哲学、历史和方法——我的回应

Philosophy,History and Method:My Response

迈克尔·曼的社会变迁理论在西方学界被认为是宏观历史变迁理论的一个里程碑。在接受了曼的理论的一些合理要素的基础上,笔者在最近出版的《儒法国家:中国历史的新理论》这一著作中提出了一个新的宏观社会变迁理论,并且运用这一理论分析了中国古代历史发展的规律。作为对三位学者就《儒法国家》一书评论的回应,本文旨在进一步阐明笔者的理论与曼的理论的六点区别。同时,本文也想点明笔者理论建构和经验分析背后的一些在方法论、认知论和本体论层面上的考虑、对当前西方社会科学现状的看法、在发展和突破西方社会科学方法方面所做的一些尝试和《儒法国家》中没有呈现出来的哲学底色。

Michael Mann's theory of social change has been regarded as a milestone in our understanding of macroscopic patterns of historical change. Drawing on some elements from Mann's theory,I put forth a new macro- social- change theory in my recently published book,The Confucian- Legalist State,and I apply this new theory to analyze the patterns of China's past. As a way to respond to the three critics' comments on my book,this article elaborates on the six major differences between my theory and that of Mann's. In doing so,this article also tries to bring to the forefront some methodological,epistemological and ontological concerns that lie behind my theoretic construction and empirical analysis,my understanding of the current status of Western social sciences,my efforts in trying to develop and break out of the limits of the Western social sciences methodolo-gies,and the philosophical underpinnings of The Confucian-Legalist State.