政体视角下的民主新论

New Thoughts on Democracy from the Perspective of Polity

在历史上,"民主"是一种政体,即一种由人民进行自我统治的政体;到了近代,民主既是一种理论,又是一种政体,即它在不同的社会背景下有着不同的形式和内容,但又无不包含着人民主权、自治、平等和自由等核心价值。而作为政体,民主却是有界线的,它是其政治共同体内人民所享有的专利权。

Historically, democracy has the origin of a polity, where people fulfilled their selfgovernment. While in modern time, democracy is a kind of theory and a polity as well, that is, it has different forms and contents depending on different social backgrounds, and it is the embodiment of the commonly accepted value of people＇s sovereignty, self-government, equality and freedom. But as a polity, democracy has its boundaries for it is the patent possessed by the people within its community.