柏克(Edmund Burke)的《法國大革命反思》(Reflections on the Revolution in France)抨擊影響法國大革命中天賦人權﹝自然權利﹞的原則。柏克推崇傳統並且維護既有秩序，然而思想激進的理論家要求政治及社會改革。柏克和其他思想激進的理論家之間的爭論，展現的是十八世紀兩種截然不同的思想體系：一則是源自自然律﹝人賦人權﹞的保守主義，以柏克為代表。另一則是天賦人權﹝自然權利﹞，以盧梭(Jean Jacques Rousseau) 、潘恩(Thomas Paine) 為代表。自然權利抨擊保守主義中自然律的概念，反對尊崇傳統、宗教、秩序和財產，駁斥當時階級制的社會和政府，同時也反對人民對權力完全屈從。在這篇論文中，我根據天賦人權﹝自然權利﹞的理論家的論證駁斥柏克眼中完美的傳統教條只顧及少數人的利益，社會並沒有真正的公平正義。
這篇論文共分成四個部分，在第一章中，我描繪十八世紀英國社會的政治和社會背景，由歷史狀況保守和激進思想家之間的衝突和爭論。在第二章中，我根據激進主義的理論，論證柏克在《法國大革命反思》中自然律的思想及他強調傳統教條的概念，限制了人類文明的創新和進步。第三章，我探討戈德溫(William Godwin)的《政治正義》(Political Justice)，戈德溫認為所有的體制都有缺點，主張無政府狀態，改革社會要從改革教育和人心做起。在《政治正義》中，他論證人一切行為受外在環境影響，因此，政府對人民的意識型態有舉足輕重的影響。在《凱勒博•威廉斯》(Caleb Williams)中，戈德溫希望藉培養人的自我判斷解放遭政府禁錮的心靈。第四章，我根據盧梭《論政治經濟學》(Discourse on Political Economy)及《論人類不平等的起源和基礎》(Discourse on the origin of Inequality)論證人類道德低落源於物質環境改變，造成財產及權力的不公平，然而政府只是加深不公平及階段的矛盾衝突和人類道德低落。因此盧梭一方面提出自然政府和自然人的概念檢視當時社會，進而改革社會，另一方面盧梭在《愛彌兒》(Emile)中提出自然教育觀念進行人的改革。貝吉(Robert Bage)的《赫姆斯布朗》(Hermsprong)指出當時英國社會缺失及印證盧梭自然人的理論能教養人類完美典型。

Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France opposes the principles of rights of man that ferment the French Revolution. Burke values the doctrines of tradition and wants to maintain the status quo, while the radical writers petition for political and social reform. The confrontation between Burke and other radical writers embodies the conflicting viewpoints of the eighteenth century. One is the idea of natural law of which Burke is the eloquent spokesman. The other is the theory of natural rights that is established to refute conservative values of the divine natural laws, in terms of the reverence of tradition, religion, order and property. The theory of natural rights is to reply to the theory of natural hierarchy and an answer to the contractual submission to absolute authority. In this thesis, I wamt to follow the dispute between Edmund Burke and the advocates of the rights of man who see in Burke the perfect formulation of the doctrines as inequality, injustice and persecution.
This thesis falls into four parts. In Chapter One of this thesis, I attempt to portray the historical and social background of the eighteenth century British society from which the dispute between the conservatives and the radicals emerged and into which they interconnected with the historical and social context. In Chapter Two, I argue against Burke’s ideas of natural law in the Reflections on the Revolution in France and regard Burke’s insistence of preserving the traditional doctrines as the limitation of human progress and innovation by following the disputes of the radical writers. In Chapter Three, I discuss how the authority uses political imposture to make people obedient and servile in William Godwin’s Enquiry Concerning Political Justice and attempt to explore how Caleb Williams has tried to unfetter the minds of people who had been deeply manipulated by despotic authority. In Chapter Four I attempt to explore Rousseau’s ideas of natural state and natural man embody in Robert Bage’s Hermsprong. I end my thesis with a conclusion.

Chapter One The French Revolution in England: Historical and Social Background 1
Chapter Two The Doctrines of Tradition and Innovation:
A Discourse between Burke and His Critics 13
Chapter Three William Godwin’s Political Justice and Caleb Williams 39
Chapter Four Natural Man and Robert Bage’s Hermsprong 80
Conclusion 99
Works Cited 105

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