法律英语与文化（8）: the secular natural law （世俗自然法）

风灵

上一篇：法律英语与文化（7）: the canon law（教会法）

One of the principal driving intellectual forces of the revolution was what has since come to be called secular natural law (“secular” because it was not derived from religious doctrine, belief, or authority; revolutionary thought was severely antireligious and anticlerical). It was based on certain ideas about man’s nature that find expression in the American Declaration of Independence and in the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. All men, so the reasoning goes, are created equal. They have certain natural rights to property, to liberty, to life. The proper function of government is to recognize and secure these rights and to ensure equality among men. Government should be carried on by elected representatives. And so on. ——John Henry Merryman and Rogelio Pérez-Perdomo, The Civil Law Tradition (4th edition), 2018, Stanford University Press p16.
革命的主要思想驱动力之一，就是后来所谓的世俗“自然法”思想（谓之“世俗”，是因为它并不源于宗教教义、信仰或权威；革命思想是严格地反宗教和反教会的）。它基于美国《独立宣言》和法国《人权宣言》所表现的特定人性观念。依这种观念可推导出：人人生而平等，人们对于财产、自由以及生命享有自然权利。政府的正当职责是承认和保护这些权利，以及确保人们相互间的平等权利，政府应由民选代表执掌，等等。——（美）约翰·亨利·梅利曼 （委）罗格里奥·佩雷斯·佩尔多莫 著，《大陆法系》（第四版），第16页。

在这里，我们接触到了“世俗自然法”的概念。西方传统中，自然法的理念源远流长，可追溯到苏格拉底之前。古希腊的哲学家如亚里士多德，古罗马的法学家西塞罗等都谈到了自然法，在《圣经》的旧约和新约中也可以找到关于它的引用，后来中世纪的基督教哲学家阿尔伯特（Albert）和托马斯·阿奎那（Thomas Aquinas）对此做了重要阐述。

Historically, natural law was often intertwined with religious beliefs, with many early theorists believing that natural law was a reflection of divine will. However, as legal thought evolved, especially during the Enlightenment, some philosophers and legal theorists began to argue for a conception of natural law that was based on human reason and independent of religious authority.

从历史上看，自然法通常与宗教信仰交织在一起，许多早期理论家认为自然法是神意的反映。然而，随着法律思想的发展，特别是启蒙运动期间，一些哲学家和法学理论家开始主张一种基于人类理性并独立于宗教权威的自然法概念。这就是世俗自然法的思想。

Secular natural law refers to a concept of natural law that is independent of any religious belief or divine authority. It is based on the idea that certain principles of morality and justice are inherent in human nature and can be discerned through reason, rather than being derived from religious texts or divine commandments. Secular natural law forms the basis for establishing legal and moral norms that are universally applicable, irrespective of cultural or religious differences.

Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau proposed various theories of natural law and natural rights, which they argued existed in a 'state of nature' prior to the formation of social contracts and political societies. These theories were secular in the sense that they were based on observations and deductions about human nature and behavior, rather than religious texts or doctrines.

约翰·洛克、托马斯·霍布斯和让-雅克·卢梭等启蒙思想家提出了关于自然法和自然权利的各种理论，他们认为自然法和自然权利存在于社会契约和政治社会形成之前的“自然状态”中。这些理论是世俗的，因为是基于对人类本性和行为的观察和推断，而不是基于宗教文本或教义。

Secular natural law has been influential in the development of legal and political theory, particularly in the areas of human rights and constitutional law. Many democratic and human rights principles, such as the equality of all individuals, the right to life, liberty, and property, and the idea of government by consent of the governed, are rooted in secular natural law theories.

Both the American Declaration of Independence and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen were significantly influenced by the concepts of secular natural law and natural rights. These ideas were a major part of Enlightenment philosophy, which was influential during the periods when these documents were drafted.

美国的《独立宣言》和法国的《人权宣言》都受到了世俗自然法和自然权利概念的深刻影响。这些思想是启蒙运动哲学的主要组成部分，在起草这些宣言时很有影响力。

In the case of the American Declaration of Independence, the influence of Enlightenment thinkers, especially John Locke, is evident. The Declaration’s famous assertion that all men are endowed with certain unalienable rights, including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, echoes Locke's idea of natural rights. These rights, according to Locke, exist in the state of nature and cannot be arbitrarily taken away by any government.

就美国《独立宣言》而言，启蒙思想家尤其是约翰·洛克的影响显而易见。《独立宣言》最著名的主张是，所有人都被赋予了某些不可剥夺的权利，包括生命、自由和对幸福的追求，这与洛克的自然权利理念相呼应。根据洛克的观点，这些权利存在于自然状态中，不能被任何政府任意剥夺。

需要注意的是，《独立宣言》中使用了“造物主”（Creator）的说法，这可能会产生它是否体现了世俗自然法的争议。原文如下：We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

However, the key principles outlined in the Declaration - including the equality of all individuals, the existence of certain unalienable rights, and the idea that governments derive their powers from the consent of the governed - are all rooted in Enlightenment ideas about natural law and rights, which are seen as universal, objective, and discernible through human reason.

然而，宣言中概括的关键原则——包括人人平等，存在某些不可剥夺的权利，以及政府因被统治者的同意而获得权力的观念——都根植于启蒙运动关于自然法和自然权利的思想，这些思想被视为普遍的，客观的，并可通过人类理性来识别。

So, while the language of the Declaration does include a reference to a 'Creator', its philosophical and political ideas are heavily influenced by secular, Enlightenment concepts of natural law. The idea that humans are 'endowed by their Creator' with certain rights can be understood as an affirmation of these universal rights, expressed in the religious and philosophical language of the time.

因此，虽然《宣言》的文字确实提到了“造物主”，但它的哲学和政治思想深受世俗的启蒙主义自然法概念的影响。人类“被造物主赋予”某些权利的观念，可以理解为对这些普世权利的肯定，而以当时的宗教和哲学语言表达。

The French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, a fundamental document of the French Revolution, also reflected principles of natural law and rights. The first article of the Declaration states: 'Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Social distinctions may be founded only upon the general good.' This clearly shows an influence of the principles of natural law, asserting the inherent freedom and equality of all individuals.

法国大革命的基本法律文件《人权和公民宣言》也反映了自然法和自然权利的原则。《人权宣言》第一条写道:“人人生而自由，享有平等的权利。社会差别只能建立在共同利益之上。”这清楚地体现了自然法原则的影响：主张所有人固有的自由和平等。

Both documents signify a shift from a theocratic or monarchical order, where rights and laws are seen as the divine prerogative of kings or religious authorities, to a new order where rights and laws are based on the secular concept of natural law - universal principles derived from human reason and inherent to human nature. These principles would go on to inform the development of democratic governance, constitutional law, and human rights around the world.

这两份文件都标志着从神权或君权的秩序——权利和法律被视为国王或宗教当局的神圣特权，转变为一种新秩序——权利和法律基于自然法的世俗概念，即源于人类理性的普遍原则，为人类本性所固有。这些原则将继续为世界各地民主治理、宪法和人权的发展提供思想资源。

“法律英语与文化”是与法律英语阅读课程配套的专题栏目，旨在帮助大家了解与阅读材料相关的背景知识。