由潜功能到显功能:宗教与美国19世纪的社会改革

From Latent to Manifest Functions:Religion and American 19^(th) Century Social Reforms

社会学结构功能论的理论大师罗伯特.K.默顿将功能划分为显功能和潜功能,显功能是系统参与方有意安排的客观后果;而潜功能是系统参与方无意图的、未认识到的后果。根据这一划分,宗教的社会功能当属潜功能,因为宗教信徒寻求的是关于终极性问题的答案,追求一种超验或超世的人生境界,而其现世的或社会的功能则并非信徒所刻意追求的。潜功能是否可以转变为显功能,转变的结果是什么?以美国宗教为例,我们看到两次大觉醒运动所强调的主题都是个人的灵魂救赎。但在19世纪的社会改革中,教会和信徒以极大的热情关注社会问题,并且大规模地参与社会改革计划和行动,这种情况下宗教在社会上所起的作用就成了基督信徒刻意追求的结果,潜功能变成了显功能,这一转变的结果是促使美国宗教向世俗化的方向发展。

According to structural - functionalist theorist Robert K. Merton, functions can be manifest or latent. Manifest functions are those that are intended and seem obvious; latent functions are unintended and often unrecognized. In this sense, the social functions of religion should belong to latent ones, for what religious believers intend is to find answers to ultimate questions such as the meaning of life and death, to pursue the other - worldly existence different from the profane world of ex- perience, whereas the social roles and functions are not what they plan or intend. Can latent functions turn into manifest ones？ What is the outcome of this transformation？ This paper will take American religion as a case study. We see that during both of the two Great Awakenings, the central message was the salvation of individual souls. But during the 19th century social reforms, both churches and believers began to show great concern over social problems, and enthusiastically participate in reform plans and actions. In this regard, the roles that religion played in society were what Christians intended. Latent functions did turn into manifest ones, and this transformation contributed to the secularization of religion in America.