汉密尔顿人性思想研究

Research on Hamilton’s Human Nature Thought

作为美国早期政治家和开国元勋,汉密尔顿重视分析人性心理与政治活动的关系,强调制定政策的科学即在于对人性的认知。汉密尔顿的人性观既非理想主义性善论,也非悲观主义性恶论,而是一个具有丰富内涵和内在张力的人性思想体系,融合了古典的、基督教的和启蒙时代的人性思想,包含了对于人性特质、心理动机和行为原则的复杂认识。考察汉密尔顿的思想体系不难发现,不论是分权制衡的政体架构所体现的人性动机理论,还是代议制共和制所包含的天生贵族观念,汉密尔顿的人性思想实为其政治哲学提供了必不可少的人性认知理据。

As an early American statesman and a founding father,Hamilton attaches great importance to analyzing the relationship between human psychology and political activities,and emphasizes that the science of policy⁃making lies in the cognition of human nature.Hamilton’s view of human nature is neither the idealistic theory of good nature nor the pessimistic theory of evil nature,but an ideological system of human nature with rich connotation and internal tension,which combines classical,Christian and enlightenment human nature thoughts,and contains complex understanding of human nature,psychological motivation and behavioral principles.It is not difficult to find that Hamilton’s thought of human nature actually provides the essential cognitive motivation of human nature for his political philosophy,whether it is the theory of human nature motive embodied in the regime structure of separation of powers and checks and balances,or the idea of natural nobility contained in the representative republic system.