Between democracy and the rule of law

Author: Dong Dezhi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-10-01
Features: Using the basic theories of Marxist political civilization to analyze Western political civilization, we find that it is precisely within a series of dichotomies—such as the state and society, rights and power, democracy and the rule of law—that Western political civilization has achieved a certain equilibrium through conflict. This book employs the theoretical methodology of Marxist "civil society" to examine the dual structure and inherent contradictions of modern Western political civilization, starting from the binary separation of "state-society" and focusing on the relationship between democracy and the rule of law. It explores the dual structure and internal contradictions of modern Western political civilization from three levels: political institutions, political consciousness, and political behavior. The book argues that the constitutional democracy system, which encompasses the distribution and limitation of power as well as the exercise and protection of rights, constitutes the core of Western political civilization. It is a product of the dual development of political behavior and political consciousness and is reflected in institutional choices as a conflict and equilibrium between democracy and the rule of law. From the perspective of political behavior, the arrival of modernity, with its rapid and ever-changing transformations, has distinguished most Western countries and regions from traditional societies, greatly promoting the formation of Western political civilization in multiple aspects such as political institutions, political concepts, and political behavior. The binary separation of "state-society" establishes a dual scene for political behavior, while the dualization of "citizen-civilian" defines the dual identities of individual political participation. The interaction between political institutions and political concepts, guided by democracy and the rule of law, directly reveals the dual planning of political management.