How to understand karl jaspers Shengcun?

Jaspers is considered as one of the founders of German existentialism. He was born in 1883 and died in 1969. Philosophy of Existence * is three speeches by Jaspers in 1937 with the title of ontology, truth theory and practical problems, plus an introduction.

In the introduction, Jaspers discusses "existential philosophy" as a philosophy and the relationship between philosophy and natural science. Because at the beginning of the 20th century, philosophy was regarded as one of many sciences, just a university discipline, and philosophy no longer had the authority to think about the problems of existence or encyclopedia, but the task of traditional philosophy (metaphysics). In his view, the so-called existential philosophy is just the only form of ancient philosophy, but modern philosophy forgets that existence or survival is the task of philosophy, that is, observing reality from the source (the so-called "reality" is "existence as a goal and origin" for Jaspers), and treating oneself in thinking, that is, grasping reality through inner behavior (introduction, p. 1 page). Therefore, existential philosophy requires returning to reality itself from all superficial phenomena. For the author, the so-called reality is only reality for us, because I am myself, and reality can only be discovered through the internal behavior of thinking (introduction 12 page).

To return to reality, that is, to return to real existence or real life, we need to give up the "objective" scientific model, because scientific factual knowledge is not about existence, but about phenomena. Moreover, Jaspers noticed that in the last century (19-20th century), human beings have been averaged, mechanized and popularized, the existence of individuals no longer exists, and everyone is something that can be replaced (introduction page 2). Therefore, although scientific knowledge is very useful, it has a boundary after all, that is, natural science does not study human beings as survival itself, and natural science does not care about the meaning of life or action (introduction, page 7).

Therefore, philosophy needs another kind of thinking, which is different from natural science. It not only provides knowledge, but also reminds us, shocks us, makes us return to ourselves and changes me (introduction 1 1). Reality can only be found through the inner behavior of thinking, but "inner" refers not only to emotion, but to thinking, because reality can only be obtained in thinking, and thinking is the experience of reality (introduction 12 page). [It should be reminded that Jaspers later said that thinking cannot reach reality, for example, on page 6 1, "If a reality is completely thinkable, then it is no longer a reality, but just a possible addition", and on page 59, "Reality is something that resists any attempt to think about it, and it cannot reach reality by thinking alone". ]。

For Jaspers, only by understanding philosophy can the significance of (natural) science be truly demonstrated. If philosophy lives in science, it can break the dogmatism that appears repeatedly in science (introduction, page 9). Of course, Jaspers is also fully aware of the enlightenment of modern science to philosophy. "We can't find ready-made real philosophy in the past. Old philosophy can't be our philosophy if it is as it is. Philosophy should start again in every era and realize itself historically in every era according to the conditions of the new era. The most striking feature of the new conditions in the current era is the great development of pure science (introduction 1 1 page) ". Philosophy must work with science to realize another original philosophical thinking that comes from outside science.

In the first ontology, Jaspers discussed the existence as a complete book, its style, human existence and freedom.

Usually what we call "existence" is something, or an object, but the object is a defined existence, just a way of existence. And existence itself is the absolutization of a prescribed way of existence, and any recognized object is not existence itself (3 pages). There is no end to existence and it will never be closed. It leads us in all directions, and it always makes us discover the existence of new regulations.

This existence itself is all-encompassing and a complete set. It is not the horizon boundary that our knowledge reaches at a certain moment, but a horizon boundary that will never be seen, from which all new horizons are generated. Daquan always reveals some information about itself, but it has never become an object. It is such a thing that it does not show itself, but because of it, everything not only becomes what they directly show, but also continues to be transparent (4 pages).

However, when we think of Daquan, Daquan immediately becomes our object, for example, Daquan is the world, Daquan is universal consciousness and so on. However, Daquan is not an objective thing, which leads to the contradiction in meaning in any thinking about Daquan (5 pages). Nevertheless, people still think that the world, spirit, consciousness, transcendence (such as God), existence and other things are the manifestations of the whole book, which is called the whole. First of all, I am the subject and the world as the object, both of which exist freely and independently, so that the encyclopedia is characterized by two styles, namely, thinking and extension (Descartes), or empirical phenomena designated for consciousness and the world of free existence (Kant).

As a conscious subject, I am also a spirit. "All things that are consciously thought and true can be absorbed into the conceptual whole of this spirit (page 7)." As a spirit, man can transcend from being to being. The so-called existence is the existence of (spirit) itself, which is related to itself and existence, and to transcendence in itself.

Jaspers believes that philosophical activities are activities that can transcend existence. The basic activities of philosophy have changed my consciousness of existence, and the whole existence can only be illuminated as a space as big as nothing and all the spaces that exist in it (page 8). For traditional ontology, everything is just a matter of thought, while for existential philosophy, everything is simultaneously infiltrated by Daquan, and philosophical activities touch existence in transcendental thinking.

Jaspers then talked about the significance of knowability. He said that Daquan was unknowable. "The science of existence and the science of spirit are not about complete knowledge, but only about a phenomenon, and the existence of this phenomenon is ourselves (9 pages)." All kinds of encyclopedias, when they become research objects and only research objects, appear depressed and give up on themselves, as if they were dead. Daquan didn't give us knowledge, but let us keep my freedom (10 page).

Any perceived existence is not existence. As a recognized me, I am by no means myself. As the existence I recognize, this existence is by no means the existence itself. All known existence is a formed existence (page 1 1).

The second theory of telling the truth

What is truth? The author says that truth is the way to reach the existence that appears to us. Because it is not easy to reach such a road, Jaspers said, "Truth will cause pain and make people lose confidence and despair. (Page 2 1) "

Truth, by its very nature, cannot be clearly and consistently expressed and spoken. (22 pages)

The author also said that truth grows from various forms of encyclopedia (page 24).

Spiritual truth becomes truth by being subordinate to a self-explanatory and self-enclosed whole. This whole will not be recognized as an object, it can only be grasped in subordinate movements. (25 pages)

Truth does not exist in existing and realized things, but in things that emerge from existing situations here and now. (25 pages)

All kinds come from other truths, and only the truth of existence can refine its purity. The truth of existence, because of its simple and unconditional nature, can settle itself without knowing itself. (26 pages)

All forms of the meaning of truth are concentrated in the reality of our lives, and human existence is for the origin of all forms (page 32).

Jaspers went on to say that reason illuminates all kinds of encyclopedias and strives for the integration of all kinds of encyclopedias (45 pages).

Philosophy wants reality, not possibility (page 49).

Finally, the third is realism.

What is the reality? Reality is existence as a goal and origin. In this existence, everything in our thoughts and life stops. What is realistic is something that resists any attempt to think about it. Just thinking about it can't reach reality (page 59).

The ultimate problem of philosophical thinking is the pursuit of reality (page 55).

The key to entering reality lies in leap (60 pages).

Thinking belongs to reality (page 62).

Reality only shows itself in transformation. This "transition" refers to a moment of practice, which is gone forever (page 65).

The reality of the world can be grasped through the senses, while the transcendental reality can only be realized through faith (page 77).

Philosophical belief is an indispensable source of all real philosophical thinking activities. Starting from this origin, my own life movement occurred in this world, so as to experience and study the real phenomenon and reach the reality beyond existence (page 83).

All forces harmful to religion have become things that bring destruction to all mankind, and philosophy and science are no exception. (87 pages)

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* karl jaspers: Philosophy of Existence, translated by Wang Jiuxing, Translation Publishing House, 2005.