空间、时间与经济理性——从中国史通识教材的编写说起

Space,Time and Economic Reason——From the Topic of Compiling General Education Textbook of Chinese History

丰富的新石器考古揭示中国境内文明起源呈现满天星斗、八方雄起、天下万国的壮观场面。部族混合杂处与相互交融冲突最活跃的"中原"是当时最先进的地区,长江流域屈居其后。经小统、中统,至秦始皇灭六国,以中原为核心实现"大一统"的局势就水到渠成。实现"大一统"之后,历史的空间运动并没有停止。依靠着"大一统"特有的空间广阔优势,中国古代社会历经多样艰难,周旋于巨大的空间里,用新的发展弥补旧有的不发展,活力始终不衰。说两千年里中国的历史时间"超稳定"地凝固在一个节点上停滞不动,是只知其一不知其二。借用社会结构变迁理论来说,这是一种"路径依赖"——一开始采取什么样的路径,往后的惯性力量会使其一直沿着这样的轨道滑行下去,改变路线非常艰难。检讨"大一统"的历史实践,留给后代需要消化的学问很多,有内外的应对、上下的平衡、中央与地方的协调、集权与分权的互补等等。同样,说几千年中国"封建经济长期停滞",也是一种经不起史实反驳的旧观念。中国人从来不缺发展经济的能力。两千年的"大一统"中国,社会经济始终处在发展与变化之中,情节非常丰富;但也不是一路顺风,发展与不发展成一体两面,制约经济正常发展的隐患消除不掉。所以,只有在新的历史条件下,将限制经济进一步发展的"笼子"逐渐拆除,才能开出新天地。

Ever since the ＂Grand Unification＂ of China, the movement within the space in history had never ceased. The ancient Chinese society had experienced multiple hardships and coped with them in an enormous space, it added new developments to the old ones, so as to keep its ever-lasting vitality. It is a lopsided view to suppose that the time of Chinese history has been ＂ultra-stabled＂ and stiffed on a joint within two thousand years. The same is untrue for an old concept, which is refutable by historical facts, to say that there had been a ＂long-time standstill for feudal economy＂ in China＇s thousands of years. The truth is that China has never lacked its ability for economical development. The ＂Grand Unification＂ for more than two thousand years has put China＇s society and economy into an ever-developing and ever-changing condition, although there has always been some hidden troubles which has restricted the normal development of economy,