愛德華．吉朋（Edward Gibbon, 1737-1794）的《羅馬帝國衰亡史》（The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire）是 18世紀啟蒙史學的 經典之作。這部鉅構是吉朋結合文藝復興「古典考證」與啟蒙運動「哲學 心靈」兩種知識傳承寫成。吉朋早年遍讀古代希臘與羅馬典籍，又博覽近 代早期的古典學術研究，累積豐富的羅馬史知識與材料。他將這些古代史 知識轉化成完整的歷史敘述，背後有一套清晰的史學觀念作為寫作指導。 這套史學觀念傳承自近代早期歐洲史學，呈現在吉朋早期出版的《論文學 研究》，並在《羅馬帝國衰亡史》的書寫中實踐。
本篇論文從近代早期歐洲史學的脈絡探討吉朋史學觀念的形成與實踐，全文聚焦於三個主題：首先，追溯人文主義史學到哲學的歷史觀的演變；其次，分析吉朋有關史實、歷史真相與歷史重建的論述；其三，討論吉朋的「哲學的歷史」觀念及其理想的史家典範。吉朋的史學思想與實踐在許多方面都具有現代性，從史學史角度看，乃是歐洲歷史寫作從人文主義史學過渡到現代史學的重要關鍵。

This article attempts to investigate Edward Gibbon’s historical thinking behind his writing of the monumental History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. The Decline and Fall, a landmark of Enlightenment historiography, was obviously written in the context of the rise of the idea of ‘philosophical history’, a novel genre of historical writing which was developed out of the humanist history of the Renaissance, and which Gibbon had inherited and helped to perfect. This article will cover three aspects: 1stly, trace the development of the European historical thought from humanist history to philosophical history; 2ndly, discuss Gibbon’s thinking on facts, historical truth and the practice of history; and 3rdly, reveal Gibbon’s thinking on the writing of ‘philosophical history’and his ideal ofan philosophical historian.