模态合成谬误视域下的社会矛盾——埃尔斯特“社会矛盾”理论辨析
Social contradictions under the perspective of modal fallacy of composition: An analysis of Jon Elster’s theory of social contradictions

乔恩·埃尔斯特利用模态逻辑来研究合成谬误，将传统合成谬误界定为谓词的不可全称量化性，进而将模态合成谬误与博弈理论相结合，提出了新型社会矛盾理论。埃尔斯特将社会矛盾界定在意向主体的社会选择层面上，从方法论个体主义出发，刻画认知主体的心智行动和实践行动，提出反终极和次优态两个模型，为逻辑方法应用于社会科学研究做出了开拓性工作。遵循埃尔斯特开辟的分析性进路，可为行动之中的类悖论困境建模，从而揭示社会竞争与矛盾的内在机制，为避免恶性竞争和消解社会矛盾探究可能的路径。
Jon Elster studied the fallacy of composition in virtue of modal logic, by defining it as the non-universalizability of predicate. He made it possible to connect the modal fallacy of composition with game theory, based on which he came up with a new theory of social contradictions. Through the combination of social contradictions and social choices of intentional agents, Elster described the mental and practical actions of cognitive agents based on methodological individualism. He put forward counterfinality and suboptimality, and his work pioneers in the research of social science in virtue of logical methods. Following Elster’s analytic approach, we can construct models for the dilemmas analogous to paradoxes in the actions. We hope this research can contribute to reveal the internal mechanisms of social competitions and contradictions, and open up a feasible path to avoid vicious competitions and resolve social contradictions.