法国法系原因理论的形成、发展及其意义

The Formation, Development and Significance of the Doctrine of Causes in French Law System

法国法系中关于合同效力的传统的原因理论在17、18世纪由法学家多马、波蒂埃等人创立,并体现在1804年的《法国民法典》中,其核心内容是强调以客观的、外在的互惠义务作为债的成立条件。该理论摆脱了中世纪以来关于合同之债的伦理色彩,体现了19世纪个人主义政治哲学的价值追求。但是,该理论也存在许多缺陷,遭到了反原因论者的批评。批评者指出,传统的原因理论在历史上是虚假的,具有不确切性,毫无实用价值。对此,以法学家Henri Capitant和佛鲁尔为代表的新原因主义对传统理论进行了修正,分别提出了"一元论"和"二元论",并反驳了反原因论者的批评。法国法系原因理论形成和发展的历程表明,合同效力的解释理论需要克服一个两难困境,就是保障个人自由和维护公共秩序的矛盾,而这一矛盾在我国当前也是存在的,因此对上述历程的考察对于我国合同法理论构建和完善具有一定的借鉴意义。

The traditional doctrine of causes relating to the legal effect of contracts in French law system, created by Domat, Pothier and others in the 17th and 18th centuries, stresses objective, external, and mutually beneficial obligations. The establishment and development of this doctrine in French law system reveals that the theory on the effect of contract must overcome a dilemma, namely the conflict between the safeguarding of individual rights and maintenance of public order, which also exists in contemporary China. Therefore, the examination of such process is useful to the construction and improvement of the contract theory in China.