政治理論 - 湯瑪斯·霍布斯：英語精讀講義

Thomas Hobbes was a 17th century English philosopher,

托馬斯·霍布斯是一位17世紀的英國哲學家，

who's on hand to guide us through one of the thorniest issues of politics. 講解

他在此為我們解答政治中最棘手的問題之一。

To what extent should we patiently obey rulers, 文法

我們在多大程度上應該耐心服從統治者，

especially those who are not very good,

特別是那些不太賢明的統治者，

and to what extent should we start revolutions and depose governments in search of a better world? 用詞

又在多大程度上為了尋求一個更美好的世界而發動革命、推翻政府？

Hobbes's thinking is inseparable from one major event 片語搭配

霍布斯的思想與一個重大事件密不可分，

that began when he was 64 years old

該事件發生在他64歲時，

and was to mark him so deeply, 文法

給他留下了極其深刻的烙印，

it colored all his subsequent thinking. 慣用語

影響了他之後所有的思考。

Remarkably, he died when he was 91,

值得注意的是，他享年91歲，

and so everything he's remembered for today, 表達脈絡

如今他為人銘記的一切著作，

he wrote after the age of 60.

都是在他60歲以後寫成的。

This event was the English Civil War,

這個事件就是英國內戰，

a vicious, divisive, costly and murderous conflict

一場殘酷、分裂、代價慘重且充滿殺戮的衝突，

that raged across England for almost a decade

在英國肆虐了近十年，

and pitted the forces of king against Parliament, 片語搭配

使國王的軍隊與議會軍相互廝殺，

leading to the deaths of some 200,000 people on both sides.

導致雙方約20萬人喪生。

Hobbes was by nature a deeply peaceful and cautious man. 片語搭配

霍布斯生性是一個極度愛好和平且謹慎的人。

He hated violence of all kinds,

他厭惡各種形式的暴力，

a disposition that had begun at the age of four,

這種性情始於他四歲的時候，

when his own father,

當時他的父親，

a clergyman,

一名牧師，

was disgraced and abandoned his wife and family,

身敗名裂並拋棄了妻子和家庭，

after he'd got into a fight with another vicar 片語搭配

原因是他與另一名牧師打了一架，

on the steps of his parish church in a village in Wiltshire.

就發生在威爾特郡一個村莊的教區教堂台階上。

The work for which we chiefly remember Hobbes, 文法

我們主要因為一部作品而銘記霍布斯，

Leviathan,

那就是《利維坦》，

was published in 1651.

於1651年出版。

It is the most definitive, persuasive,

這是最權威、最有說服力、

and eloquent statement ever produced

且最具雄辯性的論述，

as to why one should obey government authority, 片語搭配

解釋了為什麼人們應該服從政府權威，

even of a very imperfect kind,

即便是一個非常不完美的權威，

in order to avoid the risk of chaos and bloodshed. 講解

為了避免陷入混亂和流血的危險。

To understand the background of Hobbes's conservatism,

要理解霍布斯保守主義的背景，

it helps to realize that across Western Europe in the 17th century, 片語搭配

了解17世紀整個西歐的情況會有所幫助，

political theorists were beginning to ask with a new directness,

當時的政治理論家開始以前所未有的直白方式發問：

on what basis subjects should obey their rulers. 片語搭配

臣民到底基於什麼應該服從統治者。

For centuries,

幾個世紀以來，

way back into the Middle Ages,

一路追溯到中世紀，

there'd been a standard answer to this.

對此一直有一個標準答案，

contained in a theory called "the divine right of kings". 文化背景

包含在一個叫做「君權神授」的理論中。

This was a blunt, simple, but highly effective theory

這是一個直白、簡單卻極其有效的理論，

stating that it was none other than God who'd appointed all kings 慣用語

它宣稱任命所有國王的不是別人，正是上帝，

and that one should obey these monarchs for one clear reason,

人們應該服從這些君主的原因很明確：

because God said so,

因為上帝這麼說，

and he would send you to hell if you didn't agree.

如果你不同意，他就會把你打入地獄。

But this was no longer proving quite so persuasive to many thoughtful people

但這對許多善於思考的人來說，已經不再那麼有說服力了，

who argued that the right to rule ultimately lay not with kings, 表達脈絡

他們認為統治權最終並不在於國王，

but with ordinary people who gave kings power,

而在於賦予國王權力的普通民眾，

and therefore should only expect to take orders from kings

因此，人們期望聽命於國王的前提只能是，

so long as, 表達脈絡

只要，

but only so long as things were working out quite well for them.

且僅僅只要事情對他們來說運轉得相當好。

This was known as "the social contract theory of government". 文化背景

這被稱為「政府的社會契約論」。

Hobbes could see that the divine right of kings theory was nonsense,

霍布斯能看出君權神授論簡直是胡說八道，

and what's more, 表達脈絡

而且更重要的是，

was going to be increasingly unpersuasive as religious observance declined.

隨著宗教信仰的衰退，它將變得越來越缺乏說服力。

He himself was privately an atheist.

他本人私下裡就是一個無神論者。

At the same time, 表達脈絡

與此同時，

Hobbes was deeply scared of the possible consequences of the social contract theory,

霍布斯對社會契約論可能帶來的後果深感恐懼，

which could encourage people to depose rulers

因為這可能會鼓勵人們去推翻統治者，

whenever they felt a little unhappy with their lot. 慣用語

只要他們對自己的處境感到有一點點不滿。

Hobbes had received a first-hand account of the beheading of King Charles the First 片語搭配

霍布斯曾收到關於查理一世被斬首的第一手描述，

on a scaffold in front of the Banqueting House of the Palace of Whitehall

就在白廳宮國宴廳前面的斷頭台上，

in 1649,

時間是1649年，

and his intellectual labors

他的智力勞動

were directed at making sure

旨在確保

that such ghastly, primitive scenes

這種可怕、原始的場景

would never be repeated.

永遠不會重演。

So, in Leviathan,

因此，在《利維坦》中，

Hobbes puts forward an ingenious argument 片語動詞

霍布斯提出了一個巧妙的論點，

that tries to marry up social contract theory 片語動詞

試圖將社會契約論

with the defense of total obedience and submission

與對傳統權威的

to traditional authority.

絕對服從和屈服的辯護結合起來。

The way he did this

他所採用的方法

was to take his readers back in time 表達脈絡

就是將讀者帶回到過去，

to a period he called "the state of nature", 文化背景

回到一個他稱之為「自然狀態」的時期，

before there were kings of any kind,

在任何形式的國王出現之前，

and to get them to think about 文法

並讓他們思考

how governments would have arisen in the first place. 慣用語

政府最初是如何產生的。

Key to Hobbes's argument 表達脈絡

霍布斯論點的核心在於

was that the state of nature would not have been a pretty place,

自然狀態絕不是一個美好的地方，

because humans,

因為人類，

left to their own devices, 慣用語

如果任其自由發展，

without a central authority

沒有一個中央權威

to keep them in awe, 用詞

來使他們保持敬畏，

would quickly have descended 片語搭配

就會迅速墮落

into squabbling, infighting,

陷入爭吵、內鬨

and intolerable bickering.

和令人難以忍受的爭執中。

It would have been a little like the English Civil War,

那會有點像英國內戰，

but with people in bearskins

只不過人們披著熊皮，

bashing each other around with flint tools.

用燧石工具互相敲打。

In Hobbes's famous formulation,

用霍布斯那句著名的話來說，

life in the state of nature

在自然狀態下的生活

would have been nasty, brutish, 文化背景

必定是骯髒、野蠻，

and short.

且短暫的。

As a result, 表達脈絡

因此，

out of fear and dread of chaos, 片語搭配

出於對混亂的恐懼和畏懼，

people were led to form governments. 文法

人們被引導去建立政府。

They had done this willingly,

他們是自願這麼做的，

as social contract theorists maintained,

正如社會契約論者所堅持的那樣，

but also under considerable compulsion, 用詞

但同時也是在相當大的壓力下，

fleeing into the arms of strong authority, 慣用語

逃進強大權威的懷抱，

which they therefore,

因此，

Hobbes argued,

霍布斯認為，

had a subsequent duty to keep obeying

隨後他們就有責任繼續服從這個權威，

with only a few rights to complain

並且只有極少數權利去抱怨，

if they didn't like it.

哪怕他們不喜歡它。

The only right that people might have to protest

人們可能有權抗議

about an absolute ruler,

專制統治者，

or Leviathan,

或利維坦，

as Hobbes called him,

如霍布斯對他的稱呼，

was if he directly threatened to kill them.

唯一的情況是他直接威脅要殺他們。

However,

然而，

if the ruler merely stifled opposition, 講解

如果統治者僅僅是壓制反對意見，

imposed onerous taxes, 片語搭配

徵收苛捐雜稅，

crippled the economy, 慣用語

破壞經濟，

and locked up dissidents willy-nilly, 講解

並隨意關押異見人士，

this was absolutely no reason to take to the streets 慣用語

這絕不是走上街頭

and demand a change of government.

要求更換政府的理由。

As Hobbes wrote,

正如霍布斯所寫，

"Though of so unlimited a power,

「雖然擁有如此不受限制的權力，

men may fancy many evil consequences, 用詞

人們可能會想像出許多邪惡的後果，

yet the consequences of the want of it, 用詞

但缺乏這種權力的後果，

which is perpetual war of every man against his neighbor,

即每個人與鄰居之間的無休止的戰爭，

are much worse."

卻要糟糕得多。」

He admitted that a ruler might come along

他承認統治者可能會出現

with an inclination to do wicked deeds, 片語搭配

做惡的傾向，

but the people would still have a duty 片語搭配

但人民依然有義務

to obey this person

服從這個人

as "human affairs cannot be without some inconvenience."

因為「人類事務不可能沒有一些不便之處。」

But this inconvenience is anyway

但這種不便無論如何

the fault of the people,

都是人民的錯，

not the sovereign,

而不是主權者的錯，

because, as Hobbes adds,

因為，正如霍布斯補充道，

"if men could rule themselves, 文法

「如果人們能夠自我統治，

there would be no need at all

就完全不需要

of a common coercive power."

一個共同的強制權力了。」

As he went on,

他繼續寫道，

"he that complaineth of injury from his sovereign, 用詞

「抱怨其主權者造成傷害的人，

complaineth of that whereof he is the author himself, 用詞

抱怨的正是他自己作為作者所創造的事物，

and therefore ought not to accuse any man 文法

因此他不應指責任何人，

but himself."

而應指責他自己。」

Hobbes's theory was dark, cautious,

霍布斯的理論陰暗、謹慎，

and not especially hopeful about government.

對政府也沒有抱以特別的期望。

In our more optimistic moments, 片語搭配

在我們較為樂觀的時刻，

we want him to be wrong,

我們希望他是錯的，

but it seems Hobbes's name will always be relevant and fresh again

但似乎霍布斯的名字總會具有現實意義並且歷久彌新，

when revolutions,

每當革命，

motivated by a search for liberty, 文法

出於對自由的追求而發起，

go horribly awry. 片語搭配

卻可怕地走向了歧途時。

Hobbes maintained in the preface to Leviathan,

霍布斯在《利維坦》的序言中堅稱，

that he had written the book

他寫這本書

without partiality, 表達脈絡

沒有偏見，

without application, 用詞

沒有附會，

and without other design

也沒有別的企圖，

than to set before men's eyes 慣用語

只是為了在世人眼前展現

the mutual relationship

保護與服從之間的

between protection and obedience.

相互關係。