寻求人民主权与代议制民主的平衡——试论卢梭的民主思想

Seek Balance between Popular Sovereignty and Representative Democracy——On Rousseau’s Democratic Theory

主权与治权(政府权力)的划分在卢梭的民主思想中具有重要意义。卢梭认为主权是公意的运用,因而是属于全体人民的,也是不能代表和不能转让的。但是,在治权层面,卢梭认为可以而且应该实行代表制。也就是说,卢梭既主张人民主权,又主张代议制民主,前者是卢梭民主思想的规范层面,而后者是其现实层面。人民主权相对于代议制民主具有优先性,但是后者也有很大的独立性,卢梭希冀在两者之间实现某种平衡,从而建立一种优良政体。

The division between sovereignty and government is very important in Rousseau＇s Democratic Theory. In Rousseau＇s opinion, sovereignty is the exercise of general will so that it belongs to the whole people. And it can＇t be representative and transferential. But the government can be and should be representative. That is to say, Rousseau claimed representative democracy as well as popular sovereignty. The latter has priority to the former, but the former has considerable independence. Rousseau hoped to achieve some balance between the two so that a good regime could be built.