试论日本近代早期的社会平等观

On the Views of Social Equality in the Early Modern Japan

日本近代早期,在西方自由平等思想的影响下,一批渴望日本尽快走向近代化的思想家在否定传统的封建等级制度和特权观念的基础上,提出了人际社会平等的新观念。他们论证了人类社会平等的天赋性以及随之而来的正当性,深入分析了社会平等的具体表现,包括享受各种权利的平等和权利受到保护方面的平等。同时,主张人民要争取社会地位和相互关系的平等,必须首先具备平等精神。

In early modern Japan, under the influence of Western thoughts of equality and freedom,a body of Japanese thinkers urged Japan to march toward modernization. They put forward a new idea of social equality on the basis of criticizing traditional feudal hierarchical system and the special privilege mentality. They proved that social equality was innate and then valid. And after that, they made a thorough analysis of the manifestation of social equality, including the equality of enjoying all kinds of rights, and the equality which all kind of rights are protected. Meanwhile,they advocated that people must, first of all, hold the spirit of equality so as to struggle for the equality of social position and mutual relationship.