近代中国对人权观念的认知与解读

The Understanding and Interpretation of Human Rights in Modern China

近代中国人权观念只是对西方人权观念的移植。然而人权观念在近代中国的发轫、发展却有自己特殊的逻辑。在西方属于价值理性范畴的人权观念,在近代中国则被视为追求现实目标的一种工具理性。当人权被视为一种工具理性时,其价值内涵就很容易融化于社会改造或革命实践中而被忽略甚至被舍弃。近代中国现实救亡与思想启蒙之间的内在紧张,淹没了人权的价值意义,也导致对人权观念的追求始终只存在于少数知识分子的口中和笔下。而对于大多数民众而言,并没有引起真正的人权觉醒和人权意识。

The idea of human rights in modern China is only a transplant from the western world. However, its development in modern China has its own logic.In the west, the idea of human rights is a kind of valuerationality;while in China it is treated as an instrumental rationality to achieve a goal.When human rights is seen as an instrumental rationality, its value will be easily ignored and even abandoned in its process of melting into the social reform or revolution practice. The inner tension between the realistic salvation and enlightenment of the mind in modern china submerged the real meaning of human rights, making the pursuing of human rights only exist among few intellectuals. To the majority of normal people, it didn’t intrigue their true awareness and consciousness of human rights.