司法证明的维度之辨

On the Dimensions of Judicial Proof

准确认定案件事实是司法证明的核心目标。唯有基于准确的事实认定,当事人的权利和义务才能得到清晰界定。但"求真"过程本身存在致错风险,需要进行理性规制。与此同时,"求真"并非司法证明的全部目的。人的社会性赋予了共同体重要意义。司法证明还必须尊重和维护某些共同体的价值,即"求善"。当前中国司法证明机制和实践过于强调追求案件真相,而忽视了"求善"。总体而言,司法证明具有"求真"和"求善"两个维度,"求真"是为了维护个体权利,"求善"是为了维护和实现共同体的价值。唯有理清司法证明的双重维度,并在制度上对这两个维度及其竞合作出回应,才能促进司法与个人、社会之间的良性互动。

It is the core objective of judicial proof to find facts correctly. The rights and obligations can be defined clearly only when fact-finders could find the correct facts. However, the process of pursuing truth itself contains the risk of errors, which needs to be reg- ulated rationally. At the same time, truth is not the entire objective of judicial proof. Community is important because human beings are social animals. Therefore, judicial proof must respect and maintain the values of some communities. The mechanism and practice of Chinese judicial proof usually over-stress the importance of truth and ignore the values of communities. In general, judicial proof con- tains two dimensions which are pursuing the truth and the values of communities. Pursuing the truth is to protect the rights of individu- als, and pursuing the values of communities is to maintain some communities. Only when people could understand the two dimensions of judicial proof and make correct response to them, can the process of judicial proof promote the favorable interaction between individuals and the whole society.