社会与历史语境中的法律修辞:共同体建构视角下的宏观功能

Legal Rhetoric in Social-Historical Context:Macro Function under the View of Community Construction

法律修辞除了在法治实践中作为一种司法论证手段发挥其微观功能之外,还具有更为宏观的社会功能,需要对其进行社会与历史语境中的考察。关于法律修辞的古典论述,强调其与城邦中的政治、社会实践尤其是与民主政治的制度背景的结合。而更重要的,则是基于整个社会的政治与文化背景所构建起来的想象共同体。在这样的共同体中,法律修辞才得以将人们的想象加以沟通,形成共识。法律修辞的运用,因为共同体的存在而成为可能。与此同时,法律修辞又成为一种建构共同体的手段。法律修辞的宏观功能,通过想象的共同体得以体现,借助于共同分享的关于信念与叙事的想象塑造社会中的共识,使社会中的文化与政治共同体得以形成,从而提供法治的基础。

Legal rhetoric embodied in legal practice as a micro function of judicial mean of proof, and, at the same time, as a macro social function, which is required to be examined in its social-historical context.The classical exposition of legal rhetoric emphasizes its combination with politics, social practice and,especially, the background of democratic system of politics in city-states. The more important background is an imaginary community constructed on the basis of political and cultural background of the whole society.Only in such a community, can legal rhetoric communicate people’s imagination to form a consensus. The performance of rhetoric becomes possible because of the existence of the community, while legal rhetoric becomes a means of constructing community. Legal rhetoric makes it possible to form a cultural-political community in society, thereby to provide a basis for government by law, through the imaging community and with the help of the shared consensus of society constructed by the imagination of faith and narration.