神意、理性与权利——一种关于洛克自然法理论的解读

洛克对自然法的性质进行了详细的阐述,得出了自然法具有神意法和理性法双重属性的结论.这种性质界定具有模糊性,而且神意法与理性法在一定程度上是互相冲突的,因此受到后来学者的诟病;但洛克自然法理论中的这种模糊性源自其对于由理性所开启的现代性进程之谨慎态度.尽管洛克在一定程度上似乎更重视理性的作用,但理性也存在诸多问题:自然法是人类理性无法独证的,对于理性的偏执会在认识论上因缺乏根基而显得武断,而且自然法在政治上的应用及其说服力,仅仅依靠理性推演也是不够的.这些考虑最终使洛克走向一种谨慎的平衡策略-自然法既是神意法,也是理性法.此外,洛克还从上帝存在这一基本背景出发,引申出了人类应当服从的三类自然法义务,并从这三类自然法义务中推导出了人类的三大基本权利:生命、财产与自由,近代权利思想实发轫于此.     

Approximation,Idealization, and Laws of Nature

Traditional theories construe approximate truth or truthlikeness as a measure of closeness to facts, singular facts, and idealization as an act of either assuming zero of otherwise very small differences from facts or imagining ideal conditions under which scientific laws are either approximately true or will be so when the conditions are relaxed. I first explain the serious but not insurmountable difficulties for the theories of approximation, and then argue that more serious and perhaps insurmountable difficulties for the theory of idealization force us to sever its close tie to approximation. This leads to an appreciation of lawlikeness as a measure of closeness to laws, which I argue is the real measure of idealization whose main purpose is to carve nature at its joints. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.