比较政治学研究中的发现、创新和限度

Discovery,Innovation and Limits in Researches of Comparative Politics

发现不仅是自然科学的一个起点,也是比较政治学研究的起点。发现从来是在一种比较中进行的:文献的收集、经验的获得和专业感觉都可以有所“发现”,并在这种发现中提出研究的主题,通过一定的叙述将一些潜在的或是人们视为司空见惯的事物或本质显现出来,并加以系统表达,因而发现也就成为了一种创新。比较政治学的“发现”是指通过对人类政治生活中的比较,对已有或即将发生的政治现象、政治观念和政治经验的某些差异和新颖之处进行审视、论证和再现活动。涉及主题提炼、方法运用、核心概念的提出和叙述的展开等诸多方面,尤其是后两者更反映比较政治学研究的创新特点。由于比较政治学研究本身具有强烈的政治性,决定了在比较政治学的“发现”中,既要同中求异,也要异中求同。

Discovery is where natural science starts.It is also where comparative politics starts.Discovery comes from comparison.The collection of literature,the acquisition of experience,and a sense professionalism,all leads to discovery.On this basis,a topic of research will reveal itself,and the essential nature of things that are dormant or that are familiar but are often ignored will get exposed and given systematic expression to.In this sense,discovery means innovation.In comparative politics,“discovery”means the scrutiny,review and representation of the differences and peculiarities of the existing or would-be political phenomena,ideas and experiences of mankind by way of comparison.As such it involves the extractions of ideas,application of methodologies,conceptualization of key issues and development of narratives.The last two of these are particularly important in making the studies of comparative politics innovative.As the studies are highly“political”,researchers are required to seek commonalities among differences,or verse versa.