什么是自由?

What is Freedom?

＂自由＂二字,中国古已有之,但时常写作＂自繇＂。自由在中国人心目中历来是一剂具有诱惑力的毒药,人人都想要,却是一个贬义词。《东周列国志》中宣王斥责臣下曰：＂怠弃朕命,行止自繇,如此不忠之臣,要他何用!＂顾名思义,自由的意思就是＂由着自己＂,为所欲为,不受拘束,想做什么就做什么。据说隋文帝杨坚的爱妃被皇后偷着杀掉了,杨坚一气之下骑马出走,狂奔二十多里,流连于山谷之中,叹曰：＂吾贵为天子而不得自由!＂后来皇后去世了,无人管着,杨坚压抑了多年的欲望迅速膨胀起来,纵情声色,两年后便一命呜呼。临死前对人说,如果皇后在,我不至于此。（见百度百科“文献皇后”词条）宋儒讲“存天理而灭人欲”，自由大约也就相当于“人欲”的意思，也就是一种动物性的欲望冲动。到了20世纪，严复在翻译穆勒的《自由论》（OntheLiberty）时遇到了麻烦：他明知穆勒的自由概念是一个法律概念，不是为所欲为的意思，但就是找不到一个对等的中国字来译，只好权且用“自繇”这个今人不太常用的词来代替，并将书名改译作《群己权界论》。然而直到今天，懂得严复这番苦心的人仍然如凤毛麟角。有人甚至否认人有自由，认为所谓自由不过是人的心理感受而已，实际上人都是受规律和命运支配的。那么，究竟应该如何理解自由？本文打算从三个方面来说明这个问题：一是自由的起源；二是自由的历史；三是自由的谱系。

Freedom originates from the labor-trained ability of mastering desires and the creativity which is based on the ability.The basis of freedom consists of two symbolic activities:preserving and passing on tools;establishing propositional language.The history of freedom has three different stages:Eastern,Ancient Greek and Modern.This is not only the expansion of the range of freedom,but also the improving of the level of freedom.From this the spectrum of freedom is laid,namely freedom at itself,freedom for itself(including freedom of resistance,freedom of choice and freedom of legislation or autonomy) and freedom at and for itself(the kingdom of ends),and each subsequent freedom-stage includes the stage ahead in itself by sublating it.