视域差异与概念转换:比较政治学视域下的“贤能政治”语义分析

Field-of-view Difference and Concept Transformation: Semantic Analysis of “Meritocracy” from the Perspective of Comparative Politics

贤能政治的话语在中国并不新鲜,但在不同时代及不同知识背景的学者视域里却常常迥然不同,特别是当西方学者以汉语的方式参与这个话题时,贤能政治话语讨论中的视域差异与概念转换,就成为一个不得不面对的比较政治学问题。自近代政治话语兴起以来,中国大多数学者站在现代看传统,贤能政治在民主、自由的政治话语中备受鞭挞,完全成为君主专制政治的显性标志。西方学者贝淡宁的"贤能政治"话语则站在西方看中国,既急于在中国传统政治概念中寻找西方民主政治的匮乏之物,也在"贤能政治"的话语透镜下,过滤掉了现代中国的民主政治身影。中国本土的"贤能政治"推崇者则借机抬高身价,却不过是站在现代美化儒家传统。中国本土拒斥"贤能政治"的学者则坚持科学与民主的传统。传统与现代,西方与中国,不同的视域及知识背景,造成"贤能政治"话语讨论的复杂性。只有放在比较政治学的视域下,才能准确明了"贤能政治"话语讨论中各种观点的庐山真面目。

The concept of"meritocracy"is not new in China, but its meanings are often very different in the eyes of scholars of different eras and knowledge backgrounds. Especially when western scholars participate in the discussion of "Meritocracy"using Chinese language, field-of-view difference and concept transformation in the"Meritocracy"becomes a comparative politics problem that has to be faced. Since the rise of political discourses in modern China, most Chinese scholars have adhered to the tradition of enlightenment and stood for the tradition, and "Meritocracy"is regarded as an explicit symbol of monarchy. Western scholars such as Daniel A. Bell stand in the West to see China. On the one hand, they eager to find scarcities of Western democracy in the traditional Chinese political concepts, on the other hand, they filter out the democratic characteristics of modern China in the "Meritocracy"discourse. Some Neo-Confucian scholars in contemporary China stand in modern times and beautify Confucian traditions while the opponents insist on the tradition of science and democracy. In contemporary China, the discussion of Meritocracy is becoming more and more complicated. Only in the field of comparative politics, the academic community’s views on the Meritocracy can be clearly presented.