“公共性”的价值信念及其文化理想

Values and Cultural Ideal of “Publicity”

公共性是现代公民社会之公共生活的本质属性,具有开放、平等与社群的特性,通过特定共同体成员理性、自觉的交互主体性行为与结构性活动而得以存在。现代社会的“公共性危机”,集中表现为“文化公共性”理想的迷茫,是文化自身的合法性与合理性认同的危机。真正为社会所共有、共享的公共性,是多元利益主体复杂博弈的产物,是确保公众与社会之间关系维系的一种平衡。当代中国社会结构日益呈现为市民/公民社会、市场与国家的分化情形,以社会公正为最高追求的社会公共性理念是否能够得以确立,或者已经确立的社会公共性理念究竟合理化与否等,直接影响着制度创新的理念、路径选择。对公共性的领悟与把握的过程,同时也是公共文化氛围营造中民众心智不断健全、成熟的过程。

Publicity, the essence of public life of modern ＂civic society＂, is characterized by openness, equality and community. It manifests itself through the rational, initiative behavior and structural activities by the members of a particular group. The ＂public crisis＂ of modem society is manifested by the bewilderment of the ideal of ＂cultural publicity＂. It is the crisis of the identification of the legality and rationality of culture itself. The ＂publicity＂ of and by the ＂society＂ in the real sense is the result of struggles among various interest subjects and a means to balance the relationship between the public and society. Contemporary Chinese social structure is experiencing the split of civic society, market and country. The question whether or not the ideal of ＂publicity＂ assuming social justice as the highest aim can be established or the established ideal can be rationalized has a direct bearing on the ideas and path choice in institution reform. The process of understanding ＂publicity＂ at the same time is the process of people＇s getting mentally mature and sound in creating the atmosphere of public culture. It depends on the construction of a certain ＂public space＂ and realization of a universal ＂belief in public culture＂.