论民法的社会功能

On Social Function of Civil Law

作为民法功能之下位概念,民法的社会功能是指民法通过其自身运行而对整个社会所产生的影响与效能。它和同位阶的民法的规范功能相比,具有目的性与根本性、独立性与变迁性;而与其他部门法的社会功能相比,则更具基础性。民法社会功能的核心内容可概括为:平等地确认和保障私权,从而构建并维护社会的基础秩序,以促进人的自我解放。而它又具体表现为:民法孕育了政治文明的基本要素,推动民主政治与法治的发展;民法维护市场经济的繁荣与发展,促进财富的增长与有效利用;民法鼓励和保护精神文化产品的创新与利用,推动精神文明建设;民法建立和维护健康的婚姻家庭秩序。

As the subordinate concept of the function of civil law, the social function of the civil law refers to the effect and the efficiency on the whole society by its own working. Comparing with the co-ordinate normalizative function of the civil law, it has the characteristics of purposefulness, essentiality, independence and variance; while comparing with other departmental laws, it is more fundamental. We can generalize the core content as： equally confirming and guaranteing private rights in order to construct and maintain the basic order of society and promote the self-emancipation of mankind. Its concrete representation is that the civil law is pregnant with the basic elements of the politics civilization, and it motivates the development of democratic politics and the rule of law; meanwhile, the civil law hastens the prosperity of market economy, and accelerates the increase and efficient utilization of wealth ; in addition, the civil law encourages and protects the innovation and the utilization of cultural products, and boosts the building of spiritual civilization; at last, the civil law establishes and maintains the healthy order of marriage and family.