托克维尔论现代社会的自由与宗教

Tocqueville on the Relationship between Freedom and Religion in Modern Society

宗教在托克维尔那里具有一种工具性的价值,它为现代社会中的个人提供安身立命的依据,同时也使人在一定程度上从其私人领域中抽离出来,关心和参与公共政治生活。由于托克维尔主要将宗教看作一种与公众意见相关联的"教条",故他关心的重点在所谓公民宗教,而非传统意义上的超世性宗教。对托克维尔来说,宗教是使人在现代社会仍保持一些贵族品质的少有的精神力量,这也是他认为现代社会的自由尤其需要宗教的原因。与马基雅维利一样,托克维尔关心的重点是宗教与公民美德之间的联系。

The element of religion plays a very important role in Tocqueville＇s thinking about freedom in modern society. This article is aimed to tackle the complicated relationship between religion and freedom in his political thought. The basic argument is that, for Tocqueville, religion is instrumentally valuable in promoting public good in a body politic. Particularly in modern democratic society, religion greatly helps in alleviating the malaise of modernity and makes freedom possible. Moreover, Tocqueville thinks it is only by being separated from political power could religion be an important ＂political institution＂ in modern society.