“自然权利”与“社会权利”——政府权力与个人权利关系之辩  

Natural Rights and Social Rights——Debate on the Relationship Between Government Power and Individual Rights

作　　者：聂越超 Nie Yuechao

机构地区：[1]美国康奈尔大学法学院

出　　处：《法律与伦理》2023年第1期48-65,335,336,共20页Law and Ethics

摘　　要：西方古典自然法学派遵循《大宪章》开创的尊重个人基本权利的传统,详尽地阐释了个人权利中的“自然权利”,也就是在不存在政府权力的自然状态下人人生而具有的权利。这种权利传统上包括生命权、自由权和财产权,其中的自由权最终涵盖了在不损害他人自然权利的前提下基于自身意愿行事的广阔领域。政府权力只能承认和保护自然权利。由于政府权力的运用可以发挥积极的社会效果,人们并没有像古典自然法学派呼吁的那样把政府权力的适用严格限制在保障自然权利上,而是允许它创设与自然权利相对应的个人权利———“社会权利”,赋予个人在满足某些条件的情况下取得自己所意愿的法律状态的权利。这种创设行为不仅不能侵犯传统的三种自然权利,还需要做到公正、平等地对待不同社会群体。厘清以上复杂的关系,不仅具有法理学意义,也有重要的实践价值。Upholding the tradition established by Magna Carta of respecting basic human rights,the classical law-of-nature school elaborated in length on the topic of“natural rights”,which are the inherent individual rights,shared by every human being back in the state of nature where there was no governmental power.Conventionally they comprise life,liberty,and property,of which liberty,through development,ultimately covers the wide range of things done according to one’s free will,excluding those that would infringe upon others’natural rights.The government can only recognize and protect natural rights.Due to the positive social effects brought by the extended usage of governmental power,rather than restricting it to guarding natural rights,as advocated by those of the classical lawof-nature school,people grant it the function of setting up new“social rights”,which are contrary to natural rights,conferring upon individuals the power to change,as long as some particular conditions are met,their legal status in accordance with their will.However,this act of establishing rights should be within the redline of not violating people’s three conventional natural rights,and treating different social groups justly and equally.It is both of jurisprudential and practical importance to carefully examine these complex relationships.

关 键 词：自然权利 自由权 社会权利 政府权力 

分 类 号：D92[政治法律—法学]