论社会达尔文主义及其在马汉海权思想中的彰显

摘要

社会达尔文主义学说在19世纪60年代产生于欧洲，而后迅速传播到美国，对当时的美国社会乃至整个世界产生了巨大的影响。适者生存的思想曾经被主要用来支持国内的商业竞争，最后却被用以支持海外扩张。在此背景下产生的马汉海权思想深受社会达尔文主义学说的影响，把国际关系基本上看作是直接利用战争或者间接利用经济竞争追求利益和生存的达尔文式的斗争。本文认为，诸如“适者生存”的生物学思想，尽管具有自然科学的价值，却不适用于对社会的理解；对于人与人之间或国家之间竞争的价值判断，必须以社会学意义而不是所谓生物学意义为基础。%Social Darwinism,originating in Europe in the 1860s,was later propagated to America and exer-ted great influence upon American society and even the whole world.The theory of survival of the fittest had once been used chiefly to support business competition in domestic market and later to support overseas ex-pansion.Mahan’s sea power theory,created under such social Circumstances,was greatly influenced by Social Darwinism.Mahan believed in Social Darwinism,seeing international relations basically as a Dar-winian struggle for advantage and survival,either directly through war or indirectly through economic com-petition.However,such biological ideas as the“survival of the fittest”,with their value in natural science, are inadequate in attempting to interpret society.Judgments as to the value of competition between men or nations must be based upon social instead of allegedly biological consequences.