历史政治学的功能分析

历史政治学的提出引发了中国政治学界的广泛关注。作为一种新型研究路径的历史政治学不但具有客观的分析主义特征,而且和其它政治理论的研究路径一样,还具有鲜明的功能主义特征。历史政治学首先回答了政治理论的知识来源问题,从而为建构中国自主性政治学知识体系提供了可能。基于政治学取向的政治史研究有助于避免因“文化转向”而导致的历史研究的碎片化问题,这意味着历史政治学研究既追求“真相”也关怀“真理”。历史政治学的知识功能自然有其政治实践价值,那就是为治国理政提供历史解释与现实论述,并为认识合法性政治提供一套不同于理性人假设的历时性方案。

On the Function of Historical Political Science

The proposition of historical political science has aroused wide attention of scholars in China, especially in the community of political science. As a new approach, historical political science is not only a unique research tradition, but also has some specific functions as well as other traditions of political science. Historical political science answers the source of political theories, thus providing the possibility for the construction of the indigenous knowledge system. Based on the tradition of the political history, historical political science could avoid the “fragmentation” in historical research mainly caused by the “cultural turn”. In other words, historical political science pursues the “fact” as well as the “truth”. In addition to academic functions, historical political science also has political functions, that is to provide historical explanation and practical knowledge for governance. At the same time, it can provide us with a different perspective from the hypothesis of rational man to understand the legitimacy.