宗教与世俗的辩证佛格森論歷史与自由.PDFVIP

中央研究院歷史語言研究所集刊 第七十九本，第二分 出版日期：民國九十七年六月 宗教與世俗的辯證── 佛格森論歷史與自由 陳正國 * 亞當佛格森為蘇格蘭啟蒙運動之重要文人，其思想邇來頗受學界關注。然時下 之論多為世俗化觀點。本文有別於時論，揭論佛格森神學思想之重要。佛氏以為， 此世界受命神恩，乃有持續變化進步之事實 。人類之為獨特，在於受命自由意志。 人若能依據自由意志原則而主動成為上帝創世與目標之工具，人類社會即能持續變 化進步。易言之，社會之歷史便能與自然之歷史合轍。同理，自由之義亦須以合作 觀點加以理解。以合作觀點視之，自由之真諦不在個人權利的顯揚，而在社會整體 之保存與進步。上帝所造之世界既有階級差異，而又協合共作，各人當因此各安其 命，順命而為。佛格森所在意者，乃菁英階 級須既能洞悉危機於先燭，理當自勉奮 發，不受商業社會不良影響，隨時保持公民 意識與責任。佛格森之政治保守主義， 實有其神學思想基礎。 關鍵詞：亞當佛格森 神恩 進步 蘇格蘭啟蒙運動 * 中央研究院歷史語言研究所 -187- 陳正國 The Dialectics of Religion and Secularization: Adam Ferguson on History and Liberty Jeng-guo Chen Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica The resurgence of scholarship on Adam Ferguson in recent decades tends to portray this great literati of the Scottish Enlightenment as a secular thinker. This article argues against the current grain by revealing the importance of Ferguson’s theological thinking. Discussing the complex interaction between religious and secular ideas in Ferguson’s thought, this article argues that Ferguson conceptualized history as a two- tiered composition of natural history and social history in which human beings are situated right at the convergent junction of these two histories: they are simultaneously part of the natural history as made by God as well as the maker of their own social history. As part of natural history, humans are capable of progressing as individuals like any other animal. In terms of providence, humans are unique as they are “created” with “reason” and “free will.” Having