民主的成长:从“个体自主”到“社会公平”——解读2005年中国政治发展的意义

The Growth of Democracy: From "Individual Autonomy" to "Social Equity"——On the Significance of the Political Development of China in 2005

在现代政治条件下,任何形式的民主都必然在价值层面上追求自由与平等的有机统一。进入21世纪,中国的民主成长开始逐渐面临新的使命,即个体自主与独立之后的社会公平,这个使命的价值基点就是平等。中国民主成长的价值支撑点从自由扩展到平等,不是民主危机的产物,而是民主成长的结果,民主对社会公平的追求,出发点依然是个体权利的保障。民主成长对社会公平的关怀,虽然价值的着眼点在于权利本身,但是工作和行动的着眼点则必然在于社会的构建、国家与社会关系的调整以及国家制度的健全与完善等等。正因为如此,在社会领域提出的社会公平问题,很快就被国家吸纳,从而成为国家与社会携手努力解决的问题。2005年,中国共产党提出了构建社会主义和谐社会的国家建设战略,这就使得社会公平问题不仅是社会建设的基本追求,而且是国家建设的基本战略。这一切都为新一轮的中国民主成长提供了重要的政治资源。考察2005年中国政治发展的具体实践,可以看出,在追求社会平等的进程中,中国民主成长出现了新的趋势,具体体现如下:国家建设开始从“二元结构”向“一体化建设”发展;政府形态开始从“经济建设型政府”向“公共服务型政府”发展;政党建设开始从“面向自身”向“面向社会”发展;社会生活开始从“精英表达”向“大众表达”发展;发展价值开始从“效率优先”向“社会公平”发展。

The growth of democracy after reform is naturally driven by both the state and the society instead of by the unilateral state where the state or party acts as the main part. The state-initiated reform has ignited the longing and pursuit of the society and the public for their autonomous right, and their longing and pursuit, which quickly grow into practical and specific demands-demands for reform to realize a value dominated by individual freedom and enterprise freedom, retroacts on the political system and economic system that the state has been leading. Under the conditions of modern politics, democracy in any form will inevitably pursue the organic unification of freedom and equality in values. In the early 21st century, new tasks are looming in the growth of democracy in China, that is, social equity after individual autonomy and freedom. For democracy, equity is the base point of the tasks in value. From freedom to equity, the development of the supporting point in value in the growth of China's democracy is not the outcome of the democratic crisis, but rather the outcome of the growth of democracy. And the start of the pursuit of democracy for social equity is still the guarantee of individuals' rights. Though the focus of values in democracy's concerns of social equity lies in the right itself, the focus of work and acts lies no doubt in the construction of a community, the adjustment of the relations between the state and the community as well as the establishment and perfection of the state systems and others. Just because of this, the issue of social equity which arises from the sociological field quickly catches the attention of the state and becomes an issue dealt with by both the state and the society. In 2005 the Communist Party of China put forth the national construction strategy to build up a socialist harmonious community, which means that the problem of social equity is not only the primary pursuit in community construction, but also the primary strategy of the national construction, all of which provide significant political resources for the growth of China's democracy in the new round. In review of the practices of the political development in China in 2005, it can be seen that in the course of pursuing social equity, the growth of China's democracy has formed new trends, which are represented as follows: the national construction develops from 'binary structure' to 'integrated construction'; the governmental functions develops from 'for economic construction' to 'for public service'; the party constructions develops from 'self oriented' to 'society oriented'; social life develops from 'expert speech' to 'public speech'; the values develops from 'efficiency priority' to 'social equity.'