Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No. 6, 2023

 

The Puzzle of “Instrumental Rationalism” in National Governance and Its Answer

(Abstract)

 

Liu Xingang

 

The more refined the governance theory based on “instrumental reason” is, the more complex are the challenges it brings in practice, and the more fraught is the relationship between governance theory and practice, whence the puzzle of “instrumental rationalism” in the field of governance. The attempts in academia to solve this puzzle from the perspective of “limited critiques” “cultural critiques” and “complete negation” have all failed to achieve the unity of governance theory and practice, which means that none of them can decipher this puzzle. Marx’s views of “practice” and “social relations” inherently contain a tendency of the dialectical unity of these two forms of rationality, which can lead to the exploration of “new rationality” from theoretical resources. In a sense, the Chinese path to modernization represents a path of modernization and governance based on this “new rationality,” thus providing a scientific answer to the puzzle of “instrumental rationalism”. This path has not only generated successful practice in the modernization of China’s governance system and capacity but also accomplished original achievements in governance theory, realizing the organic unity of governance theory and practice.