严复和法治国的初步设计

Yan Fu and Preliminary Drawings of Constitutional State

严复是中国近代法治过程中的一个转折性人物,他身处中华民族社会发展的世纪转折点上,通过有所选择地译介西学,开创了近代中国启蒙,寻求着一条既能避免社会剧烈波动又能实现中华民族复兴的渐进路径。严复开创的启蒙,是借外来先进思想进行的居高临下式启蒙,缺乏深厚的社会基础,难以形成强大的社会力量。但是,严复仍然完成了法治国的初步设计,为近代中国法治开辟了道路。除了大家熟悉的"物竟天择,适者生存"之外,我们还须牢记严复的另一番忠告:"自由为体,民主为用",并明确严复的实践政治目标是"合群保种,与天争胜",亦即精诚团结,与列强抗争,以振兴中华。当我们讨论正义、公平、法治、治理等问题尤其是讨论"东亚崛起"、"东亚奇迹"和"东亚价值重估"等命题时,我们无法回避严复的思想贡献。

Standing at the 19-20 th century turning point,as one of the most important figures in modern Chinese intellectual history,Yan Fu wanted to transform his country from a traditional state to a modern national state or a constitutional state. In the light of introducing some important writings of western social sciences and humanities to Chinese people,he pioneered modern Chinese enlightenment,tried to find an approach to reviving China as a cultural and traditional nation,but avoiding radically social upheavals. As the advanced ideas such as reason,science,liberty and democracy mainly came from Europe,this enlightenment was a condescending one,lacking profound social foundation in China,difficult to form a powerful social reform force,but YanFu still finished some preliminary drawings of constitutional state for future China. Besides following'the principles of natural selection and survival of the fittest,'we have to take his other suggestion'Consider liberty as substance and consider democracy as function'seriously. When we discuss the topics such as justice,fairness,rule of law,governance,especially when we talk about the statements such as'Rise of East Asia','East Asia miracles'and'revaluation of East Asian values',it is difficult to ignore Yan Fu's intellectual contribution.