论新儒家的民主理论

自19世纪中叶以来,传统儒家便面临着一个现代转化的问题,新儒家在重建中国文化的价值系统过程中选择了民主作为由"内圣"开出"新外王"的核心工作。民主包括两个层面的意思:在制度层面上,古代中国的君主世袭制度无法摆脱一治一乱的循环局面,要打破这一局面,唯有系于民主政治制度的建立;在文化层面上,中国传统文化包含民主思想的因子,而只有发展民主制度才能使人们真正树立起其道德主体的地位,儒家所倡导的天下为公、人格平等的理想才能真正实现。新儒家剥离掉传统制度而强调心性之学的重要性,认定中国文化为一活的"客观的精神生命",这正是由"内圣"开出"新外王"思想的根本所在。

On the Democratic Theory of New Confucianism

New Confucianism chooses democracy as its core in the course of rebuilding the value system of Chinese culture.Democracy includes two levels: system and culture.The system of emperor inheriting the authority in ancient China leads to continuous disorders.And in traditional Chinese culture the democratic element is included such as the world for all by Confucian scholars,the ideal of personality equality and so on.New Confucianism discards the traditional institution and values the importance of mind and moral reason and thinks that Chinese culture is the live "objective spiritual life",which is the root of the thought of "new outside king" from "inside sage".