修昔底德的人性说及其历史观

修昔底德的《伯罗奔尼撒战争史》中人性一词有较为广泛的涵义,包括天生的、自然而来的个体的人、群体的人以及人类所共有的品性、能力、生理特征等等。修氏特别关注的是与重大历史事件有关的人类所共有的本性,即人追求权力、财富和荣誉的欲望、好斗性以及人的情绪等等。欲望、好斗性和情绪等人类非理性的本性是永恒不变的,然而它们又通过具体变化着的人的行为表现出来,以不同的方式表现出结合或冲突,从而形成为人类的活动。修氏以人性说为基础建构自已的历史观。他揭示了客观历史自身存在的理性:历史以社会经济发展和人类联系不断加强的方式表现其发展的理路。人性是推动历史发展的动因。历史的本质就是人性。历史理性与自然理性无关,与道德理性背离。修氏的历史观反映了希罗多德之后古希腊史学观念的重大变化。对古希腊史学观念的发展产生了重要的影响。

Thucydides' Theory of Human Nature and His Outlook of History

The term Human Nature in History of Peloponnesian War by Thucydides has a broad conception, including born, natural individuals, social beings and the disposition, capability and physiological characteristics shared by all human beings. The irrational nature of desire, combativeness, emotion is constant, but it is embodied in the behaviours of each particular, changing individuals. The activities of human beings are essentially the outer representation of human nature, the latter of which is the motivation for impelling history development and is in turn the nature of history. Thucydides constructed his outlook of history on the basis of his theory of human nature, the idea of which reveals the reason of the existence of objective history itself, i.e. historical rationality. Historical rationality has nothing to do with natural rationality and is contrary to moral reason. There exists profound conflicts in this opinion: man's activities are motivated by his selfish nature, but the associations with others have been strengthening; human history appears to be filled with various desires and evil conducts, yet history itself has been developing with progress and advancement; men struggle out of irrationality, their behaviours nevertheless has been driving history forward. In other words, the development of history is above one's will.