雅典人的性格与其民主政治的缺陷——从远征西西里的辩论谈起

The Characters of the Athenian and the Problems of Their Democracy ——Starting from the Debate of the Sicilian Expedition

在雅典远征西西里前的一场公民大会上,两位将军尼西阿斯与亚西比得进行了关于是否值得远征的最后辩论。宿将尼西阿斯试图用理智的分析劝服雅典人改变他们的"性格",放弃远征;青年将领亚西比得则煽动雅典人依从"老制度"和他们的"性格",继续雅典的帝国梦想。雅典人有着怎样的"性格",最终引导他们走向远征和衰败?首先,雅典人自信,但却对雅典的历史功绩和民主制度过度自负和自恋;其次,雅典人在民主制度的长期熏染下热爱平等自由,却也滑向了另一个极端——平民的虚荣和盲目,他们热衷于奢侈豪华的各类娱乐项目,把迎奉人民的冒险家奉为人民领袖,盲目地流放和审判本国政治家;最后,他们虽然积极进取,但却更激进好战,通过民主帝国主义奴役外邦人民,试图做全希腊的主人。雅典人的这些"性格"映衬了雅典民主的致命缺陷:过度的制度自信而滑向制度崇拜,民主决策的理想蜕变为决策失序和盲目,对内民主外化为民主霸权和帝国主义。

Before the Sicilian expedition, the two generals, Nicias and Alcibiades, had a final debate about if the expedition was worth of effort at the public assembly. Nicias was a veteran general, who tried to convince the Athens with his logic analysis and persuade them to change their "characters" and give up the plan of expedition. But Alcibiades who was a young general instigated the Athens to follow their conventions and "characters" and to chase the dream of their empire. What kind of "characters" do they have? And they lead Athenian to the expedition and failure. Firstly, the Athenian were self-confident, but they were too conceited over their historic achievements and democratic system. Secondly, under the long-term influence of democracy, they loved equality and freedom, but they also became vain and mindless which was the other end of democracy. They loved all kinds of luxurious entertainments, selected adventurers who appealed to public as leaders, and brought their politicians to trial and send them into exile blindly. Finally, they were aggressive, but very bellicose. They wanted to be the master of the whole Greece by their democratic imperialism. These "characters" mirrored the fatal defect in their democracy, namely institutional worship, disorder and mindless of democratic decisions, democratic hegemony and imperialism.