论兰克的史学思想

On Ranke’s Historical Thoughts

在19世纪以来历史学专业化过程中,兰克开启的历史考证学风具有里程碑的意义。然而,兰克不是史料学家。史料学对他而言,是为了替历史建构提供坚实、可信的基础。兰克是建构历史的叙事大师。他不断而且一贯地在巨幅的历史著作中,借着叙事赋予历史意义。兰克终身没有历史理论的著述,没有系统地说明过历史知识的性质,以及论述历史研究的主体、客体问题。但是,在追求真实与历史意义的同时,他经常会在著作及书信中透露史家应该如何面对自我以及表达历史究竟是什么。兰克强调史家要有观点,要了解自我的局限性并提升自我,他也不隐讳自己的历史看法。兰克把历史叙述成许多趋势,每个趋势里都有它充满价值的个体性,所有趋势的交错汇集构成时代,甚至是世界史。由于基督教的信仰,让兰克把欧洲族群的冲突乐观地视为一起成长与融合的过程,同时也让他把这一过程等同为世界史。他对非基督教世界的偏见,源自他的宗教精神,造成他历史理论本身的矛盾。这一矛盾体现在他无法以他核心的思想——个体性原则——对待异文化。在历史思考上他使用双重价值标准。

Leopold von Ranke(1795-1886),with his pioneering method of historical criticism,has played a major role in the process of professionalizing history as an academic discipline.However,his success was not limited to the source studies.On the contrary,Ranke was a great master of storytelling.This article intends to show,firstly,that Ranke often presented his views openly.He did not deny that historians should have a point of view.They just have to widen their horizon.Second,this article wants to show that Ranke saw the past full of different tendencies.Each tendency manifested its own valuable individuality.The interaction of these tendencies formed epoch for him.World history was an interrelation of all those tendencies.Third,this article wants to emphasize that Ranke’s storytelling was determined by his firm religious belief.The shaping of the unity of the European nations,which make up the world historical phenomena,led back to his Christian religiosity.The principle of individuality,which is otherwise central to his historical thinking,had not been applied to the non-Christian cultures in his world history.He thus fell into the Hegelian philosophical paradigm of world history and was using Hegel’s terms concerning the Orient.Ranke thus formed a double moral in his historical thinking.