托克维尔论民主、自由和宗教

和马克思、涂尔干、韦伯等其他古典社会理论家一样,托克维尔关于民主和自由的思想也是对现代性问题的一种知识反应.托克维尔所面临的现实是世界范围内的民主化(平等化)趋势,而他所最珍视的价值则是自由.他看到,民主的社会状态隐含着对自由的巨大威胁.于是,他的基本问题便是如何在不可避免地到来的民主时代守护自由.通过对美国和法国的比较研究,托克维尔揭示了在民主时代保障和实现自由所必需的制度和文化(宗教)条件.

Tocqueville on Democracy, Freedom and Religion

Like Marx, Durkheim, Weber and other classical sociologists, Tocqueville's thought on democracy and freedom is also an intellectual response to modernity. The reality that Tocqueville had to face was the inevitable trend of democracy (and equality) on the global level. Freedom was his highest value. In recognizing the potential threat of a democratic society on freedom, he challenged it with an essential task of defending freedom. Through a comparative study of the American and the French societies, Tocqueville tried to envision the social systems and cultural conditions necessary for a real freedom in the age of democracy.