審議民主與公民養成

Deliberative Democracy and Civic Education

本文檢討程序民主和憲政民主的缺點，針對這些缺點指出審議民主可以克服這些缺點，然而一個成熟的政治，不能只依賴制度的建立，而必須培養能夠維繫且強化這個制度的公民。審議式民主政治所需要的公民素養，除了具有自由主義民主公民應有的知能和德行之外，還需要具有推理和理性批判力、自主性和相互尊敬、以及開放的心靈，而最適合從事這類公民教育的單位就是學校。最後本文進一步指出，一個健全的民主社會還需要培養公民具有同情的想像力，這樣才能使多元差異的社會，維持和諧穩定。

This article examines different forms of democracy and concludes that deliberative democracy has some merits in contrast with procedural democracy and liberal democracy. However even deliberative democracy cannot function properly without well-educated citizens. To be a good citizen, people should develop certain skills and virtues pertain to a deliberative democracy, such as the ability of critical reasoning, autonomy, mutual respect, and open-mindedness. Schools are the most important places for civic education and hence should emphasize more on their common purposes. Moreover, a healthy society also requires citizens acquire a kind of sympathetic imagination, which is an ability to put oneself in other's shoes. With this people with diverse views can live together cooperatively and peacefully.