西方思想史上的自然法和自然权利

The Natural Law and Natural Rights in the History of Western Thought

本文介绍和分析自古希腊到今天西方“自然法”理论的演变史。自然法是西方思想文化中的基本概念之一,在西方历史的不同时期均起过重要作用,在近代资产阶级反封建斗争中的作用尤为显著,其所派生的“自然权利”(天赋人权)、“社会契约”、“反暴君”等概念在中国广为人知。作为人类行为的最高准则,自然法是西方法律理论的基础,是古罗马万民法和近代国际法的理论依据。19世纪中后期,资产阶级基本上掌握政权后社会条件发生了种种变化,加上实证主义思潮的影响,自然法理论一度走向衰微。但在20世纪里,面对法西斯的罪行和环境恶化等问题,人们重新思考实证法学的利弊,结果自然法以新的面目再度兴起,作为法律的最高道德权威,它依然在现代法律思想中起重要作用。

This article introduces and analizes the changes in the western theory of natural law from ancient Greece to the present.Natrual law is one of the basic concepts in the western thought,and it has played important roles in different times of western history,especially outstandingly in the struggle against feudalism by the bourgeoisie in early modern times.The deriving notions,such as“natural rights”,“social contract”,“Anti-tyrant”and so on have been well known to many people of China.As the highest standard of human behaviour,natrual law is the basis of the western law thought,and is the theoretical ground of the Roman jus gentium and the modern international law.In the middle and late times of the 19th century the theory of natural law had been declined due to the influences of the science of positive law as well as the changes of social conditions after the bourgeois gaining the political power.But in the 20th century many people reconsider the pros and cons of the science of positive law in facing the fascist crimes and the deterioration of environment.Aa a result the natural law has been re-rising with a new look,and as the highest moral authority it still plays an important role in the modern thought of law.