Research On Consensus Theory In Western Political Thoughts

Consensus is related to multiple disciplines and many aspects, including different emphases. For the concept of consensus in Western political thoughts, there are two different views which are that one based on individual rationality and free will and one embedded in social common emotion, traditions, faith, custom and culture.This paper focuses on the "contract" consensus theory on the basis of self-contained "individual agreement" and the contemporary "communication and dialogue" consensus theory based on inter-subjectivity, and transformation from the former to the latter. Contract consensus theory on the basis of the individual agreement is the ideological basis of Western majority democracy; Pluralistic consensus theory based on inter-subjectivity is the ideological basis of deliberative democracy.The first chapter mainly discusses the basic characteristics of modern western society and in the period the social contract theory based on individualism. This paper reviews the traditional social contract theory in the history of western political thought, which argues that the political order is based on the individual "consent". According to this theory, individual as a subject is self-sufficient, and political order originates from a nexus of contract among self-sufficiency individuals. The contract expresses the "consent" consensus on the basis of individual free will and individual rationality. The chapter inquires into mainly the consensus theory of Lock as a founder of the liberalism and of Rousseau as democratic representative, of as the focus, who elaborated that equal individuals made contracts to form a political society and establish the government in order to protect the "rights", in a democratic way to solve the origin of political power and legitimacy. Lock constructed universal right framework excluding the diversity and difference of citizens, and maintained establishing a limited government. Rousseau solved the diversity and difference by the homogeneous ethical community’s "general will", as democracy representative who replaced the monarchical sovereignty with the people’s sovereignty. This paper points out that,"the individual consent consensus" is associated with natural law or the rational principle with a tendency of universalism. The second chapter mainly discusses the western thoughts of contemporary pluralism, especially critique of value pluralism to the "consent" consensus based on the western traditional rational foundation. The paper involves critique of value pluralism to monistic rationalism, analysis of "dissensus" political view of postmodern political philosophy to "meta narrative" and the turn of political thought. During this period the liberal critique to rationalism and universalism or criticism of postmodernism to "meta narrative" from the different aspects overturned the traditional ideological basis of "consent consensus" in the social contract theory, providing the conditions and stage for the differences and pluralistic thoughts. However, the appearance of diversity and differences does not completely reject or abandon the consensus, but needs to make a change in the field of political thought, this change is reflected on the turn from the pursuit of truth to the pursuit of consensus, democratic theory to dialogue and consultation, from subjectivity to inter-subjectivity. The third chapter mainly discusses the formation and projects of political liberalism, especially analyzes Rawls’s political justice conception and the "overlapping consensus"thought, at the same time gives an account of the rational dialogue mode of Larmor, Ackerman etc. Political liberalism sets itself to "politics", seeking to reach the consensus of basic rules and political values based on public reason and dialogue mode by "avoidance" approach and neutral way, and provides an important groundwork for the "communication and dialogue" consensus. The fourth chapter focuses on deliberative democracy and dialogue consensus on the basis of inter-subjectivity. In this regard, the consensus theory of Habermas as representative based on communicative rationality and deliberative dialogue, the consensus theory analysis of Berman on the basis of plural public reason and statements of Gutmann to moral disagreement and moral compromise in public consultation, which from different aspects enrich the communication and dialogue consensus.The conclusion argues that there is a turn from "consent consensus" in modern period based on individual autonomy to the contemporary "communication consensus" based on inter-subjectivity in western political thought field and this transformation in term of democratic outlook is essentially the one form the majority democracy to deliberative democracy. In this transformation, the western classical liberal democracy experienced the adjustment and transformation of their own. On the one hand, the liberal democracy based on individual autonomy increasingly exposed its limitations; On the other hand, the "consensus" democracy on the basis of multiple consultations tries to make up social internal competition through communication and dialogue and moderates the contradiction and conflict within society. The author thinks that, the formation of consensus based on communication and dialogue and deliberative democracy does have its positive aspect to moderate and make up the majority of democracy, the "overlapping consensus","rational dialogue" and "communication consensus"that it proposes have important significance. But the consensus and deliberative democracy does not fundamentally change the duality opposition of "consent consensus" based on individual autonomy.In the political construction, subjects of consensus are the citizens who have consciousness of differences and rights. Contents of consensus are consensus of principles and the basic norms, as well as the Constitution consensus carrying these basic norms and policy consensus. Rational basis of consensus is diverse public reason. The method of forming consensus is public consultations or dialogue on the basis of equal respect.