完的事，以至於他們沒什麼時間精力去想為什麼他們在做他們正在做的事。

Nietzsche observes that we modern men「hasten to give our heart to the state, to money-making, to sociability or science merely so as no longer to possess it ourselves, and labour at our daily work more」 (158) .

Modern men bear such heavy social responsibilities and perform such endless daily tasks that they barely have time or energy to meditate on why they are doing what they do.

事實上講，尼采認為，我們現代人類「熱烈無腦地只想著怎麼生存，因為對我們來說，不去停下來思考是比生存本身更重要的事」。由於冥想的能力是人和動物本質的區別，缺乏思考說明了我們的動物性，即，只根據我們的本能匆忙恐懼地做事。（現代社會的繁華並不會否定人還有動物性這一事實。）動物性限制人類，讓我們變成自然界里「無足輕重的逐獵者」，而不是我們眼中高於我們存在的「人」。

In fact, according to Nietzsche, we modern men 「ardently and thoughtlessly than is necessary to sustain our life because to us it is even more necessary not to have leisure to stop and think」 (158) .

Since meditation is an essential ability that tells men apart from other animals, the lack of thinking signals our animality, that is, to act in haste and fear only according to our instinct. （Again, the prosperity of modern world does not deny the fact that men still contains animality.)

The restraints of animality render us to be 「subtle beasts of prey」 among all nature, instead of 「men」 that in our opinion should 「[stand] higher above us」 (158) . By analyzing modern men in general, Nietzsche suggests that modern men still contain animality.

那麼動物性的詛咒主宰多數當代人類，人們怎麼超越自身的動物性呢？

幸運的是，尼采搬出叔本華這顆閃亮之星，他身體力行告訴我們怎樣帶我們走出動物性的泥淖。叔本華經歷並克服了這些危險：孤獨、看清真相的絕望感和分裂感（響應了知識的召喚，但又不滿真相或繼續迷茫，無法擺脫持續的渴望。。。），或者說，互相抗衡的創造力和破壞力。

儘管他虔誠地探索哲學時遇到許多「藏於生命深處的危險」，叔本華從來沒有「成為一個小寫的人，渾渾噩噩」地屈服於動物本能。相反，「這形單影隻的人」一直一直保護他獨特的內涵，追求他的哲學理想。

Now that the curse of animality as a punishment dominates most of the modern men, how do human beings transcend their own animality?

Fortunately, Nietzsche puts forward the distinctive figure, Schopenhauer as an educator, who suggests a way to 「lift us」 from our mundane animality (159) . According to Nietzsche, Schopenhauer individually undergoes and conquers three more general dangers, 「isolation」 (138) 「despair of the truth」 (140) and 「dualism」 (his 「[fulfilled] calling」 and 「a burning longing [that dwells]」), or, the productive and destructive forces that confront each other (143) .

Despite the 「constitutional dangers」 during his devotion to philosophy, Schopenhauer never 「[perishes] as a human being and to lead a ghostly life」 which means to submit to his animal instinct. Instead, 「the singular man」 pertains to the uniqueness of his being and pursues his philosophical ideals as always (144) .

推薦閱讀：