荒野文明之思

by Alexis de Tocqueville, 托克维尔, 李炳韬 (Translator)

在经历了革命时的疼痛、见证了革命后的乱象后，托克维尔意识到启蒙时代的美好想象解决不了法国的问题，于是他把兴趣集中在法国之外，试图在更广阔的世界中寻求问题的答案。在五十四年的生命中，他游历了欧、非、美三大洲的九个国家和地区。本书收录了托克维尔青年时代两次旅行的游记，即1827年的意大利西西里之旅和1831-1832年的美国与下加拿大之行。与托克维尔的政治思想著作截然不同，《荒野文明之思》处处散发着作者对异国风情的迷恋和对自然生活的向往，文笔优雅、思路清新。

208 pages, Paperback

Published July 1, 2016

About the author

Alexis Charles Henri Clérel, comte de Tocqueville, usually known as just Tocqueville, was a French aristocrat, diplomat, sociologist, political scientist, political philosopher, and historian. He is best known for his works Democracy in America (appearing in two volumes, 1835 and 1840) and The Old Regime and the Revolution (1856). In both, he analyzed the living standards and social conditions of individuals as well as their relationship to the market and state in Western societies. Democracy in America was published after Tocqueville's travels in the United States and is today considered an early work of sociology and political science.
Tocqueville was active in French politics, first under the July Monarchy (1830–1848) and then during the Second Republic (1849–1851) which succeeded the February 1848 Revolution. He retired from political life after Louis Napoléon Bonaparte's 2 December 1851 coup and thereafter began work on The Old Regime and the Revolution. Tocqueville argued the importance of the French Revolution was to continue the process of modernizing and centralizing the French state which had begun under Louis XIV. He believed the failure of the Revolution came from the inexperience of the deputies who were too wedded to abstract Enlightenment ideals.
Tocqueville was a classical liberal who advocated parliamentary government and was skeptical of the extremes of majoritarianism. During his time in parliament, he was first a member of the centre-left before moving to the centre-right, and the complex and restless nature of his liberalism has led to contrasting interpretations and admirers across the political spectrum.