《从衰落到革命》内容简介

　　高阶法是罗马留给后世最重要的遗产，作为西方现代政治文明的象征与基石之一的宪制，无疑可看成其延续。施特劳曼细致而广阔地考察了这一成就，将案例史料、理论建构与历史影响等多个层面的内容纳入其中，既论及高阶法思想的起源，如习俗、权威等，也论及它的践行，如最高权力的确定方式、财产权的保护等，还论及西方政治在高阶法思想形成之前、之时与之后的面貌；他颇有说服力地支持了以西塞罗为代表的思想家们把罗马共和国的衰落归因于“宪制危机”的观点，并讨论了这段历史对后世政治思想的影响。

　　书中关于希腊-罗马政治思想的比较、对“紧急情况与超常权力”与西塞罗表达权力合法性的方式“对法的同意”等问题的阐述也相当具有启发性。另外，读者还可根据书中的线索，追踪现代社会重视的物权、债权、契约、代理或权力分立等思想的古代根源。

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　　自公元前2世纪格拉古兄弟土地改革，至前1世纪秦纳、苏拉及三巨头拉开权力斗争与内战的大幕，罗马原有的、由一系列法律维持的秩序被逐渐打破，矛盾丛生的共和国就此滑入失序。本书作者施特劳曼认为，对于这段历史，以西塞罗为代表的思想家们的解释聚焦于“法”的层面，即政治危机与高阶法失灵的关系：后者原应制约实定法、规范权力运转，却在乱局中逐渐遭到搁置与破坏，致使共和制不可避免地走向衰落。由此出发，他对罗马高阶法展开了全景式研究，并讨论了这种法的规范性如何以有别于古希腊德治理想的进路对早期现代政治产生深刻影响。

　　作者简介

　　本杰明•施特劳曼，苏黎世大学历史学教授，纽约大学古典学研究教授、法学院高级研究员，主要研究领域为古代希腊与罗马法律、政治与道德思想史，以及它们对早期现代政治哲学的影响，著有《自然状态下的罗马法：胡果•格劳修斯自然法的古典基础》（RomanLawintheStateofNature:TheClassicalFoundationsofHugoGrotius’NaturalLaw，2015）。

　　方凯成，广东人，芝加哥大学古典文学系博士生，主要研究兴趣为古希腊罗马政治哲学、政治思想史。合译有《罗马的文学与宗教：文化、语境和信仰》（2015）。

　　夏尔凡，上海交通大学国际与公共事务学院助理教授，主要研究兴趣为古希腊与早期现代英国和法国政治思想。

From Decline to Revolution

The law of the higher order is the most important legacy left by Rome to the later generations, and constitutional system, as one of the symbols and cornerstones of modern western political civilization, can undoubtedly be regarded as its continuation. Straumann examines this achievement in detail and breadth, including case histories, theoretical construction, and historical influence. He discusses both the origins of higher legal thought, such as custom and authority, and its practice, such as the determination of supreme power, the protection of property rights, and the appearance of Western politics before, during, and after the formation of higher legal thought. He persuasively supports the view of thinkers such as Cicero who attributed the decline of the Roman Republic to a "constitutional crisis" and discusses the impact of this history on later political thought.

The comparison of Greco-Roman political thought, the exposition of "exigence and extraordinary power" and Cicero's way of expressing the legitimacy of power, "consent to law," are also instructive. In addition, readers can follow the clues in the book to trace the ancient roots of the ideas of property, debt, contract, agency, or separation of powers that are valued in modern society.

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From the agrarian reform of the Glacchus brothers in the 2nd century BC to the power struggle and civil war of Qin Na, Sulla and the Triumvirate in the 1st century BC, the original order maintained by a series of laws was gradually broken, and the contradictory republic slid into disorder. Straumann, the author of this book, believes that the interpretation of this history by thinkers represented by Cicero focuses on the level of "law", that is, the relationship between political crisis and the failure of higher law: the latter should restrict the actual law and regulate the operation of power, but it is gradually suspended and destroyed in the chaos, resulting in the inevitable decline of the republic. Starting from this, he undertook a panoramic study of the Roman law of the higher order and discussed how the normative nature of this law had a profound impact on early modern politics in a way that differed from the ancient Greek ideal of virtue.

About the author

Benjamin Straumann is professor of history at the University of Zurich, Research Professor of Classics at New York University, and senior fellow at the School of Law. His research focuses on the history of ancient Greek and Roman legal, political, and moral thought and their influence on early modern political philosophy. He is the author of Roman Law in the State of Nature: Hugo grotius Theseus classical natural law of foundation "(RomanLawintheStateofNature: TheClassicalFoundationsofHugoGrotius' NaturalLaw, 2015).

Fang Kaicheng, a native of Guangdong Province, is a doctoral student in the Department of Classical Literature at the University of Chicago. His main research interests include ancient Greek and Roman political philosophy and the history of political thought. Literature and Religion in Rome: Culture, Context, and Faith (2015).

Michael Sharfan is an assistant professor at the School of International and Public Affairs, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. His main research interests are ancient Greek and early modern British and French political thought.