世俗化与中国的现代化建设

Secularization and the Construction China’s Modernization

改革开放以来,随着真正意义上的现代化建设进程的推进,中国现代意义上的世俗化开始形成并成为一种历史趋势。中国这种现代意义上的世俗化由于同中国历史上业已存在的、传统的世俗化取向两者间的某种"契合",或者说这种现代意义上的世俗化由于具有一种历史基因的支撑,而表现得更加明显、更加"充分"。中国普遍而强烈的世俗化现象对于现代化建设来说具有巨大的助推效应:有助于非公有制经济企业主、个体户以及自雇者的大面积有效形成;直接助推消费内需的日趋旺盛;有效助推了国民文化素质以及人力资源、人力资本大面积、大幅度地升级换代;促使社会安定局面持续得以维持。从一定意义上讲,如果说新教伦理是西欧发达国家现代化进程之所以能够得以顺利推进的一个重要因素的话,那么,较之很多国家来说,更为明显的世俗化现象或"世俗化伦理"则是中国自改革开放以来现代化建设之所以能够取得举世公认巨大成就的一项极为重要的推动力量,而且还会对中国现代化建设的未来产生巨大的影响。同时还需要看到的是,对于现代化建设而言,中国普遍而强烈的世俗化现象也存在一些明显的弊端。这些弊端如不予以消除或抑制,势必会形成许多负面效应,阻碍或扭曲中国的现代化建设进程。

The secularization in the modern sense of China has begun to form and become a historical trend with the advancement of the construction of modernization in the true sense since China’s reform and opening up to the outside world. It is more obvious and adequate because of its fit with the existing and traditional secularization orientation in Chinese history,or because of the support of a historical gene. The widespread and striking phenomenon of China’s secularization has enormous boosting effects on the construction of modernization: it helps the large-scale and effective formation of non-public economic entrepreneurs,individual households and self-employed persons;directly promotes the growing domestic demand for consumption;effectively promotes the national cultural quality and the large-scale and substantial upgrading of human resources and human capital;and promotes the sustainable situation of social security. In a sense,if Protestant ethics is an important factor in the smooth progress of modernization in the developed countries of Western Europe,then the more obvious secularization phenomenon or secularization ethics is one of the most important reasons why China has made great achievements in its modernization since its reform and opening up. Moreover,it will have a tremendous impact on the future of China’s construction of modernization. At the same time,there are also some obvious disadvantages that should be noticed in China’s general and striking secularization phenomenon. If these disadvantages are not eliminated or restrained,they will inevitably have many negative effects,hindering or distorting the process of China’s modernization.