西方正义论思想的历史演进

The Historical Evolution of Western Theory of Justice

正义作为社会制度的首要美德,历来受到人们的重视和赏识。在西方哲学史上,对正义思想的探讨最早可追溯到古希腊思想家对理想城邦的设计和反思。沿着历史发展的进程,正义论的主题在不同历史阶段几经转换,分别经历了古希腊的美德正义论、中世纪的神学正义论、近代的功利主义与契约主义正义论,以及当代的分配正义论。

Justice is the first virtue of social institutions, which has long been accepted and valued by people of different times. In the history of western philosophy, the earliest discussion about justice can be traced back to the design and reflection of an ideal city-sate by those ancient Greek thinkers. Along with the development process of history, the theory of justice experienced rounds of change in different histori- cal stages, including the justice of virtues in ancient Greece, the justice of theology in Middle Ages, the justice of utilitarianism and contractarianism in modern times, and the justice of distribution nowadays.