在历史沿革中辨析与疏通——关于“民主”概念的翻译

<正>"民主"概念,纵贯古今,横跨政治、法学、哲学领域,使用频率极高,甚至到了被泛用的程度。西方学者也认为,This term(democracy),meaning literally "government by the people",is often employed loosely,often tendentiously,often vaguely,and sometimes disingenuously(Garner,2003:264)("民主"一词的字面意思为"民治",但却常被滥用、混淆甚至曲解)。因而,对其翻译须有历史感,从其沿革脉络悉心辨析,功于疏通,力求吻合。