愛與真：與馬賽爾懇談

Abstract

一般人以為愛情是盲的， 聖經卻把愛等同為真知： ──《創世紀》稱男女愛的結合為認識對方。（Genesis 4:1; 19:8） ──《申命記》以摩西和上帝間的往還為彼此面對面的認知。（Deuteronomy 34:10） ──先知們也意識到神對人那愛的選拔為懇切的洞見。（Jeremiah 1:5; Amos 3:2） 如此說來，我們可大有立場地肯定 ──愛是導向真理的不二法門！ 誠然，愛容許你用積極的心態去面對對方， 愛叫你在正面的眼光下洞悉被愛者的心靈深處， 而被愛者也會在愛的滋潤下綻放他最湛深的蘊藏。 為此，眾多哲人都在見證著說： 除非透過愛，否則你無從在心靈的共鳴下獲得對方完整的啟示。

The article is divided into four sections, i.e., Section I: Traditional Metaphysics on Truth Section II: A Response from Gabriel Marcel Section IIII: Truth as Seen from the Perspective of Love Section IV: The Interconnectedness between Love and Truth Thomas Aquinas, as the representative of classical metaphysicians, proposes that truth is the adequation between one's intellect and its object. From the perspective of the object known, truth has its foundation in the intelligibility of the thing itself. Whereas, from the perspective of the knower, truth is the conformity of one's knowing, (especially one's judgment), to the actual content of the known object. Moreover, from the perspective of the Ultimate Being, truth has its highest manifestation in God's Noesis Noeseos. To such a thesis, Marcel has the following responses: 1. Truth is not only an adequation between the intellect and the thing known, it is also a value I cherish so that I may even give up my life in order to bear witness to truth, as in the case of Bruno's martyrdom. 2. The intelligibility of the thing known can be regarded as its process of unconcealment, as explained by Martin Heidegger. 3. As to the person who knows, the process of unconcealment also includes the courage to 'face' the truth on the part of the subject, as in the case of the parents' final willing to admit that their child is abnormal. 4. From the perspective of the Divine Being, Marcel would be willing to emphasize that man's exigence for transcendence reveals the fact of God being the U1timate Source of Truth and Light. If we reflect on the essence of truth from the eye of love, we may come to know that the more we love a being, the deeper we may penetrate into the core of her existence. The love from the part of the lover makes possible the beloved to manifest herself in a positive manner. And, the love one has enables the lover to open his heart to the beloved so that he may allow himself to receive the revelation of the beloved to the fullest possible extent. Furthermore, from the inner life of the Divine, His Noesis Noeseos is no difference from His perfect love of Himself and of His creatures, since God is Truth and Love as such. Hence, we may conclude conclude that the names of 'truth' and 'love' are convertible to one another; and, love can be regarded as a Transcendental Attribute on the par of the One, the True, the Good, and the Beautiful.