儒法之间的刑罚根据论:清律窃盗罚则的古今之维

Grounds of Criminal Penalty between Confucianism and Legalism:The Ancient, Modern, Chinese and Western Dimensions of Penalty for Theft in the Qing Code

来自西方的现代刑法学有关刑罚根据的理论主要有报应刑论、预防刑论与并合主义三种。对我国传统时代法制影响最为深刻的儒法两家也对相关问题有所探讨,并均可被归入“并合主义”一派,亦即同时认可刑罚的报应、威慑与教育矫正的作用,承认刑罚乃对罪行之报应,将预防犯罪作为刑罚的目的。但对于预防犯罪的手段,法家强调刑罚的威慑作用而儒家更看重其教育矫正的一面,且法家认为预防犯罪仅靠刑罚一端即足矣,而儒家则倡导兼采礼、乐、刑、政之综合效用。儒法两家共同形塑了我国数千年传统法制的发展脉络,由清代窃盗罚则展现的传统刑罚根据论亦在儒法各异的理念之间激荡、徘徊、演进。我国当代的法学及制度均来自西方,传统时代的这些理论和实践经验,尤其是儒家更高程度的“并合主义”和法家的重刑主义,可作为正反两方面的经验成为当代的有益补充。

Modern Western criminal law has three theories for the foundation of criminal law,i.e.,the punishment of retribution,of precaution,and incorporation.In Chinese tradition,Confucianism and Legalism which had a far-reaching influence in ancient times,and the issue has been received some related probing,and it can be classified into the“incorporation”theory.It means that retribution,determent and education function is confirmed.Legal penalty is seen as a retribution to crimes,and precaution is the aim of penalty.As for the means of precaution,Legalism emphasizes determent,it believes that penalty is enough,while Confucianism sees its function of education,so,it advocates a comprehensive function of rituals,musics,penalties and administration are to be put together for a function.The development of thousands of years’traditional legal system in China had been co-founded by Confucianism and Legalism.The traditional theory of penalty is expressed in the Qing Code for theft,which had been agitated,wavered and progressed between different ideas.The current Chinese legal theory and system come from the west,but the traditional theory and practice can be beneficial complements by its positive and negative experiences with a higher level of Confucian“incorporation”and Legalism’s penalty theory.