现代性危机的救治——施特劳斯“自然正当”观念的内涵与理论地位

The Content of Leo Strauss' Concept of Natural Right and Its Theoretical Status

《自然权利与历史》是施特劳斯比较完整地论述其理论观点的代表作之一。在书中,施特劳斯用natural right同时指称了古典自然正当与现代自然权利的双重意涵,并认为在西方思想的"历史"进程中,发生了由古典自然正当到现代自然权利的转变,这种转变的最终结果在当代即表现为历史主义与实证主义对古典"自然正当"的根本拒斥,它们分别以"非历史"和"非科学"的名义拒绝传统哲学意义上的"自然正当"的可能性。为此,施特劳斯试图恢复并重建"自然正当"在人类自然秩序中的基准性作用,以此救治现代性危机所肇始的价值虚无与道德失范,重新彰显其理论地位与现实意义。同时,我们必须看到,施特劳斯的理论本身也是现代性焦虑的产物,其对"自然正当"这种普适性原则的重建在多大程度上是可能的或成功的,仍有待结合具体的历史情境作进一步的考察。

As we know, Natural Right and History is one of the most comprehensive and complete statement of Leo Strauss＇ views. In this book, Strauss designates two meanings to Natural Right, one is classical, and the other is modern. He believes that there has been a conversion from classical natural right toward modern natural right in the historical process of Western thoughts. In his opinion, the final result of this conversion is the rejection of classical Natural Right and History in Historicism and Positivism in contemporary time. They respectively denies the possibility of traditional Natural Right and History in the name of Unhistoral and Unscientific, and finally results the absence of Natural Right in modern Western world, which should be directly responsible for the burst-out of The Crisis of Modernity and Nihilism in Strauss＇ opinion. Therefore, this article is trying to study the Classical content of Strauss＇ concept of natural right in the example of Natural Right and History under the background of The Crisis of Modernity, so as to understand the status and significance of Strauss＇ reconstruction of Natural Right and History in the tension of classic and modern.