法律信仰转型中人的主体性

在西方法律传统的演变中,法律信仰的转型是伴随着人的主体性的凸显而发生的。基督教理论承认人的有限自由意志,在上帝之下,君主必须服从神法和以神法为依据的法律,个人意志可以高于君权,由此形成了神权保护民权、对抗王权的局面。在自然法理论中,自由意志被理性所取代,人依赖理性就可以制定出符合神法和自然法的世俗法。理性主义则认为,人不再需要神的帮助,仅凭理性的命令就可以制定出符合理性本身的法律,获得对法律的信仰。西方法律信仰的转型经历了从自由意志到理性主义的演变历程。当代中国法律信仰的基础是理性主义,将“公平”、“正义”等法治观念建立在理性的基础上,对处于目前文化境遇中的中国人来说是必然的选择。

The Human Subjectivity in the Transformation of Law Belief

In the evolvement of the Western law tradition, the transformation of law belief begins with the prominence of human subjectivity. The Christian theories admit the limited free will of mankind, holds that under God, kings must obey the law of God and the law derived from the law of God and observe that the individual will could be superior to the regality, thus forming the situation that the theocratic power protects civil rights while rivalizes regality. In the theories of natural law, the free will is replaced by rationality, upon which man could constitute the secular law in accord with the law of God and natural law. Rationalism holds that mankind no longer needs the help from God, but constitutes the law accordant to rationality itself only by rational orders, acquiring the law belief. The transformation of the Western law belief evolve from free will to rationalism. The foundation of law belief in modern China is rationalism. Therefore, for Chinese in the current cutural conditions, it is an inevitable choice to establish such law concepts as equity and justice on the basis of rationality