第 47 节
作者:
巴乔的中场 更新:2021-02-19 19:22 字数:9322
econdly; this same supersensible as principle of the subjective finality of nature for our cognitive faculties; thirdly; the same supersensible again; as principle of the ends of freedom; and principle of the common accord of these ends with freedom in the moral sphere。
SS 58。 The idealism of the finality alike of nature and of art; as the unique principle of the aesthetic judgement。
The principle of taste may; to begin with; be placed on either of two footings。 For taste may be said invariably to judge on empirical grounds of determination and such; therefore; as are only given a posteriori through sense; or else it may be allowed to judge on an a priori ground。 The former would be the empiricism of the critique of taste; the latter its rationalism。 The first would obliterate the distinction that marks off the object of our delight from the agreeable; the second; supposing the judgement rested upon determinate concepts; would obliterate its distinction from the good。 In this way beauty would have its locus standi in the world completely denied; and nothing but the dignity of a separate name; betokening; maybe; a certain blend of both the above…named kinds of delight; would be left in its stead。 But we have shown the existence of grounds of delight which are a priori; and which therefore; can consist with the principle of rationalism; and which are yet incapable of being grasped by definite concepts。 As against the above; we may say that the rationalism of the principle of taste may take the form either of the realism of finality or of its idealism。 Now; as a judgement of taste is not a cognitive judgement; and as beauty is not a property of the object considered in its own account; the rationalism of the principle of taste can never be placed in the fact that the finality in this judgement is regarded in thought as objective。 In other words; the judgement is not directed theoretically; nor; therefore; logically; either (no matter if only in a confused estimate); to the perfection of the object; but only aesthetically to the harmonizing of its representation in the imagination with the essential principles of judgement generally in the subject。 For this reason the judgement of taste; and the distinction between its realism and its idealism; can only; even on the principle of rationalism; depend upon its subjective finality interpreted in one or other of two ways。 Either such subjective finality is; in the first case; a harmony with our judgement pursued as an actual (intentional) end of nature (or of art); or else; in the second case; it is only a supervening final harmony with the needs of our faculty of judgement in its relation to nature and the forms which nature produces in accordance with particular laws; and one that is independent of an end; spontaneous and contingent。 The beautiful forms displayed in the organic world all plead eloquently on the side of the realism of the aesthetic finality of nature in support of the plausible assumption that beneath the production of the beautiful there must lie a preconceived idea in the producing cause…that is to say an end acting in the interest of our imagination。 Flowers; blossoms; even the shapes of plants as a whole; the elegance of animal formations of all kinds; unnecessary for the discharge of any function on their part; but chosen as it were with an eye to our taste; and; beyond all else; the variety and harmony in the array of colours (in the pheasant; in crustacea; in insects; down even to the meanest flowers); so pleasing and charming to the eyes; but which; inasmuch as they touch the bare surf ace; and do not even here in any way all act the structure; of these creatures…a matter which might have a necessary bearing on their internal ends…seem to be planned entirely with a view to outward appearance: all these lend great weight to the mode of explanation which assumes actual ends of nature in favour of our aesthetic judgement。 On the other hand; not alone does reason; with its maxims enjoining upon us in all cases to avoid; as far as possible; any unnecessary multiplication of principles; set itself against this assumption; but we have nature in its free formations displaying on all sides extensive mechanical proclivity to producing forms seemingly made; as it were; for the aesthetic employment of our judgement; without affording the least support to the supposition of a need for anything over and above its mechanism; as mere nature; to enable them to be final for our judgement apart from their being grounded upon any idea。 The above expression; 〃free formations〃 of nature; is; however; here used to denote such as are originally set up in a fluid at rest where the volatilization or separation of some constituent (sometimes merely of caloric) leaves the residue on solidification to assume a definite shape or structure (figure or texture) which differs with specific differences of the matter; but for the same matter is invariable。 Here; however; it is taken for granted that; as the true meaning of a fluid requires; the matter in the fluid is completely dissolved and not a mere admixture of solid particles simply held there in suspension。 The formation; then; takes place by a concursion; i。e。; by a sudden solidification… not by a gradual transition from the fluid to the solid state; but; as it were; by a leap。 This transition is termed crystallization。 Freezing water offers the most familiar instance of a formation of this kind。 There the process begins by straight threads of ice forming。 These unite at angles of 60〃; whilst others similarly attach themselves to them at every point until the whole has turned into ice。 But while this is going on; the water between the threads of ice does not keep getting gradually more viscous; but remains as thoroughly fluid as it would be at a much higher temperature; although it is perfectly ice…cold。 The matter that frees itself that makes its sudden escape at the moment of solidification…is a considerable quantum of caloric。 As this was merely required to preserve fluidity; its disappearance leaves the existing ice not a whit colder than the water which but a moment before was there as fluid。 There are many salts and also stones of a crystalline figure which owe their origin in like manner to some earthly substance being dissolved in water under the influence of agencies little understood。 The drusy configurations of many minerals; of the cubical sulphide of lead; of the red silver ore; etc。; are presumably also similarly formed in water; and by the concursion of their particles; on their being forced by some cause or other to relinquish this vehicle and to unite among themselves in definite external shapes。 But; further; all substances rendered fluid by heat; which have become solid as the result of cooling; give; when broken; internal evidences of a definite texture; thus suggesting the inference that only for the interference of their own weight or the disturbance of the air; the exterior would also have exhibited their proper specific shape。 This has been observed in the case of some metals where the exterior of a molten mass has hardened; but the interior remained fluid; and then。 owing to the withdrawal of the still fluid portion in the interior; there has been an undisturbed concursion of the remaining parts on the inside。 A number of such mineral crystallizations; such as spars; hematite; aragonite; frequently present extremely beautiful shapes such as it might take art all its time to devise; and the halo in the grotto of Antiparos is merely the work of water percolating through strata of gypsum。 The fluid state is; to all appearance; on the whole older than the solid; and plants as well as animal bodies are built up out of fluid nutritive substance; so far as this takes form undisturbed…in the case of the latter; admittedly; in obedience; primarily; to a certain original bent of nature directed to ends (which; as will be shown in Part II; must not be judged aesthetically; but teleologically by the principle of realism); but still all the while; perhaps; also following the universal law of the affinity of substances in the way they shoot together and form in freedom。 In the same way; again; where an atmosphere; which is a composite of different kinds of gas; is charged with watery fluids; and these separate from it owing to a reduction of the temperature; they produce snow…figures of shapes differing with the actual composition of the atmosphere。 These are frequently of very artistic appearance and of extreme beauty。 So without at all derogating from the teleological principle by which an organization is judged; it is readily conceivable how with beauty of flowers; of the plumage of birds; of crustacea; both as to their shape and their colour; we have only what may be ascribed to nature and its capacity for originating in free activity aesthetically final forms; independently of any particular guiding ends; according to chemical laws; by means of the chemical integration of the substance requisite for the organization。 But what shows plainly that the principle of the ideality of the finality in the beauty of nature is the one upon which we ourselves invariably take our stand in ou