Social Sciences in China Review

No.1, 2018

 

Public Discourse and the Public Feature of Academic Research: On Two Dimensions of Social Science Autonomy (Abstract)

 

Sun Guodong

 

The academic research under modern conditions is a typical form of “public use of reason.” Its truth is fallible and it is in nature a consensus reached in the (academic) public sphere based on inter-subjective public discourse. The autonomy of academic research is intrinsically linked to its public feature from both external and internal dimensions. It is independent of economic, political, social and other domains and of personal preference as well, which respectively correspond to the public natures of the standpoint and content of speech. In order to ensure the autonomy of social science, we should be impartial in terms of standpoint and be cognitive in terms of content. In the “post-truth era,” practicing public discourse and accumulating public reason are the missions of intellectuals.