孟德斯鸠视域中的“分权”及其“精神”

The Spirit of the Separation of Powers in Montesquieu

"分权"在政治和法律上是一个极具争议的概念,由此引起了学界关于其含义、范围和依据等问题的争论。理解事物本真含义的一种重要方法是追溯到该事物的起源处,理解分权因而需要返回到孟德斯鸠那里。将政府职能分为立法权、行政权和司法权这种清晰的现代假设,对孟德斯鸠是不适用的。他主要是从政治活动意义上理解分权。从政治自由的角度来看,不仅需要对权力作出不同的区分和界定,更需要以某种方式对其进行组合和构成。能够确立政治自由的政制必然是混合政制。孟德斯鸠对于分权的论述,更多的是一种邀请,而不是一种结论。

The issue of the"separation of powers"is controversial in legal and political science.This results in debates over its significance,scope and ground.The problem of power cannot be disentangled from the problem of constitution-making.The separation of powers based on function does not fit Montesquieu’s theory,and it is the three different political activities of men,i.e.the making of laws,the execution of decisions and the adjudication,that are formed in Montesquieu’s original expression.Powers must not only be separated,but also be combined for the purpose of constructing political freedom.A liberal constitution is necessarily a mixed constitution.The separation of powers in Montesquieu’s analysis is not so much a conclusion as an invitation for further investigation.