Public Reason: A Dimension Of Social Harmony

With the public sphere continuously expanding, the social order is reliance on the rigid constraints of institutions. The Government, its powers is all citizens self-government power in a democracy, is the main body of the social institutions establishing. Although force and ideology are still indispensable means, their role in the space are compressed with the social center of gravity down and the social relationships becoming more and more symmetrical. Civic identity is playing more and more important role in the institution action.A market economy led to the rational diversification, not only in the interests of the diverse, but also differences in values due to holding different religious, philosophical and moral doctrine of comprehensive, so that people has its own different interpretations of what kind of life is good life. For the realization of social harmony laying the macro foundation, this requires that the institutions must reflect the public reason to get all the citizens agree them. As equality and freedom of social main body, everybody has the existence of incommensurable values. Every person not only has the right of inviolability of the civil rights, but also bear the responsibilities to others and society bear. Each person's interests are impossible to realize if everyone insist on self-centered behavior-oriented strategy, desperately seeking to maximize their own interests. In order to lay a micro-basis for social harmony, this requires that every citizen self-consciously accept the guidelines of public reason to exercise their rights,to maintain the necessary restraint of citizens,to reach mutual understanding, mutual tolerance, mutual support in all citizens, and to active shoulder civic responsibilities for others and society. Only when the government building institutions and citizens'personal behavior are adhering to the guidance of public reason, can we can lead a the good life in a harmonious society——not only to maintain a good social order but also to achieve the greatest freedom of individual.