As The Aesthetics Of Ethics: From Kant To Foucault

To replace ethics with aesthetics is an important trend in the field of western post modern philosophy as well as aesthetics, which was started from Nietzsche, developed by Foucault and is prevailing in the post modern theories and in the social and daily life.In fact, the interaction between aesthetics and ethics was put forward as early as by Kant, the founder of both modern aesthetics and ethics, and functioned so far as an important clue in the history of aesthetics. In this respect, aesthetics focused initially on the freedom and value of Man instead of merely on beauty and arts. Aesthetics as ethics is resulted logically from the interpenetration, in which aesthetic value eventually takes place of ethic value, enduing daily life with meanings.This thesis focuses on the retreat of the moral aims and the ascent of the aesthetic aims in the context of modernity and post modernity by depicting and analyzing the thoughts of Kant ,Nietzsche, Foucault, Rorty and Welsch. Besides, it also tends to present the deep logic of aesthetics' replacement of ethics by breaking the balance between the two as well as the issues shaded by aesthetic existence.As far as this thesis concerned, replacing ethics with aesthetics is the result from modernity itself, as the core value of modernity lies in individual and freedom. Whereas, on the one hand, the concept of subject of reason endows the paramount value to individuals and freedom, but on the other hand, it restricts them. Thus, the anxiety from the modern subject is brought out. Replacing ethics with aesthetics, ethic decision with aesthetic decision suggests that the subject tends to realize the complete individual freedom and get rid of the anxiety by denying the validity of the circumscription. While the thesis takes it as a crossroad, and is not able to solve the problems caused by modernity. Individuals and freedom have the basic value. As the social beings, the limits between individuals should be made, and the relationship and cooperation between individuals should be set up as well. That is to say, both individuals and freedom should be restricted.Thus, there must be conflicts among selves and others, freedom and restrictions. The concept of subject of reason makes the limits between selves and others and maintains the balance between freedom and restrictions by prescribing some essence of man, but it cannot eliminate the inherent contradiction, which is the stress the modern people are suffering from. Consequently, replacing ethics with aesthetics is taken as a solution. On the one hand, it inherits the cherish from modernity to value of individuals and freedom. On the other hand, it argues against any essentialism definition to man, and eradicate any limitation to man. It replaces ethic judgement with aesthetic judgement, emphasizing pluralism and otherness, while denying the basic value of human existence. As a result, not only can pluralism and otherness not be ensured, but also the human existence is doubtful. In terms of this, aesthetics brings out merely disasters instead of benefits.The thesis takes both sympathetic and critical standpoint to aesthetics as ethics. In terms of rhetoric, based on the human basic value-within the limitation that ethics should not be replaced by aesthetics, it tries to affirm the critique to modernity and its activation and enrichment to human existence, oppose misunderstanding or exaggerating it, particularly the ignorance to the threat caused by its elimination to the limits of human life. Consequently, both modernity and post modernity will be exceeded.