社会发展与社会进步关系辨析

On relationships between Social development and Social Progress

本文认为,社会发展不等于社会进步。“社会发展”所概括的范围要大于社会进步,当然包括社会进步,它具有实践性、过程性、局域性特别是代价性等特点;而“社会进步”是社会发展进程中主流的、本质的现象和必然的趋势,具有总体性、趋势性、前进性、结果性等特点。当然,它们之间还存在着相互关联、相互统一的一面。本文还进一步从理论发展哲学、发展伦理学和发展美学的角度探讨了社会发展与社会进步的区别及其转化问题。

This paper maintains that social development is not equal to social progress. While ＂social progress＂ is included in ＂social development＂, the latter covers a larger area. In addition, social development is practical, procedural, regional and costly. ＂Social progress＂, on the other hand, represents the mainstream, essential and inevitable trend in the course of social develop ment. Thus, it is holistic, directional, advancing in nature, and shows the end product of social development. Of course social development and social progress are also related and share some thing in common. An elaborate discussion of their differences and transformation between the two is offered in the light of philosophy of theoretical development, developmental ethics and developmental aesthetics.