社會學 - 馬克斯·韋伯：英語精讀講義

Max Weber is one of the philosophers best able to explain to us the peculiar economic system we live within called capitalism. 文法

馬克斯·韋伯是最能向我們解釋我們所生活的這個名為資本主義的奇特經濟體系的哲學家之一。

Born Erfurt in Germany in 1864,

1864年出生於德國埃爾福特，

Weber grew up to see his country convulsed by the dramatic changes of the Industrial Revolution. 講解

韋伯在成長過程中目睹了他的國家因工業革命的劇變而動盪。

Cities were exploding in size,

城市規模呈爆炸式增長，

vast companies were forming,

龐大的公司正在形成，

a new managerial elite was replacing the old aristocracy. 用詞

新的管理精英正在取代舊的貴族。

Weber spent his life analyzing these changes,

韋伯傾其一生分析這些變化，

and he developed some key ideas

並提出了一些關鍵思想

with which we can better understand the workings and future of capitalism. 文法

藉此我們可以更好地理解資本主義的運作和未來。

The standard view is that capitalism began as a result of developments in technology, 表達脈絡

標準觀點認為，資本主義的起源是技術發展的結果，

especially steam power.

尤其是蒸汽動力。

But Weber proposed something more interesting,

但韋伯提出了更有趣的觀點，

that what actually made capitalism possible was a set of ideas, 文法

即真正使資本主義成為可能的是一套思想，

and in particular religious ideas.

尤其是宗教思想。

And not just any religious ideas. 片語搭配

而且不是隨便什麼宗教思想。

Capitalism was created by Protestantism,

資本主義是由新教創造的，

specifically Calvinism.

具體來說是加爾文教派。

In his great work,

在他的偉大著作

The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism,

《新教倫理與資本主義精神》中，

published in 1905,

於1905年出版，

Weber laid out some of the reasons 片語動詞

韋伯列出了一些原因

why he believed Protestant Christianity had been so crucial to capitalism.

解釋了為什麼他認為新教基督教對資本主義如此關鍵。

In Weber's analysis,

在韋伯的分析中，

Catholics have it relatively easy. 慣用語

天主教徒相對輕鬆。

They're able to confess their transgressions at regular intervals

他們能夠定期懺悔自己的過失

and can be cleansed by priests.

並透過牧師得到淨化。

But no such purifications are available to Protestants

但新教徒沒有這種淨化方式，

who believe that only God is able to forgive anyone,

他們相信只有上帝才能寬恕任何人，

and he won't make his intentions known until the day of judgment. 片語搭配

而上帝直到審判日才會公布祂的意圖。

Until then,

在那之前，

Weber alleged,

韋伯宣稱，

Protestants are left with heightened feelings of anxiety, 片語動詞

新教徒只能懷揣著日益加劇的焦慮感，

as well as lifelong guilty desires

以及伴隨一生的因負罪感而生的渴望

to prove their virtue to a severe,

去向一位嚴厲、

all-seeing, but silent God.

全知卻沉默的上帝證明他們的美德。

In Weber's eyes,

在韋伯看來，

Protestant feelings of guilt were diverted into an obsession with hard work. 片語搭配

新教徒的內疚感被轉移到了對努力工作的癡迷上。

This was what he called the Protestant work ethic. 文化背景

這就是他所說的「新教工作倫理」。

The sins of Adam could only be expunged through constant toil. 文化背景

亞當的罪孽只能透過不斷的辛勞來消除。

Not coincidentally, 表達脈絡

並非巧合的是，

there were far fewer festivals and days of rest in Protestantism.

新教中的節日和休息日要少得多。

God didn't like time off.

上帝不喜歡休息。

Catholics had limited their conception of holy work to the activities of priests, 片語搭配

天主教徒將神聖工作的概念侷限於牧師、

monks, and nuns.

僧侶和修女的活動。

But now,

但現在，

Protestants declared that work of any kind could be done in the name of God, 片語搭配

新教徒宣稱任何種類的工作都可以以上帝的名義進行，

even jobs like being a baker or an accountant.

即使是麵包師或會計師這樣的工作。

This lent new moral energy and earnestness to all branches of professional life. 片語搭配

這給所有職業分支注入了新的道德力量和認真的態度。

In Catholic countries,

在天主教國家，

the family was,

家庭過去是，

and often still is,

並且往往現在也是，

everything.

一切。

But Protestants took a less benevolent view of family. 片語搭配

但新教徒對家庭的看法沒有那麼寬容。

The family could be a haven for selfish and egoistic motives. 慣用語

家庭可能是自私和利己動機的避風港。

For early Protestants,

對於早期新教徒來說，

one was meant to direct one's selfless energies to the community as a whole, 片語搭配

一個人應該將無私的精力投入到整個社區，

the public realm, 用詞

也就是公共領域，

where everyone deserved fairness and dignity.

在那裡每個人都應該得到公平和尊嚴。

Protestantism,

新教，

and eventually scientific capitalism,

以及最終的科學資本主義，

turned its back on miracles. 慣用語

背棄了奇蹟。

Weber called this the disenchantment of the world. 文化背景

韋伯稱之為世界的除魅。

So prosperity wasn't to be thought of as something mysteriously ordained by God, 文法

所以繁榮不應被認為是上帝神秘注定的東西，

it could only be the result of thinking methodically,

它只能是多年來有條理地思考、

acting honestly,

誠實地行動，

and working industriously and sensibly over many years.

勤奮且理智地工作的結果。

Without a belief in miracles,

沒有了對奇蹟的信仰，

people turned to science for explanations and changes,

人們轉向科學尋求解釋和改變，

which encouraged scientific investigation and discovery,

這鼓勵了科學調查和發現，

and eventually technological booms.

並最終導致了技術的繁榮。

Taken together, 表達脈絡

綜合來看，

these five factors created in Weber's eyes

這五個因素在韋伯眼中

the crucial catalytic ingredients for capitalism to take hold. 講解

構成了資本主義扎根的關鍵催化劑。

Marx had argued that religion was the opium of the masses, 文化背景

馬克思曾爭辯說宗教是人民的鴉片，

a drug that induced passive acceptance of the horrors of capitalism.

是一種誘導人們被動接受資本主義恐怖的毒藥。

But Weber turned this dictum on its head. 慣用語

但韋伯顛覆了這句名言。

People didn't tolerate capitalism because of religion, 表達脈絡

人們並不是因為宗教而容忍資本主義，

they only became capitalists as a result of their religion.

他們只是因為自己的宗教信仰才成為了資本家。

There are about 35 countries where capitalism is now well developed.

現在大約有35個國家的資本主義高度發達。

It probably works best in Germany,

它可能在德國運作得最好，

where Weber first observed it.

這也是韋伯最初觀察到它的地方。

But in the remaining 161 nations,

但在其餘的161個國家中，

it arguably isn't working very well at all.

它可以說根本運作得不好。

This is a source of much puzzlement and distress.

這是一個令人大感困惑和苦惱的根源。

Billions of dollars in aid are transferred every year from the rich to the poor parts of the world.

每年有數十億美元的援助從富裕地區轉移到世界的貧困地區。

But a Weberian analysis tells us that these materialist interventions will never work, 用詞

但韋伯式的分析告訴我們，這些唯物主義的干預永遠不會奏效，

because the problem isn't really a material one to begin with.

因為從一開始問題就並非物質上的。

Instead,

相反，

certain countries for Weber fail to succeed at capitalism

對韋伯而言，某些國家未能在資本主義上取得成功，

because they don't feel anxious and guilty enough.

是因為他們感到不夠焦慮和內疚。

They trust too much in miracles.

他們過於相信奇蹟。

They like to celebrate now rather than invest in tomorrow,

他們喜歡現在慶祝而不是投資明天，

and their members feel it's acceptable to steal from the community

並且他們的成員覺得可以從社區中偷竊

in order to enrich their families,

以中飽私囊，

favoring the clan over the nation.

認為宗族高於國家。

Today,

如今，

Weber would counsel those who wish to spread capitalism

韋伯會建議那些希望傳播資本主義的人

to concentrate on our equivalent of religion,

去關注與宗教相當的東西，

culture.

也就是文化。

It's a nation's attitudes,

是一個國家的態度、

hopes,

希望

and a sense of what life is about

和對生活意義的認知

that produces an economy that either flourishes or flounders. 表達脈絡

造就了經濟的繁榮或是掙扎。

To reduce poverty,

為了減少貧困，

Weber would say,

韋伯會說，

one has to start at the level of ideas. 片語搭配

我們必須從思想層面開始。

What the World Bank and the IMF should be giving sub-Saharan Africa 文化背景

世界銀行和國際貨幣基金組織應該提供給撒哈拉以南非洲的，

is not,

並不是，

in a Weberian analysis,

從韋伯的分析來看，

money and technology,

金錢和技術，

but a new outlook.

而是一種新的視野。

The decisive question for an economy

對一個經濟體而言，決定性的問題

should not be what the rate of inflation is, 表達脈絡

不應該是通貨膨脹率是多少，

but what's on TV tonight.

而是今晚電視上播什麼。

Weber was writing in an age of revolution.

韋伯在一個革命的時代寫作。

He too wanted things to change,

他也希望事物發生改變，

but he believed that one first had to work out 片語動詞

但他相信人們首先必須弄清楚

how political power operated.

政治權力是如何運作的。

Weber believed that humanity had gone through three distinct types of power.

韋伯認為人類經歷了三種不同類型的權力。

The older societies operated according to what he called traditional authority, 文化背景

古老的社會依照他所稱的傳統權威運作，

where kings relied on folklore and divinity to justify their power. 片語搭配

國王依靠民間傳說和神性來證明其權力的正當性。

Then came the age of charismatic authority, 文化背景

然後是魅力型權威的時代，

where a heroic individual,

在這個時代，一個英雄式的人物，

most famously Napoleon,

最著名的是拿破崙，

could rise to power with a magnetic personality 講解

能夠憑藉極具吸引力的個性掌權，

and change everything through passion and will.

並透過激情和意志改變一切。

However,

然而，

Weber explained that we had now entered a third age of bureaucratic authority. 文化背景

韋伯解釋說我們現在進入了第三個時代，即官僚權威時代。

Bureaucracy achieves its power via knowledge.

官僚機構透過知識獲得權力。

Only the bureaucrats know how stuff works,

只有官僚們知道事情是如何運作的，

and it will take an outsider years to work it out. 文法

而局外人要花數年時間才能弄明白。

Most of us simply give up,

我們大多數人乾脆放棄了，

usefully,

方便了

for the powers that be. 慣用語

現存的當權者。

The dominance of bureaucracy has major implications for anyone trying to change a nation. 片語搭配

官僚機構的主導地位對任何試圖改變國家的人都有著重大影響。

There is often an understandable but misguided desire to think that one just has to change the leader, 表達脈絡

人們通常有一種可以理解但卻被誤導的願望，認為只要更換領導人就行了，

but in fact removing a leader almost never has the degree of impact that is hoped for.

但事實上，罷免領導人幾乎從未達到所期望的非凡影響。

If we're to get things to go better, 文法

如果我們想讓事情變得更好，

much of it will have to come through outwardly, 片語動詞

很大程度上必須透過表面上

rather undramatic,

並不引人注目的、

bureaucratic processes.

官僚程序來實現。

It will come through the marshalling of statistical evidence, 用詞

它將透過整理統計證據、

patient briefings to ministers, 用詞

向部長們耐心做簡報、

testimonies to committee hearings, 文化背景

在委員會聽證會上作證，

and a minute study of budgets. 用詞

以及對預算的細緻研究來實現。

Weber tells us how power works now,

韋伯告訴我們現在的權力是如何運作的，

and reminds us that ideas may be far more important 文法

並提醒我們在改變國家時，思想可能

than tools or money in changing nations.

比工具或金錢重要得多。

It's a hugely significant thesis.

這是一個具有重大意義的論點。

With Weber's guidance,

在韋伯的指引下，

we learn that so much which we associate with vast, 表達脈絡

我們了解到我們常常聯想到的那些巨大、

impersonal,

毫無感情的

external forces is,

外部力量，

in fact,

事實上，

dependent upon something utterly intimate,

依賴於一些極其私密，

and perhaps more malleable,

也許更具可塑性的東西，

the thoughts in our own heads.

也就是我們頭腦中的想法。