传统与权利——《独立宣言》再解读

Tradition and Rights——The Declaration of Independence Reconsidered

自然权利是现代最重要的政治哲学概念之一,《独立宣言》则是采用这一概念最著名的一篇近代文献。但它的主体内容,即对英国国王的十七条指控,多被后人所忽视。事实上,《独立宣言》包含两种话语,一为自然法学说的权利观,一为继受自英国普通法的权利传统。前者作为政治哲学概念一向缺少明确含义,后者则将传统习俗视为权利之重要来源,它不以宣示权利为重,而以权利救济见长。仅用自然权利学说解释《独立宣言》有可能使它失去意义。将《独立宣言》与法国《人权宣言》做一比较,对此可有更好的理解。

The Declaration of Independence adopted the ideas in modern political philosophy. But its main concept of natural right, one of the most significant content, the 17 accuses against the King of Britain, often be ignored. The article reviews the meaning evolution of ＂jus naturale＂ from Natural Law to Natural Right, and argues that there are two languages in the Declaration, one is that of natural law, and another is the traditional view of rights of the English common law. The former has been poorly defined as a political concept, and the latter, viewing the customs and usages as the source of rights, places more emphasis on right relieving rather than on right claiming. It may lead to meaningless of the Declaration by only using the doctrine of natural right to explain it. This can be better understood by comparing it with French Declaration des Droits de＇Homm.