本文通過探討大衛•休謨政治思想所引發的一項詮釋爭議－自由主義抑或保守主義一一來反省現代自由主義在「道德性」之論證上的缺失，進而提出古典的自由主義的概念，以作為我們理解18世紀英國重要政治理論家如大衛•休謨與亞當•斯密的憑籍，以及我們超越當前自由主義與社群主義之爭的可能出路。

This paper starts with a controversy concerning the interpretation of the political thought of David Hume: Is it liberal or conservative? By discussing the controversy, the paper aims to reflect on the absence of moral argument which marks the modem liberalism. Then the concept of classic liberalism is proposed as a basis for us to understand the important political theorists in the 18th century England such as David Hume and Adam Smith, as well as a possible solution to the contemporary dispute between liberalism and communitarianism.