柏克(1729～1797年)

Burke, Edmund

英国（爱尔兰）政治人物、演说家和政治哲学家。律师之子，原本学法律，但後来失去兴趣。1757～1758年他发表了几篇论文，开始受到狄德罗、康德和莱辛等人的注意。并受雇编辑一部世界纪事年监（1758～1788）。1765年进入下院，担任辉格党领袖的秘书，不久卷入宪法争论，即究竟该由国王还是国会控制行政部门？1770年他指出乔治三世企图让王室扮演较积极的角色是违背宪法精神的做法。1774～1780年当选为国会议员，他坚决主张议员应该更有判断力，而不是让他们的选民牵着鼻子走。虽然是宪政体制的强力拥护者，他并非纯粹民主的支持者，但柏克也为美洲殖民者（他认为他们管理不善）的事业辩护，他还支持废除国际间的奴隶买卖。柏克曾极力主张英国应放宽对爱尔兰的经济控制，以及改革对印度的统治方式，但都不成功。他并不赞同法国大革命，认为那些领导人行动太过草率，也不认同他们反贵族的血腥活动。柏克通常被视为现代保守主义的奠基人。

English version：

1729～1797年

Burke, Edmund

British (Irish) parliamentarian, orator, and political philosopher. The son of a lawyer, he began legal studies but lost interest. Essays he published in 1757-58 gained the attention of Denis Diderot, Immanuel Kant, and Gotthold Lessing, and he was hired to edit a yearly survey of world affairs (1758-88). He entered politics (1765) as secretary to a Whig leader and soon became involved in the controversy over whether Parliament or the monarch controlled the executive. He argued (1770) that George III's efforts to reassert a more active role for the crown violated the constitution's spirit. Elected to Parliament (1774-80), he contended that its members should exercise judgment rather than merely follow their constituents' desires. Though a strong constitutionalist, he was not a supporter of pure democracy. Though a conservative, he eloquently championed the cause of the American colonists, whom he regarded as badly governed, and he supported the abolition of the international slave trade. He tried unsuccessfully to legislate relief for Ireland and to reform the governance of India. He disapproved of the French Revolution for its leaders' precipitous actions and its anti-aristocratic bloodshed. He is often regarded as the founder of modern conservatism.