https://scholars.lib.ntu.edu.tw/handle/123456789/5426
Title: | 謹思慎行的改革抱負:大衛‧休謨對不列顛黨派的看法 Aspiration for Reformation with Deliberation: David Hume on British Parties |
Authors: | 鍾友全 Chung, Yu-Chuan |
Keywords: | 休謨;黨派;經驗主義;習慣;信念;懷疑主義;保守主義;Hume;Party;Empiricism;Custom;Belief;Skepticism;Conservatism | Issue Date: | 2010 | Abstract: | 大衛‧休謨(David Hume,1711-1776)對不列顛的黨爭現象關注甚深,並以其經驗主義與懷疑主義哲學思想參與黨派論戰,平議黨派的政治原則,試圖塑造溫和折衷的共識,化解黨爭中的激烈敵對和偏執。在他人性科學中的心靈運作機制裡,理性只是觀念的連結關係,只有激情才會影響意志導致行動;信念來自習慣,是人們據以行動的理由。心靈運作機制的分析在社會與政治上的意義在於指出如何使其正常運作以服務於人類生存所必需的利益。休謨將這套理論應用在黨派問題的分析上。在他的黨派分類中,最爲重要的是在政治原則和擁護王室上有著對立立場的黨派。黨派問題起於不列顛融和君主制和共和制因素的體制,保王的朝廷黨和反王的在野黨的衍生是必然結果;在排除法案危機中誕生托利黨和輝格黨各有前後兩者的性質,但又加入了對特定王室效忠的因素,經歷光榮革命的衝擊可以看出,主導托利黨的特質是對斯圖亞特王室的愛戴,主導輝格黨的特質是對自由的嚮往。在黨派政治原則的論戰中,休謨最爲關切的是政府的本質、憲政體制的權力分配與王位繼承問題三者。在政府的本質上他反對托利黨的君權神授說以及輝格黨的契約論,主張政府的職務是爲了服務於保障社會必需的正義規則;絕大多數的政府都不是起於人民自願同意的契約,而是誕生於社群間戰爭的需求,透過篡奪和征服而建立,臣民因習慣而臣服,人民不能僭稱所謂主權在民而任意反對政府。在憲政體制的權力分配上他主張遠古憲法之說只是侵奪國王權力的藉口,於史無據;光榮革命後形成的混合政府是最佳體制,而憲政運作上在野黨攻擊的腐化是維繫國王權威的必要手段。在王位繼承問題上考慮到斯圖亞特王室的天主教信仰以及漢諾威王室已確立穩固統治,休謨主張應當擁戴漢諾威王室。對特定王室的效忠在休謨眼中只是無謂的偏執;政府只要能保障秩序的穩固和正義規則的施行即具有正當性。這些立場顯示他在政治光譜中的位置應當是漢諾威體制的辯護士。休謨認爲黨派間的衝突根源在於基督教迫害精神的遺毒,因而他的批判也涉及更深層的文化危機,即扭曲了人類心靈運作機制正常運作的宗教現象。休謨的改革良方在於他和緩而務實的懷疑主義,這種懷疑主義質疑人類憑藉先驗理性建構制度的能力,認爲制度的價值與有效性只能由經驗與時間進行檢驗和確認,因此改革只能是在經驗摸索中溫和漸進地根據習慣修改人民的政治信念;他的保守主義立場正來自對於人類是經驗與習慣的產物的深刻洞察。 David Hume (1711-1776) deeply concerned struggles of parties in Britain, participating in the debate with his empiricism and skepticism, and trying to comment principles of parties, forming moderate and eclectic consensus, reconciling intensive antagonism and bigotry between parties. His primary motive to write The History of England was to retrospect the phenomena of parties. In the mechanism of mind of Hume’s science of human nature, reason is nothing but the association of ideas, only passions would stimulate volition and bring about action, and belief which comes from custom is the reason why people act. The importance of the analysis of mechanism of mind is to point out how to let it work regularly in order to serve the interest of human beings. Hume applied this theory into the analysis of parties. In his classification, the most crucial ones are the parties hostile in political principles and affection to royal families. The controversy of parties originates in the institution of Britain which merged monarchial and republican ingredients which necessarily derives royalist court party and anti-monarchy country party; the Tory and Whig party which originated in the Exclusion Crisis had above-mentioned ingredients and appended affection to particular royal families; the clash of Glorious Revolution shows that the ruling ingredient of Tory party is affection to House of Stuart and that of Whig party is the aspiration for liberty. In the debate of political principles, Hume concerned the essential of government, the distribution of power within constitution and the succession mostly. About the essential of government, Hume maintains that the office of government is to serve to protect the rules of justice necessary to society; most governments originate not in the consent of people but wars between societies, which were built through conquest and usurpation, and attain subjects’ attachment through custom, hence people can’t presume sovereignty in people to overthrow them. About the distribution of power within constitution he maintain that the ancient constitution is nothing but a excuse to deprive the king of his power without historical foundation; the mixed government after the Glorious Revolution is the best constitution, the corruption attacked by the country party is necessary means to hold the authority of kings. About succession he considers Catholicism of House of Stuart and de facto settlement of Hannover family hence declares to support the latter; affection to particular royal family is only meaningless bigotry in his view, if only a government protects the rules of justice, it has legitimacy. This shows that Hume’s stance in politics is an apologist of Hanoverian establishment. Hume thought the opposition between parties comes from the persecution milieu of Christianity, hence his criticism extend to cultural crisis, namely the phenomena of religion which distort regular function of mechanism of mind. Hume’ prescription is his mitigated and practical skepticism which questions a prior ability to construct institutions, and he holds that the efficacy can only be affirmed and tested through time and experience, hence reformation could only be based on experience and tests, slowly adjustment alongside custom in order to change political belief. His conservatism just comes from his insight that human beings are the product of experience and custom. |
URI: | http://ntur.lib.ntu.edu.tw//handle/246246/251357 |
Appears in Collections: | 歷史學系 |
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ntu-99-R96123012-1.pdf | 23.53 kB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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