核電作為「富饒能源機器」在台灣：生活世界與政治正當性的視角

Nuclear Power Serves as an“Abundant Energy Machine”in Taiwan: A Perspective of Lifeworld and Political Legitimacy

反核與國家定位問題自從1980年代以來，一向為我國公共領域爭論的兩大焦點，此兩大議題也經常互相交纏影響我國政局與社會之變遷。解嚴後第一個反對黨，民進黨，即是以「反核」與「台獨」作為兩大訴求而崛起。本研究使用哈伯瑪斯之溝通行動理論與貝克之風險社會理論之部分觀念，包括系統、生活世界、巨型風險、正當性，組成一分析視角，以解釋我國核電發展與政治正當性問題彼此的交涉。本文以次級資料分析結合論述分析，時間序列由1970年代直到民進黨於2001年首次執政嘗試停建核四失敗為止，分析核電「富饒能源機器」意象所蘊含的兩種意識形態：科技進步、經濟成長，是如何的被國民黨政府用來鞏固政治正當性。本文發現，台灣核電的發展歷程，並非僅是科技問題、軍事問題、經濟問題、電力供需問題、風險治理問題等，而是有其重要意識形態功能，並給後世帶來了重大的意識形態遺產。

The issues of anti-nuclear and national identity have been the two major public debates in Taiwan since the 1980s. These two issues are often intertwined and have a significant impact on the country’s political landscape and societal changes. The first opposition party after the lifting of the martial law, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), rose to prominence based on its two major proposals of“anti-nuclear”and“Taiwan independence”. This study draws on the communication action theory of Habermas and the risk society theory of Ulrich Beck, including concepts such as“system”,“lifeworld”,“modern risk”, and“legitimacy”, to form an analytical perspective for interpreting the interaction between nuclear power development and political legitimacy issues.
Using literature analysis combined with discourse analysis, this paper analyzes the two ideologies inherent in the nuclear power development from the 1970s until the DPP’s failed attempt to halt the construction of the fourth nuclear power plant in 2001:“technological progress”and“economic growth”, and how they were used by the Kuomintang (KMT) to consolidate political legitimacy. The study finds that Taiwan’s nuclear power development is not just a matter of technology, economics, power supply, risk governance, and so on, but also serves an important ideological function to consolidate political legitimacy. As such, it leaves a significant ideological legacy for future generations.