古代民事主体及其价值诉求探寻——以罗马和中世纪为视角的分析

On Civil Subjects and Their Value Claims in Ancient Times——from the Perspective of Ancient Rome and Medieval Era

民事主体制度作为私法制度运行的核心基础承载着人类的理性欲求,也蕴涵着深刻的价值意义。由罗马法而展开的古代民事主体,无论在现实层面还是在制度层面,整体上展现的是不自由与不平等。但如果细心探寻,仍然能够从中发现某种自由的潜在诉求与平等的事实蕴含。虽然这种自由与平等因人类理性的发展局限而未能升华为观念形态,但却为近代民事主体的观念自由与平等提供了必要的积淀与储备。

As the core foundation of private law, civil subjects system bears the rational pursuit of human- kind and comprises profound value significance. Originated from Roman law, the lack of freedom and inequal- ity were pervasive in ancient civil subjects system from both realistic and systemic aspects. However, through a more delicate search, some potential claims for freedom and factual equality could still be discovered. Confined to the development limits of human rationality, such freedom and equality failed to evolve into conceptions, but they offer necessary basis and preparation for establishing concepts of freedom and equality for civil subjects in modern times.