查爾斯．泰勒對托克維爾民主思想之繼受與轉化

Charles Taylor's Succession and Adaptation of Tocqueville's Democratic Thought

許家豪(Chia-Hao Hsu)

《政治與社會哲學評論》 54期 (2015/09) Pp. 1-50

https://doi.org/10.6523/168451532015090054001

摘要

本文透過對於托克維爾與泰勒之民主思想的對照與比較，一方面從思想史的角度比較兩人的民主理論，提供一個理解泰勒的公民人文主義的思想脈絡；另一方面則藉此凸顯泰勒反省現代民主社會政治實踐的切入點。本文指出兩位思想家都強調民主制度兼具包容與排除的兩股內生趨力，也都主張在共同追求政治自由的共同信念與避免柔性暴政的威脅之間取得平衡。但泰勒與托克維爾民主思想存在一個根本差異：托克維爾認為要避免柔性暴政的肆虐對於政治自由的戕害，公民必須學習培養參與公共事務的技藝、習慣與民風，但對泰勒而言，參與公共事務與自我治理是一種具有內在價值的實踐行動，透過政治實踐，多元異質的公民才能形成對於共同體的共享認同。

關鍵字

泰勒 ； 托克維爾 ； 公民人文主義 ； 柔性暴政 ； 民主理論

並列摘要

The purpose of this article is to compare Alexis de Tocqueville's democratic theory with Charles Taylor's civic humanism through a close textual reading, and to illustrate Taylor's succession, expansion, and adaptation of Tocqueville's democratic theory. This article places Taylor's democratic theory in the context of the history of political thought and highlights how Taylor re-invented Tocqueville's democratic thought to establish his own version of civic humanism. Following Tocqueville's legacy, Taylor identifies a structural dilemma embedded in modern democratic societies: the coexistence of an inclusive and an exclusive dynamic. Taylor believes citizens in modern democracies always have to make balanced decisions between inclusion and exclusion, between accommodating plural values and forming a common identity. I argue that Taylor applies and expands Tocqueville's prescriptions to the context of contemporary democratic society, and reassures the importance of citizens' participation in public spheres, which is necessary for a healthy and viable democracy. Finally, I argue that the two thinkers differ in their views on the nature of political participation. Whereas for Tocqueville political participation is a means to learning the art of being free, for Taylor, political practice is a good in itself to achieve a higher and shared common good.

並列關鍵字

Charles Taylor ； Alexis de Tocqueville ； Civic humanism ； soft despotism ； democratic theory

參考文獻

Abbey, Ruth and Charles Taylor, 1996　“Communitarianism, Taylor-Made: An Interview with Charles Taylor,” Australian Quarterly 68(1): 1-10.

Anderson, Joel, 1996　“The Personal Lives of Strong Evaluators: Identity, Pluralism, and Ontology in Charles Taylor's Value Theory,” Constellations 3(1): 17-38.

Beaulieu, Alain, 2005　“An Interview with Charles Taylor,” Canadian Journal of Continental Philosophy: Symposium 9(1): 115-127.

Ceaser, James, 1985　“Alexis de Tocqueville on Political Science, Political Culture, and the Role of the Intellectual,” The American Political Science Review 79(3): 656-672.

Herbert Jr., Joseph, 2007　“Individualism and Intellectual Liberty in Tocqueville and Descartes,” The Journal of Politics 69(2): 525-537.