当代功利主义公共利益思想论析

公共利益是政治学研究的基本问题。传统观点认为,功利主义并不关注公共利益问题,在功利主义视域下,没有公共利益的存在空间。笔者研究发现,公共利益思想始终存在于功利主义理论之中。不过,古典功利主义理论的内在矛盾使得公共利益虚构化、边缘化。当代功利主义反思了古典功利主义的理论缺陷,重新建构功利主义的公共利益理论,形成超越古典功利主义的公共利益思想。尽管如此,当代功利主义没有脱离功利主义固有的逻辑窠臼与思想轨道。当代功利主义的公共利益思想在理论基础、基本内容与制度设计上仍存在理论缺陷,并不能真正实现社会共同体的公共利益。

Research on the Public Interest Theory of Contemporary Utilitarianism

This article shows that public interest is always an important content of utilitarian theory.But the concept of public interest seems fiction and marginalization,just because of internal contradictions in the classical utilitarianism.By criticizing the theoretical defects of classical theory,contemporary utilitarianism reconstructs a more reasonable public interest thought of utilitarianism.Even so,the theory doesn t completely get rid of its logical trap.Based on the dialectical materialism,there are some flaws on the theoretical basis,basic content and institutional design of the public interest theory in the contemporary utilitarianism.In fact,the theory cannot protect the public interest in the community.