从洛克到休谟:论英国政治社会思路的转向

From Locke to Hume:The Turning Direction of English Political Thoughts

从洛克到休谟,英国政治社会的思路发生了重要转向。洛克从基督教的信仰结构中构建自由宪政的根基,但为后世的党派之争埋下了激进的种子。休谟从经入史,经史结合研究政治社会,在历史中寻找事物变易的轨迹和哲学推理的经验基础,开辟了英国新的自由传统。本文以对洛克和休谟的思想诠释为出发点,重返英国政治社会的经典问题,借此来为理解英国社会理论中更为丰富的面向提供某种线索,也为中国现代转型问题提供某种治学启发。

Studies on English social theories tend to emphasize utilitarianism as their main trait, ignoring the diverse and complicated change and fusion in history. After experiencing wars and revolutions, England was obliged to search for new ideas and ways in response to the new social reality without abandoning its intellectual tradition. In the early 18th century, the infusion of Scottish enlightenment dramatically changed the political society of English Puritan tradition and introduced something new based on the emerging civil commercial society. Locke＇s ideas of natural law and freedom constitution are within the paradigm of Christianity. His Puritan tradition planted seeds for future radicalism. Hume＇s ＂science of man＂ revealed the common course of things and presented political science as a product of philosophical reasoning upon historical facts. This is an important turning point in English history of political thoughts. From classics to human history, Hume gave us a solid foundation of philosophical reasoning and opened up a new way of social and political studies：a new liberal tradition in English political thoughts. This paper tries to map out these changes in England political thoughts from Locke to Hume by a close examination of the two important Philosophers＇ ideas. Lessons can be learnt from this study as China is currently experiencing a transition much similar to the one England had experienced.