论“公民”概念的本质及其历史

“公民”这一概念源自西方，它包含了丰富的政治学、法学和伦理学内容，其本质是公民身份，即拥有权利义务的主体。它区别于人民、臣民、市民等概念。“公民”在西方经过了古希腊罗马、近代的发展，在现代又随着社会互动、国际交往和人道思想的普及等而发生了巨大变化，原有的“公民”概念不断被扩展和修正，可以说，“公民”至今仍然处于不断完善的过程之中。

On the Essence of the Conception of "citizen" and Its History

The conception of "citizen",which is originated in the west,contains a rich content of politics,law and ethics.Its essence is the citizen identity,i.e. the subject with rights and obligations.The conception of "citizen" is different from the conception of "people".In the west the conception of "citizen" went through the development of ancient Rome and of modern times.And now,with the interraction of society,communication between countries and popularization of humanism,the meaning of "citizen"has changed a lot through continuous extension and revision.It is safe to say that the conception of "citizen" is still in its process of perfection.