篇名 | Particularism, Pattern and Rule-following |
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卷期 | 23 |
並列篇名 | 個別主義、模式、規則遵循 |
作者 | 祖旭華 |
頁次 | 079-116 |
關鍵字 | particularism 、 principlism 、 rule-following 、 the normativity of meaning 、 universalizability 、 Frank Jackson 、 Michael Smith 、 Philip Pettit 、 個別主義 、 原則主義 、 規則遵循 、 意義的規範性 、 可普遍性 、 THCI |
出刊日期 | 201001 |
Frank Jackson, Michael Smith 與Philip Pettit 在〈道德個別主義與模式〉一文中為原則主義者辯護,他們主張「對」這個道德語詞的意義,必定受一個統攝性的意義模式所規範。而如果這個統攝性的意義模式是X,那麼我們就可以推導出一個為真的道德原則「X 是對的」。如此一來,主張沒有為真的道德原則存在的個別主義就被否證了。就文獻上來看,有四種用來證成有此統攝性的意義模式存在的論證。它們分別是概念掌握論證 (conceptual competence argument)、意義的規範性論證 (the normativity of meaning)、一致性論證 (consistency) 與可普遍性論證 (universalizability)。本文目的在於悍衛個別主義,筆者將論證以上四種論證都不成功。在文章末尾,筆者將更進一步論證,即便有此統攝性的意義模式存在,這也無助於原則主義者宣稱有真的道德原則存在,因為「對」這個道德語詞的意義模式 (pattern) 不同於對的判準 (criterion)。
Frank Jackson, Michael Smith and Philip Pettit, in their co-authored paper “Ethical Particularism and Pattern” argue on behalf of the principlists that there must be a unifying meaning pattern governing
the term “rightness”. And if there is a unifying meaning pattern,let’s say X, that governs the use of the term “rightness”, then we can get a true moral principle of the following form: X is right. articularism,a doctrine which denies the existence of any true moral principles, would thus be falsified.In defense of particularism, I will critique four arguments invoked in support of the claim that there is such a pattern: the conceptual competence argument, the normativity of meaning argument, the consistency argument, and the universalizability argument. I contend that none of these arguments work. In the end of my paper, I argue that even if there is a pattern of the term “rightness”,it will not help the principlists to establish their claim that there are true moral rinciples, for a meaning pattern of rightness has to be distinguished from a riterion of rightness.