The secret of "Sphinx" is "temptation" and "intimidation" or "real society". Whoever unlocks it, "Sphinx" will die at his feet; otherwise, Whoever dies at the feet of the "Sphinx"!
Do you want to live or die? !
The great ancient Greek tragedian Sophocles, who once fascinated the philosopher Aristotle, has endless meanings in "Oedipus the King", especially his mention of the "Sphinx". "Mystery" has eternally attracted, tested, and forged the wisdom of countless thinkers in philosophy, linguistics, psychology, literature, aesthetics, etc. For thousands of years, people's interpretations of it have constituted a thread of human self-awareness. and the bright landscape of cognition. However, it has not attracted widespread and sufficient attention in the current ideological circles. The author believes that modern philosophy and linguistics may provide a new and in-depth explanation of this eternal mystery of life. And our modern philosophy of life has accomplished this task brilliantly.
The "Sphinx" is also the "real society"!
1
Everyone knows the "Riddle of the Sphinx": an animal walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs at night; it is most incompetent when it has the most legs. For thousands of years, people have recognized and agreed that this "mystery" has been answered by Oedipus: "man".
Our in-depth explanation of the Riddle of the Sphinx will show that Oedipus’s solution to the “Riddle of the Sphinx” is at the “representational” and “animal” level, in other words, He didn't really solve the "Riddle of the Sphinx." For us today, the words "Know Yourself" engraved on the stone tablet in front of the Temple of Delphi are still a "mystery". To this day, it is still a serious issue facing contemporary mankind.
In the famous "Oedipus the King", Sophocles showed us an unprecedented and tragic individual life tragedy in human history:
Withered ears of wheat in the field , cattle and sheep died of plague on the pastures, women had miscarriages, and mourning was everywhere; the god of plague with fire came to this city-state - Tebai. The oracle made it clear that the way to eliminate the disaster was to apprehend the murderer of the former king and hold him accountable. ——In this way, everyone’s attention is drawn to the question of who is the murderer.
Immediately afterwards, the script shows Oedipus in the form of flashback:
The childless King Laius of Thebais once abducted King Pelops of Pisa His youngest son Chrysippus committed suicide. Pelops prayed to Zeus to bring misfortune upon Laius. When Laius prayed to God to give him a son, God agreed to his request and predicted that his son would kill his father and marry his mother. In order to avoid the fulfillment of the oracle, the Laius couple nailed their son's feet as soon as he was born (--Oedipus means swollen feet) and sent a servant to throw him into the valley. But the kind-hearted servant gave Oedipus to a shepherd in the country of Corhenth, so that Oedipus was adopted by the childless King Polybus of Corhenth. As Oedipus grew up, he accidentally learned at a banquet that he was not the biological son of King Corus, so he consulted the oracle and learned that he was destined to kill his father and marry his mother. To avoid bad luck, he left Correns and came to the border of Thebai. At a fork in the road, he got into an argument with an old man over the road. In a rage, he beat the old man to death with his cane. Oedipus did not know that this old man was his father who was going to the Temple of Delphi to seek solutions to the Sphinx's disaster. Because at this time, the city of Tebai was suffering from the disaster of the Sphinx, the bird-winged monster. Oedipus came to the Sphinx and brilliantly answered "The Sphinx's Riddle" without hesitation, and the Sphinx plunged into the sea. Oedipus was hailed as the new king by the people of Teba and married the queen. At this point, the oracle of "Kill your father and marry your mother" has been completely realized.
The tragic incident of Oedipus killing his father and marrying his mother was once interpreted by Freud as a universal human innate "Oedipus complex" and is widely known. The "Oedipus complex" forms the basis of the entire Freudian theory.
We see that Oedipus's fate is "predestined" by the oracle: the more Oedipus tries to escape the fulfillment of the oracle, the more he falls into the oracle's trap. ——This is the "self-fulfilling function of prophecy." The true meaning of this story has long been explained by the British thinker Popper's "Oedipus effect": empirical facts will mostly conform to theoretical predictions. Only under the guidance of theory can we observe objects. Even various "accidental discoveries" are actually It is also relative to the failure of prediction. Those who made accidental discoveries did not pursue accidents at the beginning, but wanted to complete an experiment that could prove a certain theoretical prediction. The author has also said in the proposition "naming is creation": prophecy has the function of self-fulfillment.
Generally speaking, a person who truly knows himself should have the ability to cut off the "tragic" fate and control his own destiny. The tragedy of Oedipus killing his father and marrying his mother shows that Oedipus, who is physically in his youth, is mentally immature (intellectual or rational), and he does not really "know himself." ——There is a paradox here. Because, the script clearly tells us that Oedipus had such a "detail" before being supported as king by the people of Thebai: he answered the "Riddle of the Sphinx" and relieved the disaster in the city of Thebai.
Since Oedipus correctly answered the "Riddle of the Sphinx" that stumped everyone, what reason do we have to say that his mind is immature and that he does not truly "know himself"? ——The problem lies here.
II
In fact, it is not difficult to understand this paradox reasonably. The key is that we need to start directly from the mystery of the Sphinx and we need to understand the Sphinx. The mystery is deeply explained and elucidated in the sense of modern philosophy and linguistics.
The author believes that we should perform such linguistic replacement and inversion of the "riddle" and "answer" of the Sphinx's riddle: the riddle should be - what is a human being? The answer is - this animal walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening; it is most incompetent when it has the most legs. ——The replacement and reversal of "mystery" and "mystery" is a key to correctly understanding and interpreting the tragedy of Oedipus.
Through the linguistic replacement and inversion of the "mystery" and "answer" of the Sphinx's riddle, we find that Oedipus only speaks of the "appearance" or "illusion" of "human beings" ”, only speaks of the “animal” nature of “human beings”. This fully proves that Oedipus does not really "know himself", because the so-called "knowing himself" should at least be like what Marx said: "human essence", in its reality, is "all social The sum total of relationships”. Furthermore, people must realize that they first need to take a road of "socialization" of "people - follow - the crowd", and then take a road of "individuation" of "the crowd - follow - people" . In fact, the fact that Oedipus does not know himself has long been realized by ancient thinkers. After visiting wise men who thought they were wise, the thinker Socrates said a wise saying: I know that I am "ignorant." Aristotle said this in his famous "Poetics": Oedipus "came into misfortune not because he did anything wrong, but because he made a mistake"; "made a mistake", This refers to people's "ignorance" rather than "moral defects."
As long as people do not know themselves, they are destined to be teased and dominated by "fate" - just as the tragedy of Oedipus killing his father and marrying his mother shows us; in the face of the huge reality, people Often unable to do anything, they have to "turn a blind eye" and "accept fate" - just like Oedipus's mother and wife who should actually know the truth did - when Oedipus When determined to thoroughly track down the murderer of the former king, Jocasta, who plays the dual role of mother and wife, almost implored Oedipus: "For God's sake, if you care about your life, don't No more questions." - The helplessness of a person who has been completely defeated by fate and "accepted his fate". ——The author is saddened to see that in our reality, there are people everywhere who are willing to obey "fate"!
After Oedipus performed a series of destined tragedies under the control of the terrible "prophecy", he did not shrink back and accept his fate, but bravely took up his "cross": he He blinded himself with a gold pin that was fastened to the chest of his mother and wife, Jocasta, and exiled himself. ——This is a metaphor of "eyes of wisdom" replacing "physical eyes" or exchanging "eyes of wisdom" at the expense of "physical eyes". It is also a metaphor of individual "atonement" and "salvation". It shows that Oedipus's "wisdom" matures and he "knows himself." And once people know themselves, they can "grasp the throat of fate", cut off tragedies like the domino effect, and end the terrible "prophecy": Oedipus, who has a pair of "intelligent eyes", can be himself The master is no longer at the mercy of fate.
At this point, we have made it clear that Oedipus's answer to the "Riddle of the Sphinx" is a low-level, superficial, superficial solution that is actually not very difficult. But it was such a "mystery" that stumped everyone in Tebai City. Why is this?
Actually, the reason is very simple. The secret lies in the "Sphinx"-the sphinx-faced bird-winged monster itself. This "image" often makes "men - greedy ones" become confused in the face of the temptation of angelic beauties; it also often makes "women - cowards" become rational out of fear in the roar of wild beasts. doesn't work.
Illustration: Famous oil painting - "Oedipus and the Sphinx" ()
Author: [France] Moreau, 1864, existing Gustave? Moreau Museum
Readers are invited to appreciate the oil painting "Oedipus and the Sphinx" by the French painter Moreau. This oil painting vividly depicts the irresistibly charming side of the Sphinx, as well as the terrifying side that makes people extremely frightened. It reveals something deeper than the familiar Egyptian Sphinx.
The mythical Sphinx is "half angel, half beast", which is a metaphor for the image of "real society" - "the sum of social relations": real society is full of Temptation - sex, power, money, fame, etc.; intimidation or terror - birth, old age, illness, death, etc. Without special talents and talents, and without knowing their own mission, it is difficult for ordinary people to overcome it. This is the reason why almost everyone fails in front of the "Sphinx" (the emaciated dead man at the feet of the Sphinx in the illustration is a good symbol and metaphor). ——As a metaphor of "real society", the Sphinx launches the dual challenge of "temptation" and "intimidation" to individual people.
We should realize that the image of the Sphinx is not entirely negative. On the contrary, it has a very positive and positive side. Because its existence itself constitutes a "focus" for individuals and a "target" for breaking out. It is precisely because of its existence that the life of the secular individual who challenges it will be concrete, full, flesh and blood, valuable and meaningful. ——A person who truly knows himself will pay his most sincere respect to the "Sphinx" who hinders his progress time and time again.
——Everyone, especially young people, must accept the challenge of the Sphinx, and must answer the two "questions" posed to us by the real society without hesitation: temptation and intimidation. ——The different answers to these two "questions" are the objective standards for judging whether a person can become oneself.
Undoubtedly, the naturally arrogant Oedipus can defeat temptation, but due to his weak inner strength (innate), he cannot yet defeat "intimidation" - he dare not face himself. "Destiny", escaping the oracle of "kill your father and marry your mother" is actually a manifestation of being dominated by "intimidation". Therefore, although he answers "hard questions" that others cannot, this only shows that at the starting point, Oedipus is superior to his contemporaries. But the fact that he was subject to "intimidation" shows that his mind is immature. This kind of mental immaturity will inevitably lead to his willfulness: Oedipus did not develop and make good use of his own advantages. He mocked the prophet Teiresias, was complacent and infinitely magnified his "little cleverness". ", thinking that he is the embodiment of worldly wisdom: "Hey, tell me, when did you prove that you are a prophet? When the dog reciting poetry was here, why didn't you speak and save the people? It is not something that any passer-by can break. It needs the magic of the prophet, but you did not show this talent with the help of birds and the revelation of God until my ignorant Oedipus came and did not understand the language of birds. , solved the riddle and conquered it with just wisdom.”
The author believes that there is knowledge that can answer the superficial meaning of the Sphinx’s riddle, and ignorance that does not reveal the Sphinx’s riddle. The deeper meaning of the mystery of Oedipus, the realization of the limitations of one's own wisdom, is the real cause of Oedipus's tragedy. The fact that Oedipus both knows himself and does not know himself shows that human rationality is layered: immature rationality - juvenile rationality and mature rationality - middle-aged rationality.
Oedipus' "killing his father" and "marrying his mother" imply that his "physiology" has matured, but this physiological maturity does not mean that his "psychology" has matured at the same time. Psychological maturity is a more complex "process" than physical maturity. It requires life "experience", "suffering" and fearless responsibility for the "cross" of fate to be catalyzed. A person who does not take responsibility in the face of social responsibilities cannot truly mature rationally. The one-sided physical maturity of psychological immaturity is not only useless, but harmful. It often evolves into "violence" that causes death (killing the father) and "incest" that destroys human nature (marrying the mother). "Violence" and "incest" are exactly the signs that individuals are defeated by the Sphinx in real society - escaping "intimidation" and accepting "temptation". This is the source of individual failure in life.
Contemporary mankind has almost reached a complete understanding of the double-edged sword nature of "enlightenment rationality". ——There is nothing wrong with rationality itself. The key is the level and grade of rationality. We cannot stop eating because of choking, and completely deny all rationality when we see the paradox of enlightenment rationality. In fact, the mature rationality after enlightenment rationality - the "wisdom eye" that Oedipus acquired at the expense of the "physical eye" in his later years - is rationality in the true sense, and it is enough to lead future mankind out of its tragic fate.
Three
The reason why "Oedipus Rex" has become the swan song in the history of human tragedy lies in its most profound revelation of the fate of individual human beings, not just because of this. The story is shocking and tragic. "Oedipus King", like all great classic texts, is full of metaphors and mysteries. Without modern interpretation and elucidation in the linguistic sense, it is difficult for us to truly understand it.
In the past, people often regarded the tragedy of Oedipus as a person's complete "destruction". The author believes that this understanding is relatively shallow, because the story clearly tells us: Oedipus's destruction and his salvation are inseparable - without destruction, there is no salvation. In fact, by describing the "destruction" of Oedipus, this mythology focuses on enlightening people on the path to "salvation" - facing up to the blows of fate and assuming their own responsibilities.
Oedipus’s life is not a simple tragedy, but rather a wonderful and complete apocalypse of life. It reveals to us that "prophecies" that "have self-fulfilling functions" are based on people's ignorance of themselves. Once people know themselves - and understand the "causal chain" behind the "prophecies", then " "The prophecy" will be self-defeating. ——Revelation is the meaning of all great tragedies. As Benjamin said: The tragic hero is the prototype of the philosopher and thinker. "He distinguishes himself with a broader vision. In this action, he disperses the silence of nature and myth." - Oedi Puss is a philosopher - he used his brave actions to truly solve the "Riddle of the Sphinx".
The fate of Oedipus shows us that the seemingly mature young rationality is not enough to overcome the "temptation" and "intimidation" of the "Sphinx" ("real society"), and will surely lead to the director's failure. Life is a tragedy; only a truly mature middle-aged rationality can completely defeat "temptation" ("wealth cannot be lascivious") and "intimidation" ("power cannot yield"), and completely cut off the tragedy of life!
The fate of Oedipus also shows us: people, you must know yourself! People, you should know yourself! People, you must know yourself! People, can know yourself!
For the word "intimidation" here, I originally used "fear" without clearly distinguishing the meanings of fear and intimidation. It was a netizen from Blog China, Mr. Qian Junwei from the School of Online Education at Peking University Medical School, who pointed out to me that I should use the word "intimidation" instead of "fear" after seeing this article. I suddenly realized that it turned out that I am too careless! ——Here, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mr. Qian Junwei. ——It can also be seen that modern life philosophy is the product of "practice" and "communication".
Reference: Sophocles: "Oedipus the King", People's Literature Publishing House 2002 edition; H.A. Kuhn: "Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece", Sanlian Bookstore 2002 edition .
It can be said that all the theories of Freud, the founder of psychoanalytic psychology, are based on the interpretation of Oedipus's "Oedipus complex" of "killing his father and marrying his mother" above. There is no doubt about Freud's great contribution, but his mistakes are also obvious: he attributed all human "psychological" problems to "physiological" problems, instead of going further like his disciples Jung and Fromm. Explore the deeper causes of human psychology - the causes of collective archetypes and social structures.
Popper's original words when talking about the "Oedipus effect" were: "A few years ago I introduced the term 'Oedipus effect' to describe the effect that a theory, expectation or prediction has on it. The influence of the event predicted or described: people will not forget that the causal chain that led to Oedipus's patricide began with the divine prediction of this event." See Karl Popper: "Conjectures and Refutations--Scientific Knowledge." Growth", footnote on page 54, Shanghai Translation Publishing House, 1986 edition.
However, we must revise the long-standing traditional view that Oedipus' fate is entirely controlled by "prophecy". Because the cause of the entire tragedy lies in the fact that the childless King Laius of Thebai "once" abducted and caused other people's children to commit suicide, rather than the product of a pure "prophecy" without any underlying cause. Here, Apollo's "oracle" and "prophecy" are just a cover-up to enhance the "drama". After peeling off this layer of confusion, there is a naked "chain of cause and effect" behind it.
In Liang Xudong's book "Encountering Marginal Situations: Alternative Interpretations of Western Literary Classics" (p. 30, Peking University Press, 2004 edition), the author saw that he noticed a "detail": " There is a detail that has not been noticed by people that makes me sigh. It is said that Apollo's famous metaphor "Know Yourself" is engraved in the temple of Delphi. "It is a pity that Mr. Liang Xudong was not able to do so. This "detail" can be seen in the Sphinx itself. His understanding of the Oedipal tragedy therefore remains external.
"The Complete Works of Marx and Engels" Volume 1, Page 56, People's Publishing House, 1979 edition.
"He concluded: 'Only God is wise; God is not talking about Socrates, he is just using my name as an explanation, as if to say: People! Only people like Socrates are wise. People like Grates who know that their own wisdom is actually worthless are the wisest people." See Russell: "History of Western Philosophy" Volume 1, page 122, Commercial Press 1963 edition.
Aristotle, Horace: "Poetics? Poetry", pages 38 and 39, People's Literature Publishing House, 1962 edition.
Sophocles: "Oedipus the King", page 44, People's Literature Publishing House, 2002 edition.
See H.A. Kuhn: "Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece", pages 451-457, Sanlian Bookstore 2002 edition.
Some college students have accepted a vulgar philosophy of life: people in society will inevitably become "smooth" - "complicit". I refute it: only those who do not know themselves will become "smooth" in society; and those who know themselves will not only not become "smooth", on the contrary, they will become more and more "smooth" Sharp" and "revealing", they are the "conscience" and "hope" of society.
Sophocles: "Oedipus the King", page 21, People's Literature Publishing House, 2002 edition.
Guo Jun and Cao Leiyu, editors: "On Walter Benjamin", page 6, Jilin People's Publishing House, 2003 edition.
Oedipus is also a "fire thief". There are no prophets or saints in history.