On Power-system Civilization Of Governance In Agricultural Society

Social governance is the basic human activity and the major theme of social science. Therefore, research on social governance should be the foundational field of Public Administration. In the view of institutional civilization and oriented by historical reflection, the dissertation tries to make an academic exploration on social governance in agricultural society.System is the objective existence of social relationship, and institutional civilization is the foundational framework of social governance. Furthermore, institutional civilization mostly reflexes the value principle of social governance. In different social forms, based on different social relationship, the institutional civilization and the model of social governance will be different. Viewing from whole human history, human society has transformed from agricultural society to industrial society, and has been entering into post-industrial society. In agricultural society, dominative relationship is the foundation of social governance. Accordingly, its institutional civilization is power system. In industrial society, contractual relationship is primary, and it is corresponding to legal system. While it transfers to post-industrial society, cooperative relationship is coming out. Meanwhile, in both theory and practice of institutional civilization, there is a trend of moral system.Reviewed the historical models of institutional civilization, the dissertation brings forward an explaining model,"power system and legal system". In power system, social governance is power-paramountcy, and power is the dominative factor in social relationship, which even dominates the laws. Rule of power is the primary value principle, as well as the main method of social governance. In legal system, social governance is law-paramountcy, and laws are the top authority in social relationship. Power is obedient to law. Rule of law is the primary value principle, as well as the main method of social governance.The explaining model of"power system and legal system"widens the academic field of public administration. In this field, at first, the dissertation discovered many mistakes in theories about social governance; then, based on the explaining model of"power system and legal system", the dissertation made some corrections. About classical politics, someone thinks it as ethic politics or virtual politics. Actually, the ethics in classical society is a kind of classified ethics, and the virtue is also based on classified social relationship. Therefore, classical politics is subject to power-system civilization."Rule of virtue"is substantially"rule of power". About the difference between"rule of man"and"rule of law", someone misunderstands it greatly. By reviewing the meanings of the concepts, we revealed the explaining paradox of"rule of man". More, we re-explained it in the context of power system, and suggested that"rule of man"should be instead of"rule of power".With the explaining model, the dissertation made an academic study on social governance in agricultural society, and researched it from different aspects, including the social foundation, the historical origin, and the theoretical bases of the power system.Focusing on the characters of agricultural society, the economy mainly depends on petty farmer economy. In social structure, the family, society and states are integrative, and society is based on a kind of"family community". In social relationships, the kin is a foundational joint of any other relationship. Totally, agricultural society is remarked by status and class, which are the bases of inequality. Related to status and class, power becomes a mastering factor in all the social relationship, and agricultural society is characteristic of dominative relationship. As a dominate factor, it is institutionalized. Accordingly, power system is established as the framework of social governance in agricultural society.As the framework of social governance in agricultural society, power system has age-old regions and idealistic foundations. On the one hand, it is rooted in earlier common life of human society, which is related to taboo and original religion. Both taboo and original religion are based on several ritual of power, which is the primal form of power system. On the other hand, patriarchy is the notable character of social governance in agricultural society, which gradually becomes to be the rudiment of power system later.Whether in China or in the West, as a typical model of institutional civilization, power system has the similar idea. In the West, god-given power is the transcendental theory for power system. Afterward, absolute sovereignty is used as an unreligious argumentation for power system. Refer to Machiavellia, power system is testified strongly. In China, the legitimacy of power system is based on mystic Dao. In the daily life, loyalty and fealty are its social foundations. Furthermore, the Ceremonialists support power system theoretically.In social governance, power system is implemented by"dominion administration". Dominion administration means that administrative power dominates everything, which only pursues the classified social order. Dominion administration is based on traditional bureaucracy. Because agricultural society is relatively close, the regalia not always control everything. Dominion administration usually extends in different forms, such as governance by clans or country gentlemen.All in all, power system is the basic form of the institutional civilization in agricultural society. As an explaining model,"power system and legal system"offers a special view of study in public administration. From the new view, we can study on the past, today and future of social governance properly.