什么是21世纪的现代化

What's Modernization in the 21st Century:A Chinese Version

世界现代化大致起步于18世纪,扩散于19世纪,流行于20和21世纪。从18世纪到21世纪,世界现代化的内涵和特征发生了巨大变化。目前,现代化是一个多义词,它既是一个历史现象,又是一种文明进步,还是一种国家目标。作为一种历史现象,现代化是18世纪工业革命以来人类发展的世界前沿,以及追赶、达到和保持世界前沿的行为和过程。作为一种文明进步,现代化是从传统文明向现代文明的巨大转变,以及人的全面发展和自然环境的合理保护。作为一种国家目标,发达国家是要保持人类发展的世界前沿水平,发展中国家则是要追赶和达到人类发展的世界前沿水平。在18至21世纪末期间,世界现代化进程可以分为两个阶段:其中,第一次现代化是从农业社会向工业社会的转变,第二次现代化是从工业社会向知识社会的转变;综合现代化是两次现代化的协调发展,是从半工业社会向知识社会的转变。在21世纪,世界现代化有三条路径,即第一次现代化路径、第二次现代化路径和综合现代化路径。

Modernization, as a global historical trend, initiated in the 18th century, diffused in the 19th century, and hasbecome popular in the 2 0 th and 2 1 st centuries. The contents and characteristics of modernization have changed in manyaspects from the 18th to 2 1 st century. Almost all countries in the world are undergoing some kind of modernization consciouslyor unconsciously at present, and the modernization drive can also be set as a national goal directly or indirectly.Today we believe that modernization is not only a world-wide phenomenon but also a progress of human civilization. As ahistorical phenomenon, modernization can be viewed as the world frontier of human development since the Industrial Revolutionin the 18th century, and the action and process to chase, reach, and maintain a position in the world frontier. Withthe progress of a civilization, modernization is a great transformation from traditional to modern civilization as well as theall-round development of hum an-being and the appropriate protection of the natural environment. There are two stages ofworld modernization process between 18th century and the end of 2 1 st century, and the first modernization is the transformationfrom agricultural to industrial society, while the second modernization is the transformation from industrial toknowledge society. There are three roads of national modernization in the 2 1 st century, which are the first modernization,the second modernization and the integrated modernization transformed from sem i-industrial to knowledge society. Thereare about 100 nations staying in the phase of first modernization, and 3 0 entering into the second modernization in 2012.The percentage of countries staying in the first modernization will be lower, the percentage of countries entering the secondmodernization will rise up, and the countries who have not completed the first modernization will push the integrated modernizationin the 9 0 years of the future.