“市民社会”、现代国家以及中国的国家与社会的关系

Civil Society", Modern State and the Relation between State and Society in China

本文通过对国家与社会的关系的理论和实践的演变的简略考察，指出独立于和外在于国家的所谓“市民社会”只是西方资本主义生产方式萌发时期的一种短暂的历史现象，是自由主义思想中理论上的抽象。现代国家发展的历程也就是它不断地扩大自身的职能范围，向“市民社会”渗透的过程。中国作为发展中的社会主义国家的特点要求人们探索一种能够同时充分发挥国家和社会的活力与主动精神的“强国家－强社会”的国家与社会的关系模式。本文论证了这一模式在理论上和实践上的可能性，并且得出结论；这方面探索的成功将为人类的共同生活开辟出一条新的道路。

AbstractThrough a brief survey of the evolution of the relation between state and society, this paper points out that the socalled 'civil society' which was independent of and outsied of the state was a transient historical phenomenon accompanying the emergence of the capitalist productive mode in the West; it was just a theoretical Abstract ion of liberalism. The paper argues that the history of the modern state is a process of expansion of the state's functions and powers, as well as a process of penetration of administrative relations into society. The characteristics of China as a developing socialist country require the development of a kind of relation between state and society which makes both of them act as active and creative subjects. That is to say, a 'strong state/strong society' relation is needed. The paper discusses the possibility of this kind of relation in the theoretical as well as in the practical dimensions. In conclusion, the author argues that the success of this experiment would open a new way for the common life of mankind as a whole.