论桑德尔对罗尔斯契约论的三点误读

On Sandel’s Three Misunderstandings of Rawls’s Contract Theory

迈克尔·桑德尔对约翰·罗尔斯的契约论的批判主要集中在质疑契约的道德力量、指出罗尔斯对原初状态的经验主义解读存在的缺陷和反驳契约主义的论证方式。实际上,上述批判难以令人信服:第一,契约论内部不存在桑德尔所谓的张力,即使这种张力存在,人们也可以用罗尔斯的"词典式序列"观念进行化解;第二,对原初状态的经验主义解读误解了罗尔斯的原初状态观念;第三,桑德尔从任何契约都应当是讨价还价的结果这一立场出发质疑罗尔斯的契约论,错置了批判的对象,只能将矛头指向"互利契约论"传统。

Michael Sandel’s criticism of John Rawls’s contract theory mainly focuses on questioning the moral power of contract,pointing out the defects of Rawls’s empirical interpretation of the original position and the way to refute contractualism.In fact,the above criticism is unconvincing:First,there is no tension in contract theory,and even if this tension exists,people can use Rawls’s concept of"dictionary sequence"to resolve it;Secondly,the empirical interpretation of the original position misunderstands Rawls’s concept of the original position;Thirdly,Sandel questions Rawls’s contract theory from the standpoint that any contract should be the result of bargaining in that it misplaces the object of criticism and only points the finger at the tradition of"mutually beneficial contract theory".