从思想到理论:论本土传播理论建构的可能性路径

From Thoughts to Theory: On the Possible Way of the Construction of Chinese Communication Theory

理论建构是社会科学研究的重要目标。关于"传统思想"转化为"传播理论"的问题,回答"是否可能"、"为何可能"比回答"如何可能"更为重要。吉登斯的"双重解释"说为我们提供了很好的认识论和方法论资源:第一,社会科学家要像"社会成员理解自身"一样来理解社会成员的行动,因而社会科学理论和常识必然拥有一部分"共有知识";第二,社会科学家又必须超越常识理解,建构更为精致的理论;第三,社会科学理论极大地影响着常识世界,甚至成为常识的一部分。"双重解释"意味着,理论和经验之间没有绝对的鸿沟,传统思想和经验之间更有着千丝万缕的联系。詹姆斯·凯瑞的"传播的仪式观",就是利用传统思想建构理论的典范。这就是为从"思想"到"理论"的可能性路径提供的论证。而儒家道德传递观,或许是三者之间的"共有的知识"。

Theory construction is a critical objective for social science study. On the transformation from traditional thoughts to communication theory, it is more important to answer the question 'whether and why is it possible' than 'how is it possible'. Giddens' 'double hermeneutic' has provided us a good resource of epistemology and methodology. First, social scientists have to understand social members as members understand themselves. Therefore there has to be some 'shared knowledge' in social science theory and common sense. Secondly, social scientists have to surpass the understanding of common sense and construct finer theories. Thirdly, social science theory has greatly influenced commonsense world and has even been part of common sense. The double hermeneutic means: there is no absolute chasm between theory and experience; traditional thoughts have inextricable connection with experience. James W. Carey's 'the ritual view of communication' is the paradigm of constructing theory based on traditional thoughts. It has provided a possible way from thoughts to theory. The communicative ideas of Confucian morality could be the 'shared knowledge' among future possible theory, traditional thoughts and common sense.