走向正义社会共同体:优绩至上陷阱及其超越

Towards A Just Social Community: Meritocracy Trap and Its Transcendence

实现正义社会共同体是人类孜孜以求的价值目标,而正义社会共同体的实现依赖于健全合理的分配方式和机制。优绩至上以一个人的表现、业绩和贡献为依据来分配其应得,在市场机制发挥作用的社会环境中被普遍承认。这种分配方式满足了人们对于竞争规则的合法期待,破除了传统社会中依种族、身份和等级来分配应得的方式,激发了人们创造社会财富的热情,提高了社会发展效率。但是,作为市场机制主导下的初次分配方式,优绩至上在提高效率的同时未能充分顾及公平,因为人生起点的差异在优绩至上分配方式的作用下,造成财富、资源以及地位的累积性不平等,形成诱发社会矛盾、加剧贫富分化和导致阶层固化的陷阱。正义社会共同体要求对应得的分配需兼顾效率与公平,在实践中可以通过再分配、第三次分配来弥补优绩至上分配原则的缺陷,形成多样化的分配方式。具体而言,可以从政府加强保障起点的基本公平、提供多元发展机会和提高个人的社会道德责任等方面寻求建构正义社会共同体的现实之路。

The realization of a just social community is the value goal pursued by human beings, and the realization of a just social community depends on sound and reasonable distribution methods and mechanisms.Meritocracy is to distribute of what one deserves according to individual performance, achievements and contributions,and is generally recognized in the social environment where the market mechanism plays a role. This distribution method satisfies people’s legitimate expectations of competition rules, breaks the traditional way of distributing desert based on race, identity, and rank, stimulates people’s enthusiasm for creating social wealth, and improves the efficiency of social development. However, as the primary distribution method dominated by the market mechanism, meritocracy fails to fully consider fairness while improving efficiency, because differences in life starting points result in the accumulation of wealth, resources, and status under the influence of meritocracy. Inequality forms a trap that induces social conflicts, exacerbates the gap between the rich and the poor, and leads to the solidification of classes. A just social community requires both efficiency and fairness in distribution. In practice, redistribution and third distribution can be used to make up for the shortcomings of the meritocracy principle and form a variety of distribution methods.Specifically, we can seek a realistic way to build a just social community from the aspects of the government strengthening the protection of the basic fairness of the starting point, providing multiple opportunities, and improving the social moral responsibility of individuals.