超越 Transcendence

在西方哲学中，‘超越’是个很重要的概念。它反映的是一个超越我们可见的世界。可是，这个概念在中国哲学中几乎不存在，以致要用‘超越’这样一个新名词。

日常用语中，超越指在我们物质经验以外的东西。

西方哲学由于超越概念而生二元论，二元论则成为西方哲学之特徵。

柏拉图之理念王国绝对是超越性的。柏拉图认为身体不是真实的物质，而形式/理念才是永恒不变的，身体只是形式/理念的不完美复本。理念世界里有三角形的形式，我们所看到的三角形都只是复本。相同的，你和我都不过是人这个形式的复本而已。

柏拉图的二元论正好是西方哲学的主流。

当代超越世界已经从柏拉图的理念王国转为理性世界。理性世界有超越之特徵，是因为它和知觉世界是不同的。

超越概念之兴起，和西方追求普世知识是相连的。柏拉图寻找形式/理念的目的，是要把我们的意识转换为概念思维，以便可以领悟普世性的东西。在他看来，越是普世的知识，它的价值越高。真正的和普世的知识只能在超越的世界里找到。

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The notion of transcendence is very important in the western philosophy. It reveals a realm beyond our perceivable world. However, such notion is almost unfound in the Chinese philosophy, such that a new Chinese term ‘超越’ has to be created.

In everyday language, transcendence is defined as a state of being or existence above and beyond the limits of material experience.

The notion of transcendence makes dualism the basic characteristics of the western philosophy.

Plato's idea world is absolutely transcendent. Plato believed that the true substances are not physical bodies, but the changeless and eternal Forms/Ideas of which bodies are imperfect copies. There is the Form/Idea of the Triangle, and all the triangles we see are mere copies of that Form. There is the Form of Human Being, and you and I are mere copies of that Form.

The direction of dualism advocated by Plato turned out to be the main trend in the west. However, the modern day transcendent world has changed from Plato's idea world to the rational world. Rational world has the characteristics of transcendence because of its separation from the world of sensation.

The rise of notion of transcendence is related to the motivation of pursuing the universal knowledge. When Plato searched for Forms/Ideas, his aim was to turn our conscious into conceptual thinking so as to grasp something universal. In his mind, it was clear that the more universal the knowledge was, the more valuable it would become. The real and universal knowledge can only be found in the transcendent realm.