风俗变迁与时代精神:伏尔泰的风俗史及其社会学意涵  

The Change of M■urs and the Spirit of the Age:A Discussion on Voltaire’s History of M■urs and Its Sociological Significance

作　　者：李篡 LI Cuan(School of Sociology and Political Science,Shanghai University)

机构地区：[1]上海大学社会学院

出　　处：《社会》2024年第6期128-158,共31页Chinese Journal of Sociology

摘　　要：在批判并摆脱基督教传统历史神学模式的基础上,伏尔泰发展出了一种具有全新世界史与文明史视野的历史哲学,为法国乃至欧洲看待自身文明的构成、进程以及其他文明的历史定位提供了新眼光。从此,文明史不再是神意的展现,而是人类精神和心灵不断取得进步的风俗史。借助一种关于风俗变迁的历史与经验叙事,伏尔泰的理性哲学、自然神论、进步史观与他的人性论、社会学说等观念得以成为统一的整体。在他那里,“风俗”不仅是进入与理解文明和秩序问题的关键概念,而且是一种分析时代与民族精神、人类理性与心灵进步的新视角。尽管在社会学的风俗研究传统中,伏尔泰的观点并没有被尽数吸收,但他的风俗史研究却得到了适当的保留与转化。他还贡献了一种以风俗变迁考察和分析时代精神的历史比较方法。整体而言,独具性格、心灵和精神气质等内涵的风俗概念以及通过描述宗教、法律、科学和文艺等要素来把握时代精神之实质意涵及其变动的方法,正是风俗史的社会学意义之所在。Building upon a critical departure from the traditional historicaltheological framework of Christianity,Voltaire developed a novel historical philosophy imbued with a fresh perspective on world history and the history of civilizations.This provided France and indeed Europe,with a new vision of what constituted its own civilisation,its processes,and the historical positioning of other civilizations.Henceforth,the history of civilizations ceased to be a display of divine providence,but a history of m■urs that chronicled the continuous advancement of human spirit and mind.Through a historical and empirical narrative of the changes of m■urs,Voltaire’s philosophy of reason,natural theism,progressive historical view,and his notions of human nature and social theory are made into a unified whole.For Voltaire,“M■urs”emerged not only as a pivotal concept for accessing and comprehending issues of civilization and order,but also as a novel perspective for analyzing the times and the spirit of the nation,the rationality of mankind and the progress of the mind.While Voltaire’s contributions were not fully absorbed into the subsequent sociological tradition of the study of m■urs,his history of m■urs retained a significant place within the field of sociology of m■urs,and was duly preserved and transformed.It became an important foundation for the theory of m■urs since Montesquieu and for the science of m■urs that Durkheim sought to establish,and it contributed a historical-comparative method of examining and analysing the zeitgeist of the times through the lens of the changes of m■urs.Overall,the sociological significance of the history of m■urs lies not only in the unique connotations of customs as a concept that encompasses character,psyche,and spirit,but also in its ability to capture the essence and fluctuations of the spiritual landscape of an era through the depiction of such customary elements as religion,law,science,and art.In short,the study of“m■urs”or“history of m■urs”provides

关 键 词：伏尔泰 风俗史 风俗变迁 时代精神 社会学的风俗研究 

分 类 号：G63[文化科学—教育学]