亚当·斯密晚年对自由放任思想的反思——基于《道德情操论》版本的考察

Adam Smith's Reflection on the Laissez⁃faire Ideology in HisLater Years: A Study based on Different Version of TMS

本文考察了亚当·斯密《道德情操论》初版到第六版之间的若干重大修改,发现斯密对待自由放任的认识发生了较为重大的变化。在《道德情操论》初版中,斯密对自然自由体系抱有强烈信念,而晚年斯密则对此心存疑虑。与此相应,晚年斯密对基于自然自由体系的商业社会能给人类带来真正的幸福,也产生了深刻的怀疑。由于人类对快乐的同情共感天然要强于痛苦,被人羡慕和称赞带来的快乐引导一个人热衷于追逐财富和地位,而不是追求真正的德性。在自然自由的商业体系中,人类天性具有产生道德腐败的内在可能性。斯密由此对自由放任的经济体系能自然而然地造就好社会抱有悲观的态度。晚年斯密从社会精英阶层的道德建设寻求抑制商业社会道德情感腐败的出路。

This article examines several significant revisions found in Adam Smith's TMS across its first and sixth editions and finds that Smith's understanding of laissez⁃faire has undergone significant changes.In the first edition of TMS,Smith had a strong belief in the natural freedom system.However,in his later years,Smith had doubts about it.Concurrently,Smith also had profound doubts about whether a commercial society based on the natural freedom system could bring true happiness to humanity.Due to the fact that human empathy for happiness is naturally stronger than pain,the joy of being envied and praised leads a person to be passionate about pursuing wealth and status,rather than pursuing true virtue.In the naturally free commercial system,human nature has an inherent inclination towards moral corruption.Smith therefore held a pessimistic attitude towards whether a laissez⁃faire economic system could naturally create a good society.In his later years,Smith sought a way to curb the corruption of moral sentiments in commercial society through the construction of moral values within the social elite.