What is post-metaphysical thinking? (ChatGPT, 2024-10-2)
Post-metaphysical thinking refers to a philosophical approach that moves away from traditional metaphysical inquiries into the ultimate nature of reality, which typically involve abstract, speculative questions about existence, being, and the nature of the world beyond physical experience. Instead, it emphasizes practical reasoning, linguistic analysis, and the contextual, contingent nature of human understanding.
This mode of thought emerged largely in response to the critiques of metaphysical philosophy seen in thinkers like Immanuel Kant, Martin Heidegger, and Ludwig Wittgenstein, who questioned whether metaphysical claims could be meaningfully discussed or proven.
In post-metaphysical thinking, philosophy shifts its focus from questions about transcendent entities or timeless truths to more pragmatic concerns, such as human experience, communication, ethics, and historical contexts. Key proponents include Jürgen Habermas, who emphasizes communicative rationality, and Richard Rorty, who advocates for a more pragmatic, anti-essentialist understanding of philosophy.
Essentially, post-metaphysical thinking sees knowledge and truth as contingent on historical and cultural factors, rather than anchored in timeless metaphysical absolutes.
In other words, post-metaphysical thinking gives up the possibility of transcendence, and advocates immanence? (ChatGPT, 2024-10-2)
Yes, that's a fair way to put it. Post-metaphysical thinking generally rejects the idea of transcendence in the traditional metaphysical sense — that is, the belief in an ultimate reality or realm that exists beyond or independent of human experience and the material world. Instead, it focuses on immanence, meaning that all meaningful knowledge, values, and understanding are grounded in human experience, language, and the world as we encounter it.
Thinkers within this tradition argue that instead of seeking timeless, universal truths that transcend human existence, we should recognize the historically contingent, socially constructed, and linguistically mediated nature of reality. In this view, there is no need for metaphysical speculation about an ultimate reality beyond what we can engage with practically in our lives.
For example, Jürgen Habermas advocates for a shift toward communicative rationality, where reason is embedded in social and linguistic practices, rather than seeking abstract, transcendent truths. Similarly, Richard Rorty dismisses metaphysical pursuits in favor of pragmatic approaches that focus on human purposes and practices, emphasizing that knowledge is always shaped by particular contexts and interests.
In this sense, post-metaphysical thinking often aligns with a philosophy of immanence, where meaning and knowledge are embedded within the world we live in, rather than sought in some "beyond."
Can we say that post-metaphysical thinking gives up metaphysical consolation, and becomes a wanderer in the wilderness? (ChatGPT, 2024-10-2)
Yes, that metaphor captures the existential dimension of post-metaphysical thinking quite well. In traditional metaphysics, there is often a sense of "consolation" in the belief that there is a higher, transcendent reality or ultimate truth that gives life meaning or provides a stable foundation for knowledge, ethics, or existence. Such metaphysical frameworks offer a kind of certainty or comfort — whether it's in the form of God, eternal truths, or a cosmic order.
Post-metaphysical thinking, by contrast, relinquishes that metaphysical consolation. It no longer seeks or claims access to a transcendent realm that might offer ultimate answers or meaning. Instead, it recognizes the uncertainty, contingency, and historical situatedness of human life and knowledge. This can indeed feel like becoming "a wanderer in the wilderness" — moving through a world without metaphysical guarantees or secure foundations, constantly navigating the complexities of human existence without the expectation of absolute truths or final resolutions.
This "wandering" is often seen in existentialist and post-structuralist thought, where the lack of metaphysical certainty can lead to a sense of openness, freedom, or even disorientation. Thinkers like Nietzsche, who famously proclaimed the "death of God," embrace this wandering as an opportunity for creativity and self-overcoming. In a similar vein, post-metaphysical thinkers like Rorty and Habermas view the absence of metaphysical foundations as a call to focus on dialogue, contingency, and the continual construction of meaning within human communities.
In this view, the "wilderness" represents both the challenge and the potential of a world where we must find meaning and purpose without the crutch of metaphysical certainties. It’s a philosophy of immanence and perpetual questioning, where humans are responsible for navigating the ethical, political, and existential dilemmas of their time, with no final "home" in transcendence.
Throughout the history of philosophy, which notable philosophers ever had the post-metaphysical impulse? (ChatGPT, 2024-10-2)
意思是說，車行「形上學」，就是車行「後形上學」，
這些後形上學的衝動的好兄弟，就是車行者（van lifers），
你要理解，與「後形上學的衝動」相對的是，對于「形上學的慰藉」的渴求，
渴，就是行走荒漠，沒有水喝，脫水譫妄，
意思是說，後形上學的衝動，就是譫妄，
你要理解，Artaud 的診斷，就是譫妄，
意思是說，人無症狀不存在，無癮不立，不譫妄，就不成其為藝術，
至此，你終于知道，車行就是流放（exile)，車行者就是流浪漢（hobo，vagabond)，但是 Jack Reacher，船子和尚，洪七公，風清揚，W. H. Davies，George Orwell，豬哥亮，李炳輝，金門王，李文龍，都說過，車行者，是流浪漢，不是無業遊民，不是叫花子 （vagrant)，https://lawyer.get.com.tw/Dic/DictionaryDetail.aspx?sA=V&iDT=81277，只是不願「住」在一個地方 （應無所住而生其心），超過四十八小時 (48 Hrs (1982), Another 48 Hrs (1990))，最多六十一小時 (61 Hours, Lee Child, 2010)，那是冰封大地所致的例外，
Cf.
William Henry Davies （1871-1940）
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._H._Davies
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Autobiography_of_a_Super-Tramp
Works
- The Soul's Destroyer and Other Poems (of the author, The Farmhouse, 1905) (also Alston Rivers, 1907), (Jonathan Cape, 1921)
- New Poems (Elkin Mathews, 1907)
- Nature Poems (Fifield, 1908)
- The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp (Fifield, 1908) (autobiographical)
- How It Feels To Be Out of Work (The English Review, 1 December 1908)
- Beggars (Duckworth, 1909) (autobiographical)
- Farewell to Poesy (Fifield, 1910)
- Songs of Joy and Others (Fifield, 1911)
- A Weak Woman (Duckworth, 1911)
- The True Traveller (Duckworth, 1912) (autobiographical)
- Foliage: Various Poems (Elkin Mathews, 1913)
- Nature (Batsford, 1914) (autobiographical)
- The Bird of Paradise (Methuen, 1914)
- Child Lovers (Fifield, 1916)
- Collected Poems (Fifield, 1916)
- A Poet's Pilgrimage (or A Pilgrimage In Wales) (Melrose, 1918) (autobiographical)
- Forty New Poems (Fifield, 1918)
- Raptures (Beaumont Press, 1918)
- The Song of Life (Fifield, 1920)
- The Captive Lion and Other Poems (Yale University Press, on the Kinglsey Trust Association Publication Fund, 1921)
- Form (ed. Davies and Austin O. Spare, Vol 1, Numbers 1, 2 & 3, 1921/1922)
- The Hour of Magic (illustrated by Sir William Nicholson, Jonathan Cape, 1922)
- Shorter Lyrics of the Twentieth Century, 1900–1922 (ed Davies, Bodley Head, 1922) (anthology)
- True Travellers. A Tramp's Opera in Three Acts (illustrated by Sir William Nicholson, Jonathan Cape, 1923)
- Collected Poems, 1st Series (Jonathan Cape, 1923)
- Collected Poems, 2nd Series (Jonathan Cape, 1923)
- Selected Poems (illustrated with woodcuts by Stephen Bone, Jonathan Cape, 1923)
- 'Poets and Critics' – New Statesman, 21, (8 September 1923)
- What I Gained and Lost By Not Staying at School (Teachers World 29, June 1923)
- Secrets (Jonathan Cape, 1924)
- Moll Flanders, introduction by Davies (Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent and Co, 1924)
- A Poet's Alphabet (Jonathan Cape, 1925; illustrated by Dora Batty)[46]
- Later Days (Jonathan Cape, 1925) (autobiographical)
- Augustan Book of Poetry: Thirty Selected Poems (Benn, 1925)
- The Song of Love (Jonathan Cape, 1926)
- The Adventures of Johnny Walker, Tramp (Jonathan Cape, 1926) (autobiographical)
- A Poet's Calendar (Jonathan Cape, 1927)
- Dancing Mad (Jonathan Cape, 1927)
- The Collected Poems of W. H. Davies (Jonathan Cape, 1928)
- Moss and Feather (Faber and Gwyer No. 10 in the Faber Ariel poems pamphlet series, 1928; illustrated by Sir William Nicholson)
- Forty Nine Poems (selected and illustrated by Jacynth Parsons (daughter of Karl Parsons), Medici Society, 1928)
- Selected Poems (arranged by Edward Garnett, introduction by Davies, Gregynog Press, 1928)
- Ambition and Other Poems (Jonathan Cape, 1929)
- Jewels of Song (ed., anthology, Jonathan Cape, 1930)
- In Winter (Fytton Armstrong, 1931; limited edition of 290, illustrated by Edward Carrick; special limited edition of 15 on handmade paper also hand-coloured)
- Poems 1930–31 (illustrated by Elizabeth Montgomery, Jonathan Cape, 1931)
- The Lover's Song Book (Gregynog Press, 1933)
- My Birds (with engravings by Hilda M. Quick, Jonathan Cape, 1933)
- My Garden (with illustrations by Hilda M. Quick, Jonathan Cape, 1933)
- 'Memories' – School, (1 November 1933)
- The Poems of W. H. Davies: A Complete Collection (Jonathan Cape, 1934)
- Love Poems (Jonathan Cape, 1935)
- The Birth of Song (Jonathan Cape, 1936)
- 'Epilogue' to The Romance of the Echoing Wood, (a Welsh tale by W. J. T. Collins, R. H. Johns Ltd, 1937)
- An Anthology of Short Poems (ed., anthology, Jonathan Cape, 1938)
- The Loneliest Mountain (Jonathan Cape, 1939)
- The Poems of W. H. Davies (Jonathan Cape, 1940)
- Common Joys and Other Poems (Faber and Faber, 1941)
- Collected Poems of W. H. Davies (with Introduction by Osbert Sitwell, Jonathan Cape, 1943)
- Complete Poems of W. H. Davies (with preface by Daniel George and introduction by Osbert Sitwell, Jonathan Cape, 1963)
- Young Emma (Jonathan Cape, written 1924, published 1980) (autobiographical)
Notable anthologies
- Collected Poems of W. H. Davies, London: Jonathan Cape, 1940
- B. Waters, ed., The Essential W. H. Davies, London: Jonathan Cape, 1951
- Rory Waterman, ed. and introd., W. H. Davies, the True Traveller: A Reader(Manchester: Fyfield/Carcanet Press, 2015 (accessible via Perlego)
Cf.
Down and Out in Paris and London (George Orwell, 1933)
Cf.
| vagrancy |
| 中文 |
|---|
| 流浪；流浪罪 |
| 解釋 |
| 普通法上指游手好閒者能夠以勞動維持生計卻不勞動，沒有固定的住所和經濟收入而依賴他人救濟。流浪本身不是一種具體行為，而是某種身體狀況。這是本罪的一個顯著特點。傳統上，流浪者指靠行乞和偷竊為生的懶人。英國早期普通法中，流浪者可被判處從烙刑、鞭刑到流刑的不同懲罰。後來制定法上將許多不端行為當作流浪處理。在1824年的《流浪法》〔Vagrancy Act〕中將無所事事者〔idle persons〕和妨害治安者〔disorderly persons〕及無賴〔rogues〕、流浪漢〔vagabonds〕和無可救藥者〔incorrigible rogues〕總稱為流浪者並加以區分。但該法後來被修正。美國各州制定法關於流浪罪的規定差異很大，有些制定法規定某一單獨的行為即可構成流浪罪，由於其中規定流浪的概念含糊不清或借此懲罰了許多本不構成犯罪的行為，所以很多關於流浪罪的制定法被認為違憲。 |
The post-metaphysical impulse in philosophy, while formally emerging in the 20th century, has roots in several earlier philosophers who challenged the traditional metaphysical framework or sought alternatives to metaphysical speculation. Here’s a brief overview of notable philosophers throughout history who exhibited such an impulse:
### 1. **Socrates (470–399 BCE)**
- **Impulse**: While not fully post-metaphysical, Socrates emphasized practical ethics and human wisdom over speculative metaphysical questions about the universe.
- **Significance**: Socrates famously declared that he "knew nothing" and focused on questioning assumptions and exploring human virtues rather than seeking metaphysical truths.
### 2. **Immanuel Kant (1724–1804)**
- **Impulse**: Kant famously critiqued metaphysical speculation in his *Critique of Pure Reason*. He argued that human reason cannot access things "in themselves" (noumena) and must limit its inquiry to phenomena — the world as we experience it.
- **Significance**: Kant redefined metaphysics by showing that many traditional metaphysical questions (about God, the soul, etc.) were beyond the reach of human knowledge, thus initiating a move away from speculative metaphysics toward a focus on the limits of reason.
### 3. **Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)**
- **Impulse**: Nietzsche directly attacked traditional metaphysics, especially the Platonic-Christian idea of transcendent truth. He saw metaphysical systems as life-denying and instead advocated for the affirmation of life and immanence.
- **Significance**: Nietzsche's critique of metaphysical "truth" and his proclamation of the "death of God" represent a radical break from metaphysics. He focused on power, values, and human creativity as central to human existence, rejecting the need for metaphysical consolation.
### 4. **Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951)**
- **Impulse**: Wittgenstein, particularly in his later work (*Philosophical Investigations*), abandoned the metaphysical search for the essence of language, meaning, or reality. Instead, he saw philosophy as a tool to clarify language and dissolve confusion, rather than as a means to discover metaphysical truths.
- **Significance**: Wittgenstein’s idea that philosophy should describe rather than explain, and that meaning is found in use (pragmatic, contextual thinking), contributed to the post-metaphysical impulse.
### 5. **Martin Heidegger (1889–1976)**
- **Impulse**: Heidegger critiqued traditional metaphysics as a forgetfulness of Being. He sought to "deconstruct" metaphysics and return to more fundamental questions about existence (Being) as experienced in time and history.
- **Significance**: Though Heidegger developed an alternative ontology, his critique of the metaphysical tradition (especially the focus on beings rather than Being) helped pave the way for post-metaphysical thought.
### 6. **John Dewey (1859–1952)**
- **Impulse**: Dewey, a pragmatist, rejected metaphysical dualisms (such as mind-body or subject-object) and instead advocated for a focus on human experience and inquiry. He believed philosophy should be practical and rooted in everyday life.
- **Significance**: Dewey's pragmatism emphasized problem-solving, community, and democracy over metaphysical abstraction, showing a clear post-metaphysical tendency.
### 7. **Jürgen Habermas (1929–)**
- **Impulse**: Habermas explicitly formulates a "post-metaphysical" project in his philosophy. He shifts away from the metaphysical search for foundational truths to focus on communicative action, ethics, and the social-practical dimension of reason.
- **Significance**: Habermas argues that we no longer need metaphysical foundations to legitimize norms or knowledge; instead, validity arises through communication and discourse in social contexts.
### 8. **Richard Rorty (1931–2007)**
- **Impulse**: Rorty was a central figure in articulating a post-metaphysical stance. He rejected the search for objective truth or metaphysical foundations and advocated for a pragmatic philosophy focused on language, contingency, and conversation.
- **Significance**: Rorty’s anti-essentialism and emphasis on contingency reflect a clear rejection of metaphysics. He viewed philosophy as a tool for achieving solidarity and coping with life, not for discovering ultimate truths.
### 9. **Gilles Deleuze (1925–1995)**
- **Impulse**: Deleuze critiqued the traditional metaphysical categories of identity, representation, and transcendence, advocating instead for immanence, becoming, and difference. He sought to create a philosophy of flux and multiplicity rather than fixed essences.
- **Significance**: Deleuze’s philosophy is often read as anti-metaphysical, as he favored a worldview based on immanence and process rather than static, transcendent metaphysical concepts.
### 10. **Michel Foucault (1926–1984)**
- **Impulse**: Foucault rejected traditional metaphysical concerns in favor of studying the historical and social conditions that shape knowledge, power, and subjectivity. He critiqued the idea of universal, timeless truths.
- **Significance**: Foucault’s genealogical approach to knowledge focuses on how truth is historically contingent and socially constructed, avoiding metaphysical claims about reality or morality.
### Summary
Throughout the history of philosophy, these thinkers share a common impulse to question, critique, or move beyond traditional metaphysical concerns. Whether through Kant's critique of pure reason, Nietzsche's rejection of metaphysical consolation, or Habermas and Rorty’s focus on practical reasoning and discourse, each contributed to the post-metaphysical turn by challenging the idea that philosophy must seek a transcendent foundation for truth or reality. Instead, they emphasize human experience, communication, and historical context as the ground for philosophical inquiry.
