愚智談 WiStupiDialogue
文化茶寮系列
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2.52 本土文化 09
Local Culture 09
單元法制論的傲慢與偏見1
明唐寅西園雅集
嘉賓: 雅可樂 & 無極
23/04/2016
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23/4/2016
愚:前輩經常説法治不算是核心價值,那算不算是破壞法制的言論呢?還有,您説西方法治和華夏的法治本質分别不大,可是傳媒,學者和社會上的知名人士都不是這麽説,特别是司法獨立,不是一種很大的進步和分别嗎?
智:先談論第一點吧,我説正常人要保持健康,每天不用看醫生打針吃藥,那我是破壞了醫學的神聖和重要性嗎?不是叫人每天都打針吃藥看醫生才算注重健 康的。法律要全民遵守,不能訂得太高,只應守住道德的底線,否則法網張得太開,網孔織得太密,便令人動輒得咎,將老百姓一網打盡,成為惡法;不違法只是很 低的要求,正常人是理性文明的話,應該有更高的行為守則,不會動不動挑戰法律的底線、鑽法律的空子,那便是莊子所説的「為惡無近刑了」,依循這原則,有如 健康的人不必天天打針喫藥看醫生,不藥而活得妥妥當當的。真正文明的社會,刑清政簡,訟獄不興,法治亦如同不存在;天天要提法治,一定是法治出現問題,有 如天天要提吃藥的,一定是健康出了問題一樣。耕田而食,鑿井而飲,帝力無有,有法亦似是無法,因為上有天道,人有良知,人是理性動物外,比動物更多了重道 德觀念(Man as a reasonable and ethical human being)。華夏文化稱許的無為而治,相當於一些西方國家奉行的榮譽系統( honour system),只是天道換成基督教的仁愛和克己精神,那些都是稱得上貨真價實的核心精神。説到無為而治,你們應該知道是誰是最先付諸實行的歷史人物吧!
雅:無為而治應是由文景之治開創,令漢朝從百廢待興的戰亂中漸漸復原過來,而且不似秦朝依賴嚴刑酷法來維持社會秩序,而是採用輕徭薄賦的政策予民休 養生息,至於刑法方面,漢高祖劉邦入城便與民約法三章,承諾盡除秦末惡法,文景兩帝的無為而治,是延續高祖的方針,以不擾民為主調,印像中,一段著名歷史 事蹟緹縈救父,便發生在漢文帝時期,曾經拍成電影,而且與刑法有關。
愚:能拍電影的故事應該非常感人,雅師兄可以説來聽聽嗎
雅:好,但先問問前輩會否離題。
智:哈哈,我們無所不談,興之所至便可盡情討論,這事蹟不但不離題,而且非常貼題,緹縈救父,正好用來説明中華民族推動法律走向更高文明的歷史軌跡。雅師兄可以一邊敍述,我一邊找些原始資料作補充説明。
雅:那我便恭敬不如從命,將這事蹟的經過簡單講述一下,再由前輩補充法治演進的含義吧。淳于緹縈是西漢臨淄人。父親淳于意曾經為官,人稱太倉公,習 醫三年後,轉而行醫濟世,相傳醫術高明,但由於過於執著,對無法醫治的絕症每每拒絕施藥,結果惹求醫者及其親人不滿,狀告淳于意,被判肉刑,緹縈為求父 親,上書漢文帝,為其即將受刑的父親求情,願意以身抵罪,文章情辭懇切,打動了漢文帝,令他決定廢除了殘忍的肉刑。緹縈因此事而聞名天下,其孝義事蹟「緹 縈救父」也成為一個家喻戶曉的故事,被編入列女傳。
智:哈哈,有勞雅師兄客串做了一會説書人,下面是史書記載的緹縈上書全文:
「妾父為吏,齊中皆稱其廉平,今坐法當刑。妾傷夫死者不可復生,刑者不可復屬,雖復欲改過自新,其道無由也。妾願沒入為官婢,贖父刑罪,使得自新。」
不人道的刑罰,是因為死不復生,刑不復屬,即是所謂的不可逆轉的傷害(irrevocable damage),如果出錯,便成不可逆彌補的錯失(irrevocable fault)。按史書記載,文帝讀罷緹縈的上書,深受感動,便下詔廢除肉刑,下面漢書刑法誌記載的詔書原文:
「詩曰:『愷悌君子,民之父母』,今人有過,教未施而刑已加焉,或欲改過為善,而道無繇至,朕甚伶之!夫刑至斷肢體,刻肌膚,終身不息,何其痛而不德也!豈為民父母之意哉?其除肉刑,有以易之!」
不久,丞相張蒼便根據這個詔書廢除了肉刑,頒布了新刑法。 為此,班固有詩讚緹縈:
三王德彌薄,惟後用肉刑。
太倉令有罪,就遞長安城。
自恨身無子,困急獨煢煢。
小女痛父言,死者不可生。
上書詣闕下,思古歌《雞鳴》。
憂心摧折裂,晨風揚激聲。
聖漢孝文帝,惻然感至情。
百男何憒憒,不如一緹縈。」
表面上是小女子緹縈憑至孝之心上書救父產生的蝴蝶效應,但秦法自商鞅變法後趨向極度嚴苛,令民憤積聚,民心思變是背景。漢高祖是秦末區區一個亭長, 因爲當日未能在時限內報到,依法將被查辨,憤而起義抗法,結果一呼萬和,竟推倒秦朝政權,這才是一個最大的蝴蝶效應,他本人那有不知道法不能過苛的道理。 所以文帝在倉廩實和衣食足的目標達到初階的物質條件下,早已有意進一步紓解民困,見緹縈孝行可資借用,便順水推舟,將不文明及非人道的酷刑廢除,以現代術 語來説,是做一場轟轟烈烈的公關秀和向大漢子民教授一堂公民德育課。手法非常高明,再經景帝一代,漢朝終於成為東亞大陸最富足的國家,令漢武帝有足夠資源 來清理週邊威脅侵擾漢朝安全的勢力。在另一邊的羅馬帝國,則頒佈十二銅板法,強化奴隸制的社會結構,跟漢朝在法制改革上背道而馳。
愚:前輩,跟朋友同學吹水時,一些是讀過法律課程的,他們説羅馬以後歐洲大陸及中國等地區行的法律是大陸法,而英美及前英國殖民地行的是普通法或海 洋法,他們說普通法先進優越得多,把大陸法説得一錢不值,如果屬實,那由漢朝至今的華夏法治觀,無論漢朝如何比羅馬人道文明,都不及普通法先進優越的。
智:唔,那你相信嗎?
愚:大概相信吧,因為書本這樣說,傳媒又是這樣說,大小屏幕也都是這樣說,還有什麽可置疑的?
智:兩位師兄怎樣看呢?
無:現在學資科的也要懂一點法律,基本的法學原理是讀過的,兩者的對比也看過,但嚴肅的課程,沒有像傳媒及演戲劇那樣一面倒地捧普通法的,大致上會 優缺點都列舉出來。但不知什麽原因,上了媒體和屏幕後,內容便有選擇性。我沒有深入探討兩者間的優劣,但事實勝於雄辯,用科學的角度來看,適者才能生存, 所以存在皆有理由。從一般的資料來看,世界上採用大陸法的國家和人口,遠多於普通法,光計算歐洲,也是這樣,歐洲大陸的國家,都是用大陸法,如果普通法的 優越性真是一面倒且無可置疑,西方國家在共同的文化背景下,經過幾百年的互相競爭學習和汰弱留強,早該全部轉用普通法了,也不大見歐洲的國家要爭取轉而採 用普通法。
雅:對現時一般將法系分為普通法和大陸法,我不大理解它的根據,按理西方文化和東方文化在中世紀前是分途發展的,法制上應該各有特色,如果這是西方 學者的分類,他們對中國的法制演變,是否真正瞭解實屬疑問,因為精通漢語的西方法學家恐怕是絕無僅有,中國歷史太長,我們自己也沒有多少人讀通24史,更 何況要精研其中的法制部份,我總不相信中國的法制和歐洲大陸的法制可以歸成一類,但這只是我作為行外人的猜想。
智:哈哈,不必眾人皆懂這樣想,只要部份頭腦較清醒和勤於思考的人懂得這樣想,世界便少了很多不必要的爭執。這些一面倒的法制單元思想在根本不是治 學的態度,和福山的文化單元論其實是同一思維。法律的法理基礎是道德價值,其他的是枝節,例如偵查技術,盤問技巧,科學驗證等,主要是技術上確保過程中不 會出錯,找出事實。簡單點説,法律所蘊涵的道德是量尺,事實是被量度的對像,任何法制都是設計來實踐同一功能。如果硬要將法制分類,絕對沒有二分那樣簡 單,關於法系的比較,有多種原則和方法,下面是一例:
How are Legal Families Defined?
Different approaches, however, exist as to how a group of legal systems shall be defined. The challenge is to develop a classification method that merges similar legal systems in a most comprehensive way without being random or fragmented. This post will present five common criteria for grouping the legal systems of the world: (1) sources of law, (2) ideology and legal technique, (3) substance of the legal system, (4) legal style, and (5) tradition.
(1) Sources of Law
A straightforward way of classification is to divide the legal systems into groups that differ in terms of sources of law. Usually, this method leads to the distinction of two groups:
- common law countries and
- civil law countries.
Common law countries base their legal systems on the English common law tradition, whereas civil law countries have codified law. Such a distinction is, of course, easy to do and avoids too much fragmentation. It is, however, very coarse and does acknowledge neither indigenous law nor the large diversity among the individual common and civil law systems.
(2) Ideology and Legal Technique
Another classification method looks primarily at a country’s ideology and, complementarily, at its prevailing legal technique. The ideology of a country is derived from looking at religion, philosophy, and political/economic/social structure. Originally, this methodology led to five legal families
- Western systems,
- Socialist systems,
- Islamic law,
- Hindu law,
- Chinese law.
- It was subsequently modified to include only three legal families:
- Romanistic-German family,
- Common law family, and
- Socialist family
… plus a miscellaneous group of other systems that did not fit into these three groups.
This method is very comprehensive and considerably facilitates the comparative task. It does, however, not sufficiently recognize indigenous legal systems. In addition, it requires sometimes detailed knowledge of the law in order to know into which family a certain legal system fits.
(3) Substance of the Legal System
A different way of grouping legal systems is to focus on their substance, in particular their originality, derivation, and common elements. This classification method arrives at seven legal families:
- French family,
- German family,
- Scandinavian family,
- English family,
- Russian family,
- Islamic family,
- Hindu family.
Again, grouping legal systems according to their substance avoids fragmentation and therefore facilitates the comparative task. It represents, however, a very subtle classification and leaves out certain (indigenous) systems.
(4) Legal Style
The idea of style is derived from the arts. In law, style is characterized by historical background and development, mode of legal thought, distinctive institutions, recognized legal sources, and ideology. From this follows a division into eight legal families:
- Romanistic family,
- Germanic family,
- Nordic family,
- Common law family,
- Law of the PeoplesRepublic of China,
- Japanese law,
- Islamic law, and
- Hindu law.
Using style for the classification of legal systems brings similar benefits and challenges as the use of substance as a tool: it facilitates the comparative task by grouping legal systems into few families, yet classification can be very subtle and some (indigenous) laws is not given sufficient credit.
(5) Tradition
A rather new way of grouping legal systems is to look at how they transmit information from the past to the present. From this follows the distinction of seven legal traditions:
- Chthonic legal tradition,
- Talmudic legal tradition,
- Civil law tradition,
- Islamic law tradition,
- Common law tradition,
- Hindu legal tradition, and
- Asian legal tradition
This grouping method still avoids fragmentation, while at the same time being very comprehensive and including indigenous systems. Its classification criteria are, however, very subtle and therefore this method requires excellent knowledge of the legal systems and their cultures and traditions.
Source: https://comparelex.org/2014/04/06/legal-families-in-comparative-law/
愚:嘻嘻,前輩,這麽多的資料,吃不消了,可以先簡單解釋一下,我回去跟它搏鬥一下才能理解。
智:好的。多數人只提第一個準則-法源source of law, 其餘的因素恍惚不存在。其次是世上沒有純正如理論的單一法系。大多法制都是混合式,包括內地及香港。説香港是普通法地區大致是對,但上千條的成文法例難道 不是法源?那些一邊大談普通法優越,卻一邊推動訂立一些有爭議的法例,和大陸法的 codification 有何分别。下面是其中一個示意圖,事實上,不同的學者,看法也有出入:
Source: http://chartsbin.com/view/aq2
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