中国近代知识阶层的开明专制思想

The Enlightened Despotism of Intellectual Class of Modern China

寻求富强和争取民主是近现代中国知识阶层政治思想的两个重要面相,但是为寻求快速富强所需要的集权专制与民主追求、必然的分权之紧张与冲突,撕裂了整个知识阶层。作为缓解这种紧张和冲突之设计,用"专制"实现现代化的开明专制思想持续地影响着数代知识分子。开明专制思想虽然受到批驳,在实践上也遭遇过失败,但在清末至抗战前几十年间仍被不少知识分子视做一种合理的过渡政体和发展模式,被赋予了救亡和启蒙的双重任务。作为西方政治思想中国化的大胆尝试和众多知识分子的希望寄托,开明专制思想不仅具有重要的思想价值,也是了解近现代中国知识分子的一把钥匙。

Pursuing to be prosperous and powerful and striving for democracy were two aspects of the political thought of modern Chinese intellectuals. However, the tension, between despotic centralism which is necessary to become rich and strong rapidly and decentralization of power which is demanded by democracy, made the whole intellectual class face with the great dilemma. As a design to ease the tension and conflicts, the thought of enlightened despotism had influ- enced several generations of intellectuals. In spite of voices of disapproval and failures in practice, it was regarded as a kind of rational transitional political system and development pattern which shouldered the dual missions of national salvation and enlightenment over 30 or 40 years before Sino-Japanese War （1937-1945）. As a bold try of mixing western political thoughts with Chinese factors and the hope of a great number of intellectuals, the thought of enlightened despotism not only had significant values, but also was the key to know about the thought of modern Chinese intellectuals.