融民族精神于裁判:以“义绝”的司法适用为例

Integrating National Spirit into Adjudication:A Case Study of Judicial Application of“Yijue”

法律是民族精神的集中体现,而司法的运行则是塑造民族精神的重要方式。由于“义”长期以来发挥着中华民族判断行为合理与否的作用,因此尽管传统法律中的“义绝”从立法上看只关涉婚姻关系,但“义绝”的适用在司法实践中却大大超出婚姻关系并形成了“身份-道德/法律规范”的混合逻辑。其中“身份-法律规范”的逻辑与现代法治之精神相悖,但“身份-道德规范”的逻辑却依然存在于现代社会并影响着司法实践。透过个案可以看到,在机械适用法律规范将有违民族精神时,现代司法者同样可以凭借“义”的“身份-道德规范”逻辑判断当事人行为的合理性,并通过司法技术的运用实现裁判的合理性建构,最终使得个案与法律所内含的民族精神相一致。

Law is the concentrated embodiment of the national spirit,and the operation of the judiciary is an important way to shape the national spirit.Because“righteousness”has been playing a role in judging the reasonability for Chinese nation for a long time,the application of“Yijue”in traditional law is far beyond the marriage relationship in the judicial practice and forms a mixed logic of“statue-moral/legal norms”,although“Yijue”in the legislation simply concerns the marriage relationship.The logic of“statue-legal norms”is contrary to the spirit of modern rule of law,but the logic of“statue-moral norms”still exists in modern society and affects judicial practice.As you can see through the case,when applying law mechanically will be contrary to the national spirit,modern justice could also rely on the logic of“statue-moral norms”of“righteousness”to judge the reasonability of the behavior,and achieve the construction of reasonability through the use of judicial technology and finally lead case into accordance with the national spirit.