The Paradox of Reform Under Instrumental Rationality:A Research Centred on the Examination System in Ancient China
The ancient Chinese examination system went through five stages in its development,namely,the stage in which the effectiveness of an official's governance was the only criterion,the stage in which an official's moral character and the effectiveness of his governance were examined as parallel criteria,the stage in which an official's character,the effectiveness of his governance,and his length of service was examined in combination,the stage in which an official's length of service were the predominant criterion,and the stage in which the emperor's opinion was the fundamental criterion,which presented the phenomenon of"reform paradox".In the dimension of time,the ancient Chinese examination system shows a backward logic between system construction and system operation,the more perfect the structure and procedure of the system is,the more the system effectiveness will be reduced in the process of its operation,until it tends to be completely ossified.The article is based on the perspective of instrumental rationality in the ancient Chinese bureaucracy,respectively from the perspective of the logic of the monarch's behavior,the logic of the civil officials'behavior and the logic of the relationship between the ruler and the ministers,to explore the deeper level of the"reform paradox",exploring the deep-rooted reasons and mechanisms of the"reform paradox",we will provide valuable insights into the theoretical and practical development of the performance appraisal system for contemporary civil servants.This will provide a valuable historical mirror for the theoretical and practical development of the performance appraisal system for contemporary civil servants.
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