丹尼爾．笛福對君權神授理論的批判：18世紀早期英格蘭思想界對洛克《政府論》接受與詮釋的一個側面

Daniel Defoe's Critique of the Divine Right of Kings: A Perspective on the Reception and Interpretation of John Locke's Two Treatises in Early Eighteenth-Century English Thought

本文所要探討的主題是笛福（Daniel Defoe）對於君權神授論的批評。本文指出笛福的人性觀和社會起源觀是他批判君權神授論的主要思想淵源。君權神授論的支持者往往會援引《舊約聖經》經文來獲取正當性，而笛福則是同樣基於其人性觀對於相同經文做出不同詮釋。本文指出，兩派的爭論背後其實有更悠久的詮釋《聖經》傳統。例如菲爾默與洛克關於君權神授正當性的論辯，同樣是用以色列分裂成南北王國時，雙方君主羅波安和耶羅波安的衝突作為論述核心。本文由此指出笛福的閱讀往往是基於君主的原罪來論述，這同時呈現出他的人性觀與政治思想之間的連繫。

Daniel Defoe's critique of monarchs' divine right is the focus of this article. Defoe's critique of divine right is considered to be mostly based on his understanding of human nature and social origins. While proponents of the divine right doctrine frequently quote Old Testament texts to support their claims, Defoe interprets the same verses differently from them based on his understanding of human nature. This study finds that the argument between the two groups has a considerably older tradition of biblical interpretation. The paper points out that Defoe's reading is often based on the original sin of the monarch, which at the same time shows the connection between his view of human nature and his political thought.