自由问题的反思与共同体的价值--读以赛亚·伯林《两种自由的概念》

Reflection on Freedom and the Value of Community--Reading Isaiah Burling’s Two Concepts of Freedom

作为最伟大的自由主义政治哲学家之一,以赛亚•伯林的自由理论为个人层面的消极自由进行了丰富的论证,并且揭示了积极自由的潜在危险,意图通过捍卫消极自由的方式来实现自由。然而伯林的自由理论却存在诸多缺陷,以致其逃不脱“普遍主义的贫困”。通过对消极自由的考察可以得知消极自由是无法实现真正的自由的,积极自由在实现自由的过程中有着重要的作用。只有在正确理解个人自由的实现与共同体的发展之间的关系的基础上,通过个人与共同体双向互动才能实现更高水平的自由,真正保障和更充分地实现人们的权利。

As one of the greatest liberal political philosophers,Isaiah Burling’s theory of freedom provides negative freedom with rich arguments at the individual level,and reveals the potential dangers of positive freedom,with the intention of realizing freedom by defending negative freedom.However,as there are many defects in his theory,it cannot escape the“poverty of universalism”.The investigation on negative freedom shows that negative freedom cannot achieve true freedom,while positive freedom plays an important role in the process of achieving freedom.Only on the basis of correctly understanding the relationship between the realization of individual freedom and the development of the community can we realize freedom at a higher level,truly guarantee and fully realize people’s rights through the two-way interaction between individual and community.