语言与政治:霍布斯语言哲学研究

Language and Politics:A study of Hobbes’Philosophy of Language

在语言的本质方面,霍布斯是一个唯名论者;但在语言的功能方面,他却看到了语言的推理能力、自我代表能力、联合能力对于拓展人的自然心智的革命性影响,并由此出发建构起他的整个政治哲学理论。在语言被发明前,人类的欲望相对而言有着更少的冲突,这时的人尚未与动物相分离。而在语言发明后,语言对人类心智的影响如此之大,以致人难以驾驭,从而进入所谓的自然状态的困境。只有走出自然状态,进入在一个主权者之下联合的国家状态(秩序化语词的国家)才是人类的真正出路,即通过语言将主权者的意志确立为理性的法律,并以法律的形式对每个社会成员的行为规则和拥有的权利进行规制。霍布斯还继续将唯名论贯穿到神学政治中,认为无限、全能和永恒的上帝不过是人们通过语言推论得来的。

In terms of the essence of language,Hobbes is a nominalist.However,in terms of the function of language,he saw the revolutionary influence of the reasoning ability,self-representation ability and joint ability of language on expanding human’s natural mind,and constructed his whole political philosophy theory from this.Before the invention of language,human desires had relatively less conflict.At this time,people were not separated from animals.After the invention of language,the influence of language on human mind is so great that it is difficult for people to control and enter the dilemma of the so-called natural state.Only by going out of the natural state and entering the state of a country united under a sovereign(a country with orderly words)is the real way out for mankind:establish the will of the sovereign as a rational law through language,and regulate the behavior rules and rights of each social member in the form of law.Hobbes also continued to apply nominalism to theology and politics,and believed that the infinite,omnipotent and eternal God was only deduced by people through language.