吳靄儀 - 可能的與不可能的

明報 法政隨筆 2010-03-01

早前，有學者重提上世紀社會學學者韋伯談論從政的一篇演講（Max Weber, Politics as a Vocation）。溫故知新，我趁機找來細讀了。香港的政論家，一面倒強調「政治是妥協的藝術」，韋伯這篇演講，卻有這樣的結語：

"Politics is a strong and slow boring of hard boards. It takes both passion and perspective. Certainly all historical experience confirms the truth - that man would not have attained the possible unless time and again he had reached out for the impossible. But to do that a man must be a leader, and not only a leader but a hero as well, in a very sober sense of the word. And even those who are neither leaders nor heroes must arm themselves with that steadfastness of heart which can brave even the crumbling of all hopes. This is necessary right now, or else men will not be able to attain even that which is possible today. Only he has the calling for politics who is sure that he shall not crumble when the world from his point of view is too stupid or too base for what he wants to offer. Only he who in the face of all this can say 'In spite of all!' has the calling for politics." （ 錄自From Max Weber: Essays in Sociology, H.H. Gerth 及C. Wright Mills 編譯。）

「歷史告訴我們，若非一次又一次力爭不可能的東西，我們連可能的東西也不會得到。」如果我們接受對方認為是不可能的東西就不去爭取的話，我們根本不配稱為從政者。

「政治好比持久有力地在硬木板上鑽洞。我們同時需要激情和判斷力。」韋伯所指的堅持是強硬而毫不客氣的。愚公移山，可等到子又生子，子又生孫，慢慢實現。鑽木板肯定是這一代的事！愚公不跟你說判斷力，甘自讓人視為「愚」公，所以愚公移山是另一個寓言。韋伯政治領袖要有看通大局而作出判斷的智力。

還要勇敢。政治領袖須是個沉實的勇者，但「即使不是領袖也不是勇者的從政者，也必須培養出鍥而不捨的精神，使自己在一切希望都粉碎的時候，仍能勇敢面對」。識時務者只是「俊傑」，可不是韋伯的從事政治的人。但「我們今天已需要這種精神了，不然即使今天已有可能得到的東西，我們也得不到」。

所以，我強力推薦韋伯這篇1918 年的演講給公民黨，作為黨內討論的文章，極力建議關信基主席向青年黨員講解這篇演講的內容、背景，及在今日香港的意義。