《白鯨記》中的科技災難和自由發聲: 梅爾維爾和海德格的遭逢

Abstract

本文旨在藉由海德格(Martin Heidegger)對科技的理解來解析梅爾維爾(Herman Melville)《白鯨記》中科技災難和自由發聲顯現的獨特事件(singular events)。在「與科技相關的問題」(“The Question Concerning Technology”，1955)一文中，海德格提出「座架」(Enframing)為瞭解現代後期(the late modern age)科技和存有之間關係的一個方法，「座架」要求人們遵守「強求的命令」(“the challenging claim”)操弄科技，同時也召喚人們在「工具性」(instrumentality)的限制中思考其他的可能性。換言之，透過海德格的思考，我們得到了一個有利的出發點，去靠近梅爾維爾所呈現的現代捕鯨世界，揭開亞哈(Ahab)所體現的終極危險，同時找到以實瑪利(Ishmael)所醞釀的救贖力量。 第二章「裴夸特號作為強求命令的場域」(“The Pequod as the Site for the Challenging Claim”)探討的是「座架」的強求傾向在這艘捕鯨船具體化的情形。圍繞著這艘船，一切事物都已強加安置以便使用。而亞哈對科技和科學的濫用、以及詭辯和權宜的操縱則確實完成了這個命令。他的兩大副手――斯達巴克(Starbuck)和斯塔布 (Stubb)，儘管以悲觀和樂觀的正直態度去面對「座架」的呼喚，確實強化了這個命令。在《白鯨記》中，他們的確曾對亞哈運用科技的方式產生持疑的時刻，然而因為思考帶引的失敗，選擇跟隨亞哈而終至毀滅。至此，這場災難的關鍵成因明朗化了――在於他們的放棄思考和隨後的缺乏行動。 第三章「亞哈和座架的關係有如急促的墮落」(“Ahab’s Relationship to Enframing as the Precipitous Fall”)討論的是亞哈對思考推進的否定以及他對「以人為中心的科技定義」(the anthropological definition of technology)的擁護，進而揭露他對「座架」呼喚的「武斷」(arbitrary)回應，以及徹底遠離存有的「命運」(fate)。第四章「以實瑪利和座架的關係有如突現的生長」(“Ishmael’s Relationship to Enframing as the Emergent Growth”)，關注的是以實瑪利對思考的準備以及他對「以人為中心的科技定義」的批判，進而勾勒出他對對「座架」呼喚的「開放」(open)回應，以及突然靠近存有的「運命」(destining)。 總而言之，裴夸特號可說是串聯梅爾維爾和海德格的思考船隻。藉由海德格對科技議題的省思，我們第一次體會它在此小說中的重要位置――不只是機械類或工具性事物，更是思考「現代存有」(Being in modern time)的關鍵任務，尤其對於處在2010年「墨西哥灣漏油事件」(the gulf of Mexico oil spill)之後的我們。簡單地說，這項任務定需要船上的人們達成；不過在《白鯨記》中，回應科技的方式存在著兩種差異極大的方向――亞哈的拒絕思考引起科技災難，而以實瑪利的持續思考促進自由發聲。梅爾維爾藉由兩位人物於同場域回應「座架」呼喚的迥異方法，展開危險(the danger)和救贖(the saving power)的微妙辨證。

In this thesis, I take into analysis the singular events in which the disaster of technology and the voice of freedom occur in Melville’s Moby-Dick according to the Heideggerian insight into technology. In the essay “The Question Concerning Technology” (1955), Heidegger considers “Enframing” a way to understand the relation between technology and Being in the late modern age. Enfrmaing demands that mortals obey the challenging claim to dispose technology and at the same time summons them to think more while restricted by instrumentality. In other words, in light of Heidegger, we are given a vantage point to unveil the extreme danger as embodied in Ahab and to find out the saving power that Ishmael fosters in the modern whaling world Melville presents. In the second chapter “The Pequod as the Site for the Challenging Claim,” I probe the challenging tendency of Enframing that the Pequod embodies. Around the whaling ship, everything is overwhelmingly put into the order for use. This is completed by Captain Ahab’s abuse of technology and science, and his manipulation of oratory skills and tactics. His two mates, Starbuck and Stubb, albeit dealing with the call of Enframing in the mode of pessimism and optimism in an upright manner, have actually reinforced it. In Moby-Dick, the good moment of questioning Ahab’s interaction with technology has happened to them. And yet since they have failed to elicit thinking, they choose to follow Ahab’s way and become doomed. Here, the decisive cause of this disaster is clear, that is their giving up of reflection and their consequent lack of action. Hence, in chapter three, “Ahab’s Relationship to Enframing as the Precipitous Fall,” I discuss Ahab’s denial of further thinking and his espousal of the anthropological definition of technology, further exposing his arbitrary responses to the call of Enframing and his fulfillment of the “fate”—the radical alienation from his own Being. Then, in chapter four, “Ishmael’s Relationship to Enframing as the Emergent Growth,” I am concerned with Ishmael’s preparation of thinking and his criticism of the anthropological definition of technology. I sketch out his persistent responses to the call of Enframing and his bringing of “destining”—the emergent proximity to his own Being. In sum, the Pequod is the thinking ferry traveling between Melville and Heidegger. Through Heidegger’s reflection on the issue about technology, we realize for the first time how pivotal the Pequod’s role is in the whole novel. It is not just something mechanical or instrumental; on the contrary, it embodies the crucial task of thinking about “Being in modern time,” especially for us after the gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010. Briefly speaking, this task cannot be achieved without any human beings on the ship. But there are two drastically different ways to respond to technology in Moby-Dick. Ahab’s unthinking brings about the disaster of technology while Ishmael’s meditation cultivates the voice of freedom. In a subtle manner, Melville unfolds the dialectics between the danger and the saving power through their contrasted ways of response to the call of Enframing at the same site.