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1、康德的伦理学与挑战康德的伦理学与挑战 - Maria von Herbert 的案子的案子这是发生在 Kant(康德)和他的一个女崇拜者之间的故事。这个女士名叫 Maria von Herbert，热衷于学习 Kant 的哲学。这篇东西收集的是 Kant 和她的几封通信。Maria 和 Kant 互相并不认识，Maria 只是一个默默无闻的崇拜 Kant 的读者而已。可是 她突然选择了给 Kant 写信，为什么呢？故事是这样子的。她曾经有过一个情人，并且失身 于他。然而，那个男子辜负了她的信任。之后，她又爱上了一名男子，然而却一直犹豫是 不是要把自己这段历史告诉对方。她十分犹豫，因为她并不想欺
2、骗对方，但是一旦告知对 方这个秘密，又会影响他们现在的爱情。结果，她还是告诉了自己的情人，结果是-这个 男子不 爱她了。她对此极其痛苦，感觉生命都没有了意义，希望结束自己的生命。在这样的情况 下，她想请 Kant 帮助她：为什么还要继续活下去呢？作为一个 Kant 的热心学习者，她对 Kant 的哲学思想都十分熟悉。她特别指出，Kant 的绝对命令等道义学都根本帮助不了她： 她对自己的生命本身已经不再有兴趣。之后，Kant 给她回了一封信；一年之后，她又回了 另一封信。可是 Kant 再也没有回过信。大约十年后，Maria 结束了自己的生命。Kant 并没 有能够帮助她。这几篇通信为我们探讨了
3、 Kant 主义的伦理道义学的一些根本问题。 我们可以看看 Maria von Herbert 和 Kant 的通信。先是 Maria von Herbert 给 Kant 写 了一封信:(1). To Kant, From Maria von Herbert, August 1791 Great Kant,As a believer calls to his God, I call to you for help, for comfort, or for counsel to prep are me for death. Your writings prove that there is a
4、 future life. But as for this life, I have found no thing, nothing at all that could replace the good I have lost, for I loved someone who, in my eyes, encompassed within himself all that is worthwhile, so that I lived only for him, everything else wa s in comparison just rubbish, cheap trinkets. We
5、ll, I have offended this person, because of a long d rawn out lie, which I have now disclosed to him, though there was nothing unfavourable to my ch aracter in it, I had no vice in my life that needed hiding. The lie was enough though, and his love v anished. As an honourable man, he doesnt refuse m
6、e friendship. But that inner feeling that once, u nbidden, led us to each other, is no more -oh my heart splinters into a thousand pieces! If I hadnt read so much of your work I would certai nly have put an end to my life. But the conclusion I had to draw from your theory stops me -it is wrong for m
7、e to die because my life is tormented, instead Im supposed to live because of mybeing. Now put yourself in my place, and either damn me or comfort me. Ive read the metaphysicof morals, and the categorical imperative, and it doesnt help a bit. My reason abandons me just w hen I need it. Answer me, I
8、implore you -or you wont be acting in accordance with your own imperative.My address is Maria Herbert of K lagenfurt, Carinthia, care of the white lead factory, or perhaps you would rather send it via Reinho ld because the mail is more reliable there.大意是，Maria 告诉 Kant 自己遇到的问题。她把自己埋藏着的一个秘密（后来我们知道， 就是
9、她过去自己的情史）告诉了她的现任情人。显然她一直在犹豫是不是要把这个历史告 诉对方，因为她认为隐瞒就等于欺骗、撒谎，这是不道德的。因此她选择了把真相告诉对方。但她不认为自己过去在这件事上做了任何错事，也没有必要隐瞒， “there was nothing unfavourable to my character in it, I had no vice in my life that needed hiding.“ 。她担心的只是失去对方的爱情。结果，果然，当 Maria 把秘密告诉了对方，他对她的爱 就消失了。现在，Maria 心灰意冷，觉得生活再没有意义。她读了 Kant 的道德形而上学、
10、 绝对命令，但认为它们帮不了她。她希望 Kant 能设身处地的想想她的情况，谴责她，或者 安慰她都行。（2）. To Maria von Herbert, Spring 1792 (Kants rough draft) Your deeply felt letter comes from a heart that must have been created for the sake of virtue and h onesty, since it is so receptive to instruction in those qualities. I must do as you ask,
11、namely, put m yself in your place, and prescribe for you a pure moral sedative. I do not know whether your relati onship is one of marriage or friendship, but it makes no significant difference. For love, be it for o nes spouse or for a friend, presupposes the same mutual esteem for the others chara
12、cter, without which it is no more than perishable, sensual delusion. A love like that wants to communicate itselfcompletely, and it expects of its respondent a similar sharing of heart, unweakened by distrustful reticence. That is what the ideal of friendship demands. But there is something in us wh
13、ich puts li mits on such frankness, some obstacle to this mutual outpouring of the heart, which makes one kee p some part of ones thoughts locked within oneself, even when one is most intimate. The sages of old complained of this secret distrust -My dear friends, there is no such thing as a friend!W
14、e cant expect frankness of people, since eve ryone fears that to reveal himself completely would be to make himself despised by others. But thi s lack of frankness, this reticence, is still very different from dishonesty. What the honest but retic ent man says is true, but not the whole truth. What
15、the dishonest man says is something he knows t o be false. Such an assertion is called, in the theory of virtue, a lie. It may be harmless, but it is noton that account innocent. It is a serious violation of a duty to oneself; it subverts the dignity of hu manity in our own person, and attacks the r
16、oots of our thinking. As you see, you have sought coun sel from a physician who is no flatterer. I speak for your beloved and present him with arguments t hat justify his having wavered in his affection for you. Ask yourself whether you reproach yoursel f for the imprudence of confessing, or for the immorality intrinsic to the lie. If the former, then yo u regret having done your duty. And why? Because it has resulted in the loss of your friends confi dence. This regret is
