朱欣
摘要：在新的学术正统中，柏克往往以帝国批判者的形象为人所知，本文想要讨论的是：柏克作为“反帝国主义者”的形象是否站得住脚？如果不能，那么这种立场对于理解其帝国理念乃至其保守主义思想意味着什么？晚近的重要研究（尤以奥尼尔为代表）通过论述柏克对苏格兰启蒙史学中关于文明进程概念的采纳，表明柏克支持帝国的对外扩张。本文通过考察柏克关于西印度群岛奴隶制的分析，努力修正这一解释。事实上，柏克更多的是出于政治层面的“国家理由”而非道德和文化层面的“文明进程”论来为帝国提供合法性根据；此外，与其说柏克捍卫政治保守主义，不如说他捍卫的是经济自由主义。文章最后阐述了柏克整全的帝国视野，反思了柏克的保守主义对当今社会的启迪。
关键词：柏克；奴隶制；帝国；奥尼尔；国家理由
【作者】朱欣，哲学博士，对外经济贸易大学国际关系学院讲师。
【Title】In Defense of the Empire: Burke on the British Empire and Slavery in the West Indies
Abstract: In the new scholarly orthodoxy, Burke is often known as a critic of the empire. This article aims to explore whether Burke’s image as an “anti-imperialist” is tenable. If not, what does this standpoint mean for understanding his ideas of empire and his conservatism? The main recent researches, especially by O’ Neill, indicate that Burke supported the expansion of the empire through his embrace of the Scottish notion of a civilizing process. The article, focusing on Burke’s analysis of slavery in the West Indies, attempts to revise this interpretation. Actually, Burke justified empire mainly on the grounds of political “reason of state” rather than moral and cultural “civilizing process” theory; moreover, Burke is not so much a defender of political conservatism as of economic liberalism. Finally, the article expounds Burke’s whole imperial vision and reflects on the significance of Burke’s conservatism.
Key Words: Burke, Slavery, Empire, O’Neill, Reason of State