哲學家王與僭主 ─西元前四世紀西西里島敘拉古城的政治互動

Abstract

雅典民主政治在過往的古希臘政治史研究中長期占據中心地位，主導了歷史學者對古代希臘的想像。隨著方法論的批判、對既有文獻史料的重新解讀、新近考古材料的出土，近三十年來有諸多研究者將研究視角投向雅典以外的希臘城邦，如斯巴達、底比斯、西西里島等等。本研究希望在此趨勢之下，聚焦於西元前四世紀西西里島敘拉古城的僭主政治，以及狄翁嘗試建立的一人統治及混合式政體，一方面希望能藉由敘拉古的案例，對古希臘的僭主政治有更深入的認識，另一方面則關注敘拉古政治與哲學家柏拉圖之間的關聯，藉此理解柏拉圖政治理想中的哲學家王與法治，在現實的政治實踐中會呈現何種景象。

本文以狄翁的政治生涯為核心，前半段探討狄翁的家族與迪奧尼修斯政權的緊密關係，以及他在擔任大臣的同時如何發表對僭主政治的批評並引薦柏拉圖擔任僭主的導師；後半段則探討狄翁發起革命、掌握政治權力以後如何與市民大會、民主派系領袖赫拉克利底斯的對抗中，嘗試建立一人統治與貴族議會相結合的混合政體。本文的結尾則參考柏拉圖在《理想國篇》、《政治家篇》、《法律篇》中提出的哲學家王作為理想城邦政治、法治的重要性等觀念，探討狄翁如何將柏拉圖的哲學家王詮釋為制定並遵循法治，擁有最高政治權力的一人統治者，藉此正當化他的政治行動。此外，狄翁與僭主政權的緊密關聯，以及他剷除政敵的行為，都顯示出哲學家王與僭主統治的外觀相似而難以取信於大眾的困境。

Athenian democracy occupied a central position in the study of ancient Greek political history, dominating historian’s imaginations of ancient Greece. However, in the past thirty years, many researchers have shifted their focus to those Greek city-states outside Athens, such as Sparta, Thebes, and Sicily, with the critics on methodology, reinterpretations of historical sources, and the discovery of new archaeological materials. This thesis aims to focus on the tyranny of Syracuse in the fourth century BCE, specifically under the tyrant Dionysius I and Dionysius II, and the mixed government model that Dion attempted to establish. On one hand, this study seeks to gain a deeper understanding of ancient Greek tyranny through the case of Syracuse; on the other hand, it examines the relationship between Syracuse's politics and the philosopher Plato, aiming to explore how the philosopher-king and the rule of law, as presented in Plato's political ideals, would manifest in practical way.

The articles follow the political career of Dion. In the first part, it explores the close relationship between Dion’s family and the regime of Dionysius, as well as how Dion, while serving as a minister, criticized tyranny and introduced Plato as a tutor for the young tyrant. The second part examines how Dion, after initiating a revolution and reaching political power, tried to establish a mixed constitution combining one single ruler with an aristocratic council in opposition to the assembly and the democratic faction led by Heracleides. In its conclusion, the paper draws on Plato's arguments about ideal politic presented in The Republic, Statesman, and Laws— the philosopher-king and the rule of law—to explore how Dion interpreted Plato's theory as a one-man ruler who has legislative power but still has to follow the rule of law. Furthermore, Dion's close connection with the tyranny and his justification of actions to eliminate political rival reveal the similarity between tyrant and Plato’s philosopher-king, which cause the untrust in this political concept from the citizen.