高贵的野蛮人:梭罗的另类乌托邦

The Noble Savage: Thoreau's Alternative Utopia

本文旨在阐述19世纪美国作家梭罗的另类乌托邦思想。通过其与柏拉图式乌托邦以及与卢梭式乌托邦的关系的比较解读,本文指出,梭罗在批评占主流地位的柏拉图式乌托邦的基础上,继承并发展了卢梭以"高贵的野蛮人"为核心理念的另类乌托邦思想,即呼吁人们首先进行个体精神层面的革命,进而谋求整个社会的革新。从终极目的上讲,梭罗的另类乌托邦与柏拉图式乌托邦殊途同归。

The thesis of this paper is Henry David Thoreau＇s alternative utopia. By examining Thoreau＇s utopia against the mainstream utopian paradigm of the West, that is, the platonic ideal state, and his indebtedness to Rousseau, this paper points out that Thoreau builds his utopia on the basis of his criticism of the platonic ideal state and his inheritance and development of Rousseau＇s idea of ＂the noble savage.＂ If Plato and his followers choose to build a grand and collective ideal state, then Thoreau prefers to perfect the society via the spiritual reformation of the individual. Thoreau＇s and the platonic utopias prove to be of two different paradigms with the same goal.