弗朗西斯·培根的政治哲学:唯物主义与自然主义之间

作为近代哲学发端式的人物,弗朗西斯·培根的哲学背负着太多后世强加的标签。在特殊的历史情势下,培根并没有试图主动地成为一般意义上的唯物主义者,而是不自觉地将唯物主义作为方法和策略,以便发展和实践其自然主义哲学。这种不自觉的唯物主义和自然主义,最终构成了保守主义的英国启蒙政治的最初底色。系统批判一般的形而上学或建构一种科学主义的理论体系只是后世学者的想象,培根的真实意图则是确立与科学相匹配的自然主义哲学及其方法。培根试图以真正的归纳法引导和重塑经验主义,进而确立经验上升至知识的科学、合法的路径。培根不自觉地拓展科学的规范性外延,将把握自然界与人类社会之客观规律作为力量和公共福祉的源泉。培根将不断取得财富和科学技术进步的国家视为其自然主义的现实效用,但是又最终将现存政治制度的完整保存与自发变革作为这种自然主义的终极限度。

Francis Bacon’s Political Philosophy:Between Materialism and Naturalism

As an originator of modern philosophy,Francis Bacon’s philosophy bears too many labels imposed by later generations.In the special historical circumstances,Bacon did not attempt to become a materialist in the general sense actively,but unconsciously used materialism as a method and strategy in order to develop and practice its naturalistic philosophy.This involuntary materialism and naturalism ultimately formed the original background of conservative British enlightenment politics.Returning to Bacon’s philosophical text,it is just the imagination of later scholars to systematically criticize general metaphysics or construct a system of scientism theory,while the true intention of Bacon is to establish a naturalistic philosophy matching science and its methods.Bacon tried to guide and reshape empiricism with authentic induction,and then establish a scientific,legal path for experience to knowledge.Bacon unconsciously expands the normative extension of science,regards reliable knowledge as the real foundation of subjectivity,and considers the mastering of objective laws of nature and human society as the source of power and public well-being.Bacon regards the countries which constantly forging ahead with material wealth and technology as its practical utility of naturalism,but eventually takes the complete preservation and spontaneous change of the existing political system as the ultimate limit of this naturalism.