西方史学如何完成其近代转型?——四个方面的考察

The Modern Turn in European Historiography:A Quadripartite Analysis

自文艺复兴之后,历史写作在西方经历一个显著的转变,其影响逐渐扩展到世界各地,渐渐成为当今世界范围历史写作的一个普遍的范式。西方史学的这一转型,是在特定的时空背景下,多种因素综合作用的结果,其中有些因素在其他文明中也曾出现。大致而言,促成西方史学完成其近代转型的因素主要包括以下四个方面:第一,文艺复兴催生的博古学研究,让史家不但重视实物史料,更助长了研究的风气;第二,17世纪以来研究方法的改进,特别对历史文献学的重视,滋生了对传统史学的不满和批判;第三,科学技术的长足进展,让不少哲人希求总结历史演进的规律,由此诞生了历史哲学;第四,上述史学方法和历史观念的变更,特别是脚注方法的运用,让历史写作不但能叙述史实,而且展现研究成果和历史解释,自吉本开始,逐步演变为现代史学的基本写作模式。

In four aspects, this article discusses the factors that contributed to the modernization of European historiography from the Renaissance to the early lgth century. Thanks to the growing antiquarian interest, European historians emphasized philological study, which turned them against past traditions of historical writing, or ars historica （历史之艺） and to the development of ars critica （批判之艺）. Their critical and skeptical attitude toward the past then paved the way for the rise of the philosophy of history. In the end, Enlightenment historiography became culminated in the work of Edward Gibbon who was known not only for his elegant narrative but also for his masterful research, which he skillfully displayed in the newly invented method of footnote in historical writing. Over time, these characteristics were to be adopted worldwide in writing history. But the reasons for this accomplishment lay elsewhere than historiography per se.