当代西方政治自由主义的兴起与内在理路

The Arising of Political Liberalism and Its Inner Logic

政治自由主义是自由主义发展到当代的一种新形式,它的代表人物有后期罗尔斯、阿克曼、拉莫尔等人。总的来说,政治自由主义是在坚持中立原则的基础上,以理性对话为途径,试图不以任何特殊形上论或认识论为基础,仅就基本政治理念达成共识。它的兴起乃是缘于以往自由主义所不能解决的方法论困境,对这种困境的摆脱决定了它在形式上必须从"广包的"转变为"自由站立的"。针对自由主义的这种新形式,当代自由主义阵营内部也有不同的态度和立场。政治自由主义的命运如何,不仅取决于一个只有"政治"版本的自由主义能否得到辩护,还取决于它在现实政治生活中的发展。在某种程度上,它对当代中国的政治实践具有积极的参考价值,因为如何促进共识也是当下中国社会必须思考的一个现实问题。

Political liberalism is a new and important form of liberalisms, which arised about twenty years before. This paper is designed to analyze the methodology and inner logic of political liberalism, pointing out that it resulted from the methodological predicament which can not be solved by traditional liberalisms. Political liberalism＇s main claim is to reach consensus upon basic political values through reasonable dialogue, based on no particular metaphysical or epistemological theory, and insisting on the principle of neutrality. Since the fundamental task for political liberalism is to seek a widest and deepest political consensus, its most suitable form can only be freestanding. But an important problem it faces is how it can be justified as a kind of political philosophy. The paper also overview the course of transformation from the comprehensive liberalism to the freestanding one, and introduce three different attitudes to political liberalism.