蒙田的懷疑主義與政治倫理的觀念

Skepticism Ethics and Politics in Montaigne's Thought

蔡英文(Ying-Wen Tsai)

《政治與社會哲學評論》 55期 (2015/12) Pp. 51-105

https://doi.org/10.6523/168451532015120055002

摘要

本文試從解析蒙田的懷疑主義為起點，闡述他的倫理與政治的理念。蒙田雖承襲古典時期皮浪學派的懷疑論的基本論旨，但他的懷疑主義批判的對象是形上學的思維，其旨意直陳人理性的限制委實無法窮究天地萬物人事的幽微，也無法對此建立一種整體連貫的知識，並確立終極性的原則。依此批判，蒙田把哲學的對象轉向人在其日常生活世界的行動，探索其倫理性，思辨人如何了解自己及應該如何生活。就此，本文論證如下的主題，蒙田的倫理肯定善與德行的合一、人我兼顧，並強調為人的職責在於了解自己與屬於自己。銜接這個解釋脈絡，本文說明蒙田如何回應馬基維利主義與「反君主論」的共和主義。在此，本文論證蒙田雖維護王權，但強調君王的主權不能壓制人之個體性的自由，也不能違反人所信守的倫理，即使在異常狀態，君主不得不作出反倫理的決斷與作為，也必須信守政治的倫理。

關鍵字

蒙田 ； 馬基維利 ； 拉波艾希 ； 懷疑主義 ； 德行倫理 ； 政治現實主義

並列摘要

The present article explicate Montaigne's skepticism, and its relationship to his thought on ethics and politics. Montaigne adopts pyrrhonist skepticism as a device of critique to reflect on the metaphysics as it unfolds through the classic ages. On the basis of that critical point of view, Montaigne's ethics does not try to build up the ethics on any philosophical principle. Instead, he makes an effort to fashion an ethics of ordinary person in contrast to so-called the ethics of nobility. Montaigne's ethics is also constituted by a reflection on politics. As regards that topics, Montaigne engages himself with Machiavelli's political realism and La Boétie's civic republicanism, in terms of which he fashions a moderate conception or politics. As regards Machiavellism, Montaigne asserts that whatever decision the prince makes, he must do his best to keep the ethical maxim intact, even in an emergency situation. Against civic republicalism, Montaigne puts forth an ethics of submission, but asserts the prince cannot oppress the freedom of individuals.

並列關鍵字

Montaigne ； Machiavelli ； La Boétie ； skepticism ； ethics ； virtue ； political realism

參考文獻

蔡英文2011 〈政治領導與民主：一種政治觀念史的闡釋〉，《政治與社會哲學評論》，39期，頁1-57。

Derrida, Jacques. 2005 The politics of friendship. London; New York : Verso.

Fontana, Biancamaria. 2008 Montaigne's Politics: Authority and Governance in the Essais. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Montaigne, Michel de. 1965 The complete essays of Montaigne, trans. by Donald M. Frame. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

Nussbaum, Martha C.1994 The Therupy of Desire: Theory and Practice in Hellenistic Ethics. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.