作為「旁觀者」的莊子──從鄂蘭與霍耐特的觀點解讀莊子政治思想

Zhuangzi as Spectator: An Interpretation of Zhuangzi’s Political Thought from the Perspectives of Arendt and Honneth

本文討論作為「旁觀者」（spectator）的莊子如何面對歧見、價值衝突的問題。莊子思想究竟是退卻於政治參與的「隱士哲學」，還是蘊涵著政治思想，甚至具有政治批判、參與的可能性，此一問題是當代臺灣莊子學研究的關注焦點。為了讓莊子的相關洞見參與當代政治思想的討論脈絡，本文的後半部將藉由鄂蘭（Hannah Arendt, 1906-1975）與霍耐特（Axel Honneth）的理論作為對話夥伴與參照資源，藉此開發莊子政治思想的潛能。本文將討論某種特殊的莊子「隱士哲學」，既可呼應鄂蘭意義下的「政治」，又能解釋表面看來退隱不出仕、去政治化的莊子形象。換言之，作為「旁觀者」的莊子仍能扮演某種政治角色，亦即以靜觀的方式擴大心智、形成判斷。再者，我還將援引霍耐特對公正不倚的「旁觀者」與「交互承認」（mutual recognition）的相關思考做進一步的補充，以便論證「旁觀者」對於平等對話的共同體為何具有重要意義。

This article discusses how Zhuangzi, as a“spectator,”thinks about the issues of disparity and value conflict. Contemporary Taiwanese research focuses on whether Zhuangzi’s thought eschews political participation and belongs to the“philosophy of recluses,”or whether it contains political elements and allows for the possibility of political criticism and participation. In order to relate Zhuangzi’s political insights to discussions of contemporary political thought, the second half of this article references the theories of Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) and Axel Honneth as partners in dialogue. Zhuangzi advocates a certain type of political thought, which does not directly intervene in politics, but which nonetheless plays a role in political affairs and the public sphere. That is, Zhuangzi’s political thought enlarges people’s mentalities and enables them to form judgments in a contemplative way. In addition, the article provides a brief summary and discussion of Honneth’s views on the impartial“spectator”and“mutual recognition”in order to demonstrate why his concept of the“spectator”is significant to a community engaged in equal dialogue.