“公意”与五四前后《新青年》左翼同人的思想转向

"General Will" and Ideological Shift in Left-wing La Jeunesse Intellectuals Around May Fourth Movement

卢梭"公意"思想在近代中国的传播是一个中国式的化约过程。近代中国知识人将"公意"理论上的复杂性弃之不顾,径自以中国式的"民情"、"民意"来理解。这种化约倾向虽然避免了"公意"的理论纷争,但从接受伊始即凸显出"公意"的道德内涵,且在近代中国知识人的认知中形成了道德化的"民"的神圣感。而在不断从理论上提升"民"的道德性之后,这种具有现代性和普世性的"民"的神圣感与现实中的百姓状况之间产生的巨大反差,使近代中国知识人对现实中的百姓充满了失望,进而怀疑其"国民"资格。但是,出于对民初政情、政党政治的反感,以及来自朝鲜"三一"运动、"五四"学生运动的正面刺激,加之由"公意"所引发的对民主多数性的认知和"国民政治"的向往,《新青年》左翼同人继而认同"公意"理解上的简单化原则,即"多数至上"原则。这一原则促成了他们思想的左转,却又在接受列宁阶级理论后,实际地放弃了"公意"。

Rousseau's concept of general will undergoes a typical Chinese simplifying process in its understanding by modern Chinese intellectuals. As a result,the ramifications of the theory are largely reduced to a comprehension directly through Chinese-styled public opinion and public will,which surely helps avoid any dispute over the general will theory and highlights only its moral core from the very beginning when the theory is accepted. The moralized concept of people is thus created and sanctified in the mind of modern Chinese intellectuals. After much theoretical improvement,this generalized modern-time understanding of people with a sanctified moral core poses a great contrast of the common people against their miserable reality. The intellectuals at that time are totally let down by the people with their reality to the extent that they even doubt whether their fellow citizens are qualified to be citizens. The left-wing La Jeunesse intellectuals accept the simplistic principle advocated in the concept of general will,claiming 'the majority is supreme' ,due to their dissatisfaction with the politics of the early Republican China,to the positive effects of the March First Movement in Korea and the May Fourth Movement in China,to their sympathy with the democracy upon majority principle brought forth by the general will concept,and to their yearning for a people's politics. Although the democratic principle leads them turn left ideologically,Rousseau's general will concept is finally abandoned when Lenin's theory of class is ushered in.