论社会契约理论及其对于西方政治发展的影响

On the Social Contract Theory and Its Influence on Western Political Development

近代很多政治思想家用社会契约的理论来解释国家的起源,这是一种历史唯心主义的观点。但是,这种理论对于西方国家政治发展带来的直接影响,是我们在研究这个理论时所注意不够的。社会契约论为资本主义的政治价值观奠定了坚实的理论基础,与自由竞争的法则相联系,资产阶级提出的一系列符合其利益要求的革命口号,诸如民主、自由、平等等等政治价值观,应该说都与社会契约论的基本假设有关。作为法学世界观的理论前提,社会契约论还确立了资本主义的基本法律原则。另一方面,社会契约论以及由此产生的许多政治观点和政治主张,直接成为一些资本主义国家的宪法原则,因而成为其政治发展的重要指导思想。

Political thinkers explain the state origin by using the social contract theory. That is regarded as an idealist conception of history according to Marxism. This theory has exerted direct influence on the western political development, but we Chinese scholars haven't studied it in a profound way. The social contract theory has laid a solid foundation for the bourgeois political values. Associated with the rules of free competition are a series of revolutionary slogans such as democracy, freedom, equality, etc. put forward by the bourgeoisie for the sake of their interests. Such political values are, so to speak, all connected with the basic assumption of social contract theory. As a theoretical premise of the world outlook of the law, the social contract theory also establishes the bourgeois fundamental principles of the law. Moreover, this theory plus many political views and propositions born out of it has directly led to the constitutional principles in some capitalist countries, thus becoming the most important guiding ideology to their political development.