进步主义与保守主义汇融之可能性——论威尔逊对柏克思想的受容

The Possibility of the Confluence of Conservatism and Progressivism:On Woodrow Wilson’s Acceptance of Burke’s Teachings

现今美国政治舞台上政治极化现象越发不受控制,基本已经是一个学界和政论分析界所共见的事实。这种极化现象表现在意识形态领域,主要是进步主义(progressivism)和保守主义(conservatism)之间旷日持久的拉锯战。然则,从美国政治史与美国政治思想研究的视角出发,这两种对峙的主义就真无调和之余地了吗?历史上就没有人试图整合两端优长之处以并举吗?如果我们仔细研读美国政治思想相关文献,就不难发现19世纪末20世纪初威尔逊(Woodrow Wilson)总统对柏克(Edmund Burke)学说的喜爱,大概可以说是美国知识精英在此整合方向上的一次较早的实验。准确理解威尔逊的学术和政治遗产,我们就会认识到,在美国进步主义的初阶源头方向里,其实也潜藏和蕴含着经典保守主义的若干要素的影响。通过整理相关文献,我们发现对威尔逊来说,他最佩服柏克的两点是:第一,柏克在美国革命时对殖民地反抗一方给予了极大的同情,屡次主张英国政府应多加安抚;第二,柏克非常有名地在很早的时候就站出来明确谴责法国大革命的失控和过度,在柏克最早发出那些批判的时候,绝大多数同时代人都认定法国事务正向着欣欣向荣的方向进展,前途一片大好,故大家都倾向认为柏克是在杞人忧天,痴人说梦而已,事后却一再证明柏克的预见性远远超过这些时人俗浅的眼界。不过,我们也需注意到,就学人从政这一面论,不管是柏克,还是威尔逊,都不能说是十分成功的。对他们而言,实际政治权力的得失消长,并非他们从政所秉持的第一要义。

nowadays,the uncontrolled political polarization seems to be a quite salient global phenomenon,the endless battle between progressivism and conservatism begs a key question:are they really mutually exclusive and henceforth,utterly impossible for any reconciliation?This article revisits Woodrow Wilson’s systematic reading and digest of the writings of Edmund Burke,and shows that in reality,the elements of the classic Burkean conservatism had already been built up and properly preserved within the exact intellectual origins of the modern progressivism.Woodrow Wilson’s admiration for Burke did not stop him from joining into the progressive movement,and his famous progressivism also did not indicate he ever harbor any attempt to abandon the influence of Burkean theories.We definitely can learn a lot from Wilson’s readings and understandings of Burke.