韋伯一生堅持科學探究必須「價值中立」（wertfrei)。但他的「價 值中立」（Wertfreiheit)概念應該如何理解，卻始終是學界爭論的一 個焦點。一般而言，韋伯學界大多將「價值中立」理解為韋伯的一個 「方法論的或邏輯的原則」。但在我看來，這樣的一種理解顯然太過 「稀薄」；而如果將韋伯的「價值中立」理解為只是一個「邏輯的原 則」或「方法論原則」，則是對韋伯「價值中立」思想的一種嚴重的 誤解：對韋伯而言，「價值中立」固然是一個「方法論原則」，但絕不 僅僅只是、或主要是一個「方法論原則」。這篇文章的主要目的，是 想要透過某種詮釋韋伯的觀點（主要是由韋伯的「人圖像」、「價值多 神論」與「人格」概念等方面著手），去提供一種較為完整的理解韋 伯的「價值中立」概念的方式，藉以消除這種「方法論的誤解」。韋 伯的「價值中立」概念，絕不只是一個單純的「方法論原則」，而是 一個相當複雜的概念，對這概念的正確理解，將是理解韋伯的「人」 和他的著作的一個重要關鍵。

Max Weber famously proposes that scientific investigations must be “value-free”. But how should his conception of value-freedom be understood is still disputed by Weber scholars nowadays. Most of them understand it as a “methodological principle.” Such an understanding seems too “thin” and leads to serious misunderstanding. I contend that, although value-freedom is a methodological principle, it is not limited in this regard, not even primarily a methodological principle. The purpose of this article is to provide a comprehensive understanding of Weber’s conception of value-freedom through an interpretation of his thoughts concerning humanity, personality and axiological polytheism. In this way, I attempt to relate Weber’s complicated concept of value-freedom to his personality as well as his theoretical world-view.