分工、奢侈與公共精神：佛格森論商業社會的危機

Division of Labor, Luxury and Public Spirit: Adam Ferguson on the Crisis of Commercial Society

亞當．佛格森作為蘇格蘭啟蒙運動的重要思想家，探討18世紀英國商業社會興起對道德與政治生活的影響。他借鑑古典共和傳統，關注商業活動擴張、分工體系深化及公民美德維護等問題。佛格森雖肯定商業社會帶來的經濟進步與物質繁榮，但認為它對公民品格構成危害。他觀察到，過度專業化的分工使人喪失完整判斷能力，對私利的追逐則侵蝕公共精神。當奢侈風氣蔓延、政治參與減少時，專制主義可能趁虛而入。在商業價值觀主導的社會生活中，傳統公民美德逐漸被個人利益算計取代。面對危機，佛格森主張重建適應現代社會的公民美德。佛格森的貢獻在於揭示商業社會進步的同時，也指出維護公民精神與政治自由的重要性。

Adam Ferguson (1723-1816) provided a profound analysis of commercial society's rise in eighteenth-century Britain and its impact on moral and political life. Drawing on classical republican traditions and observations of modern society, he examined three critical issues: commercial expansion, intensifying division of labor, and civic virtue preservation. While acknowledging commercial society's economic progress and material prosperity, Ferguson insisted that public good must take precedence over private interests. He demonstrated how excessive specialization in labor could lead to human alienation, while the pursuit of private interests might erode civic engagement. Of greater concern was how luxury's prevalence and declining political participation could create conditions favorable to despotism. Ferguson observed that commercial values increasingly dominated social life, and proposed combining education with military service to cultivate civic virtue. Though recognizing commercial development's necessity, he advocated maintaining civic virtues adapted to modern conditions and emphasized active political participation's role in preserving freedom. His analysis remains significant for understanding how to balance economic development with civic virtue in commercial society while maintaining its institutional stability.