在借鉴与更新中完善中国民主理念——西方民主理论的启示和警示

Concept Perfection of Chinese Democracy through Learning and Updating: Enlightenment and Warning from Western Democracy Theories

西方自古以来,思想家对民主所涉及的问题进行过广泛的探讨,形成了"参与式"民主论、"代议制"民主论、平等民主论、精英民主论、多元民主论、"程序制"民主论(或协商民主论)等六种主要的民主理论。西方思想家认为,民主制度虽然不是尽善尽美的,但却是到目前为止人类所可能选择的最好政治制度。他们在论述民主问题时也提出了不少值得注意的问题,这些问题对于致力于民主制度建设的我国具有重要启示和警示意义。借鉴西方的民主理论,中国民主理念构建需要注意以下问题:其一,民主的主体不单指作为社会成员的个人,而且指作为社会成员的组织。其二,民主不只是指"代议制",而且指公众直接参与政治对话协商。其三,民主不只在于民主主体行使主权(主要是立法权),而且还包括民主主体对治理权的监控权和重大决策的参与权,防止治理权的僭越和滥用,防止重大决策失误。其四,民主不只是指政治运行的过程,同时也是民主意识、民主能力、民主品质等民主素质提高的过程。

So far in the western world, thinkers have widely discussed on the issues about democracy. Six theories of democracy are formed as 'participated' democracy, 'representative system' democracy, equality democracy, elite democracy, plural democracy, 'procedural system' democracy(or discourse democracy). Western thinkers believe that democracy is the best political system which human can choose up to now although it is not perfect yet. They also have proposed some issues in their discussion which provide enlightenment and warning to China for its engagement in the construction of democratic system. Learning from western democracy, China should pay attention to the following points in its democratic concept construction: firstly, the subject of democracy is not only the individual of social member but also the organization; secondly, democracy refers not only to the 'representative system' but also the public's direct participation in the political dialogue and discourse; thirdly, democracy is for the subject of democracy to exercise not only sovereignty, mainly legislative power but also their supervision on administrative power and participation in major decisions in avoiding any abuse and arrogation of the power and mistake of the decision making; fourthly, democracy lies in the process of political running as well as in the process of improving democratic qualities such as democratic awareness, democratic capacity and democratic characters.