对证明责任和证明标准的理论反思

A Theoretical Reflection on Burden of Proof and Proof Standards

一般认为,"证明责任"与"举证责任"两者含义基本相同,且可以通用、互换,但实际上两者的内涵并非等同,不能简单地将两者作为相同概念混用。虽然分析哲学有这样的箴言:词没有固定不变的含义,它的含义取决于具体语境的上下文对它的具体委托是什么。但是作为法律术语,若唯以通过分析上下文方能确定其含义,难免会在学术讨论中引起不必要的误解和麻烦,甚至会在写作中因断章引用他人词句而导致己文辞不达意。因此,笔者认为有必要通过对证明责任及其相关概念争议的分析,探究证明责任的具体含义,并反思我国民事证明标准的界定。

It is generally understood that burden of proof means burden of production, and these two terms and interchangeable. But in essence they are different and cannot be used as synonym. Although analytical philosophy believes that the meaning of a word is dependent on the context, it is still necessary in the field of law that a term should have its exact meaning lest misunderstanding and ambiguity. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze burden of proof and relative concepts to inquire the specific meaning of it, and reflect the definition of proof standards in China.