解消所有矛盾的「絕對者」：庫撒努思在《論博學的無知》的上帝觀

“The Absolute” Eliminating all Contradictions: Cusanus's View of God in Of Learned Ignorance

庫撒努思（Cusanus; Nicolaus von Kues）在《論博學的無知》（De docta ignorantis, 1440）透過對人類理性之限制探討有關「上帝」的觀念。其對於「上帝」最核心的說法主要在該書中卷一。庫撒努思以上帝作為「絕對者」，作為「絕對者」的上帝是沒有任何事物可與之相提並論的。庫撒努思從認識論的角度來說明知識是基於相互比較異同而產生的，可比較性則來自具體之數量或性質的差異。然而這些差異、對立和矛盾在「絕對者」之內都將化為烏有，因為「絕對者」將解消所有的衝突矛盾。一方面，上帝作為「絕對者」不可能以具體事物的模式被比較，但在另一方面，上帝作為「絕對者」根本是超越人類的認知範圍。上帝內所有的對立都被取消，不僅是數量與性質的界定，甚至連「存在」與「不存在」的差異對上帝都不成立。庫撒努思的陳述超越了邏輯、且無法以邏輯分析；此種徹底的無分別性顯示上帝的難以解釋。本文嘗試論述庫撒努思此超越邏輯與理性思維的上帝觀。 Cusanus (Nicholas of Cusa, 1401-1464) investigates the idea of “God” through the boundary of human reason in Of Learned Ignorance (De docta ignorantis, 1440). The most central statements concerning “God” lie in the Volume 1 of the book. Cusanus regards God as “the Absolute” with whom there is nothing can be compared. Cusanus takes an epistemological approach to explicate that knowledge results from comparison between the same and the different, and that comparability comes from concrete differences in quantity or quality. Yet these differences, opposites, and contradictions will disappear in “the Absolute”, for “the Absolute” will remove all conflicts and contradictions. On the one hand, as “the Absolute” God cannot be compared with in the way of concrete entities.On the other hand, God is beyond our ken. All opposites within God will be eliminated; not only the determination of quantity or quality, but even the contrary between existence and non-existence cannot hold. Cusanus's accounts exceed logics and cannot be analyzed by logics; such total indistinguishability manifests the incomprehensibility of God. This essay tries to expound Cusanus's view of God that is beyond logical and reasonable thinking.