曼德维尔格言的三重意涵与“政治社会”的现代转变

The Triple Meaning of Mandevillean Maxim and the Modern Transformation of “Civil Society”

"私人的恶行,公共的利益"是曼德维尔的著名格言,这一格言实际上是被用来回答三个不同的问题,体现为三种不同形式:针对社会的起源问题,是个体的恐惧支持了政治权力,实现了政治统一体的建立;针对道德德性和礼貌的起源问题,是个体的骄傲使人们施加自我纪律,形成了文明化的生活方式;针对经济繁荣的起源问题,是个体对奢侈的追求推动了经济活动,为国家力量提供了支撑。曼德维尔这个格言贯穿始终的思路是在个体自爱的基础上人为建立civil society,但其三种不同形式分别指向政治社会、文明社会、市民社会三重意涵,集中体现了这一概念由霍布斯和自然法学派向苏格兰政治经济学和现代社会科学用法的重要转变。回到曼德维尔格言,有助于我们整体性地思考个人、社会和国家的关系。

This article offers a systematic clarification of the meaning of Bernard Mandeville’s notoriously famous motto-"Private Vices,Public Benefits".As the earliest theoretical attempt to analyze the principles of modern commercial society,the Mandevillean maxim is often misunderstood,being interpreted as moral defense or satire of evils,or a popularized version of Hobbism.Sometimes,it is also regarded as a prototype of modern social sciences,especially of the theory of spontaneous order.In fact,Mandeville used this maxim to answer three different questions,embodied in three different forms.Firstly,for the origin of society,it is the fear of the individual that supports political power and gives the rise of political society.Secondly,for the origin of moral virtue and politeness,it is the pride of the individual that leads to self-discipline and a civilized way of life.Thirdly,for the origin of economic prosperity,it is the individual’s pursuit of luxury that promotes economic activities,which in turn strengthens the power of the nation.A consistent idea of Mandeville’s maxim is to artificially establish a"civil society"on the basis of men’s self-love.The three different forms of this"civil society"point to the triple meaning of the concept,namely,political society(a unity of political power),civil society(civilized social relations)and bürglische gesellschaft(commercial life based on material exchange).It represents a conceptual transformation from Hobbism and natural jurisprudence to Scottish political economy and modern social science.An adequate appreciation of the Madevillean maxim will benefit our comprehensive understanding of the relationship between individuals,society and the state.