苏格兰启蒙思想家的社会哲学探究

On the Scottish Enlightenment Thinkers' Social Philosophies

在社会的起源上,与社会契约论者不同,休谟、斯密、弗格森等苏格兰启蒙思想家认为社会是自生自发的"无意识之后果"。在对社会结构的认识上,他们明确界分了市民社会与国家,科学解答了市民社会与国家相分而又不相离的难题,并从情感主义出发探究了社会的有序化与社会分层。在社会的演进上,他们把人的生存方式、财产关系的变迁看作社会演变的主导因素,并提出了社会演进的"四阶段论"。在社会发展的价值评判上,他们对文明与进步秉持一种辩证的态度,指出了商业社会之利弊。这些丰富的思想意蕴构成了现代社会学的重要源头。

Different from the contractualists＇ views, Scottish Enlightenment thinkers like Hume, Smith, and Ferguson believe that society is spontaneous and the unconscious consequences in terms of the origin of society. In the understanding of social structure, they set clear demarcation line between civil society and the State and resolve the difficult problem of segregation and integration between them. They also probe into social order and stratification with emotionalist approach. In the evolution of society, they regard subsistence and property relation as the dominant elements and make an ＂four-stage＂ outline. In the assessment of social development, they hold a dialectical attitude toward civilization and progress and point out the advantages and disadvantages of commercial society. All of the above constitute the important sources of modern sociology.