平等的基本自由及其优先性原则——罗尔斯自由理论探析

The equal basic liberties and their priority: on Rawls' theory of liberty

自由理论在罗尔斯思想中占有重要地位。从道德人格的角度出发,罗尔斯区分了基本自由和非基本自由,强调了自由主义中消极自由的传统。通过区分基本自由和基本自由的价值,用平等的自由原则保证平等的基本自由,用差别原则保证平等的基本自由之公平的价值,罗尔斯抵挡了左派关于自由主义的自由是空洞的这一批判。在此基础上,罗尔斯从最高层次利益和道德人格的角度对基本自由的优先性提供了证明,为主张权利优先于善的自由主义政治哲学奠定了坚实的基础。

The theory of liberty is of great importance in Rawls’ philosophy. From the ideal of moral personality, Rawls draws a distinction between basic liberties and non-basic liberty, and emphasizes the negative liberties in liberal tradition. By distinguishing basic liberties from the worth of them, and using the first principle to guarantee the equal basic liberties and the different principle to insure the fair value of basic liberties for everyone, Rawls refutes the criticism from the Left that the kind of freedoms liberalism provides is empty abstractions. Based on these, Rawls justifies the priority of basic liberties from the conceptions of the highest-order interest and moral personality, which lays the solid foundation for the liberalism that claims right to good.