天佑美國：一則爆炸性的政治神話   全文下載

God Bless America: An Explosive Myth of Politics

本研究分析2001年911事件前後，在美國政治論述中與「政治神話」有關的論述實踐及其結構，據以進行論述分析的主要文本是布希(GeorgeW. Bush)總統的相關言論。在研究的分析與詮釋方法上，研究者嫁接Bakunin 與Cassirer 的理論觀點，建構出「三位連動的神話統治結構」，以此作為問題的起點與論述分析的骨幹，同時，以Cassirer 政治神話的論點作為分析與詮釋之主要參照。隨著911事件在世人面前的爆炸性登場，布希總統對全能上帝的呼求──天佑美國，以及讓此呼求相關論述的巫術性功能得以發揮的理論基礎──天命論，不脫「三位連動的神話統治結構」。這種具有「政治神話」效果的論述結構，透過語言提供一種本質性、實體性的規定，在試圖達到某種全球共同體之統一的同時，牽連卻分裂地建構其對立面（以美國本質上絕對的善對照出恐怖份子本質上絕對的惡）。當政治生活陷入絕境，求助於宗教的呼求更顯迫切時，從神話的角度來思考現代國家的政治問題，有助於貼近人類的存有情態。

This article is to analyse how the event of 911, 2001 boomed the myth of politics of the United States. The analysis aims at the relevant discourses mainly by President George W. Bush before and in the aftermath of the event. In the first place, both the theoretical points of view concerning the relationship of God and the State by Bakunin and the mythical thought in the modern systems by Cassirer are rearticulated to construct "the tri-positioned structure of mythical governance" as the starting point of exploration and as the main frame for the analysis. Secondly, Cassirer's theory about the myth of politics as the main interpretive tool helps us to construct the tri-positioned structure of mythical governance as the implicit discursive structures of the myth of politics of the United States, which is precisely what we find out relevant to Bush's call for the omnipotent God—God bless America, and the theoretical basis he uses for rationalizing their irrational magical functions— Providentialism. Through discursive activities, they prescribe for the United States an essentialist and fundamentalist interpellation project to construct her opposite, the terrorists and their allies, which is the integrated part in Bush's demonstration of the essential good of the United States, but to be excluded in attaining the goal of unifying the globe as a single community. When human political life is trapped in desperate situations and the call for desperate means seems to be so urgent, pondering the political problems of the modern state in terms of myth may help us scrutinize more closely the practical and existential states of the human being.