西方自然法观念的诸种特征与本质内涵

自然法观念是西方政治法律文化中的核心观念之一 ,它从产生到现在已经有两千多年的历史 ,经历了柏拉图的正义观、阿奎那的神学自然法、卢梭的公意理论、康德的纯粹理性、黑格尔的绝对精神、菲尼斯的实践理性等诸种形态的不同向度的发展 ,根深蒂固 ,经久不衰 ,成为人类文化中一道亮丽的风景。考察其不同历史阶段的共性 ,可以看出西方自然法观念自始至终凝结着人类的智慧和价值追求 ;折射着不同阶段的社会矛盾和蕴涵着不同阶段特定的利益要求 ;具有鲜明的历史时空性 ,内涵虽然变动不居但本质是同一的 ,即都是某种理念被不同阶段的人类理性客观化的结果 ,因而使一个阶段的人类社会群体深信不疑 ;它植根于人类的理性 ,是一种客观化了的主观理念 ,从而具有开放性、动态性和恒久性 ;它最终被不同时代的政治哲学家形而上为关于人类社会制度的组织精神和建构原则 ,而表现出它的显性形态。可以说 ,自然法观念是人类理性塑造出来的一种文化理念 ,它的作用就在于把人类头脑中的理想逻辑化。正因如此 ,马克思曾指出 ,自然法是不能够被废除的

On the Characteristics and Natural Connotations of the Ideal of Natural Law in the Western Culture

The ideal of natural law is one of the key political and juridical ideals in the Western culture. Steadily and continuously,it develops,going through a lot of conceptual forms,such as Plato's justice, Aquinas's Christianized natural law,Rousseau's sovereign general will,Kant's pure reason,Hegel's absolute spirit and Finis's practical reason,--all this turns out to be beautiful scenery of the human culture. By making a brief survey of the common qualities of this ideal at different stages during its development,the author concludes that it constantly consists in the human wisdom and quest for some definite values;that it reflects the social contradictions and various definite needs at the different stages of the historical development;that it is characterized obviously by its historical age and environment;that its nature remain unchanged although its connotations keep being varied,as a result,it is an ideal objectified and therefore believed in without doubt by human reason at different historical stages;that as an objectified subjective archetype,it stems from the human reason,characterized by opening,developing and everlasting;and that finally it is abstracted by the political philosophers as the spirit and rule directing the construction and organization of the social institutions,by means of which to express itself. To be short,the ideal of natural law is a kind of cultural archetype shaped by the human reason to authorize different wishes logically. That is why Karl Marx points out that no natural laws can be done away with.