The Evolution of Community
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Summary
In response to the "global risk society" that has emerged since the late twentieth century, the book's proposal for building cooperative communities strives to chart a path for social governance reform and the reconstruction of global order. It argues that human society can be interpreted from the perspective of community.
That is to say, human society appears in the form of community; at different historical stages of human social development, the form and nature of community differ.
From this perspective, the book constructs a theory of community evolution—"family-unit community—clan-threshold community—cooperative community"—striving to reveal the laws of human social evolution.
Editor's review
Drawing on his deep grounding in public administration and social governance, Professor Zhang Kangzhi advances the core proposition of "community evolution." He argues that the organization of human society is undergoing a paradigm shift from "status" to "contract" and then to "cooperation." The book offers incisive analysis of the "family-unit community" of agricultural society and the "clan-threshold community" of industrial society, and prospectively sketches the blueprint of a "cooperative community" for the post-industrial era. Its theoretical value lies in transcending mere criticism of capitalism or modernity and seeking a new organizational principle based on trust, recognition, and cooperation for the future governance of human society.
For readers, both the greatest challenge and the greatest reward of this book lie in its high degree of abstraction and theoretical sophistication. It does not offer solutions to concrete problems but is devoted to providing a meta-theory for understanding the transformation of social structures. The book integrates multiple perspectives from sociology, political science, philosophy, and management, with rigorous logic and layer-by-layer argumentation. Although the language is academic, the line of thought is clear, making it highly beneficial for training systematic theoretical thinking. It is more like a key, helping us understand why modern society is filled with a sense of alienation and what new forms of social solidarity may look like in the future.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Upper-level undergraduates, graduate students, and researchers in public administration, sociology, and political science
- Deep readers with a strong interest in macro social theory, organizational change, and future models of social governance
- Readers seeking to build a systematic framework for social analysis and enhance their theoretical and critical thinking
- Those engaged in policy research or strategic planning who need to understand social evolution over long historical cycles
Not a good fit for
- Readers seeking light reading, story-driven narratives, or practical how-to guides
- Readers impatient with abstract theory who focus more on current concrete social hot topics
Reading tips
- It is suggested to read the preface and introduction first to grasp the book's core issues and analytical framework before going into the individual chapters
- While reading, reflect on how the book's theories illuminate real social phenomena (such as community relations, workplace organization, or online communities)
- Do not insist on fully understanding difficult passages at first; mark them and continue, then return after finishing the whole book—often a more holistic understanding emerges
About the publisher
Jiangsu People's Publishing House is known for works in history, literature and the social sciences. Judging from its catalog, it focuses on modern Chinese history, classical literary appreciation and scholarly research. Representative titles include historical works such as Kuomintang-Communist Cooperation and the National Revolution, 1924–1927 and A Record of Combat on the Front Lines of China's War of Resistance Against Japan, literary and visual documents such as Sun Wen's Illustrated Complete Dream of the Red Chamber, and scholarly collections such as Chen Yinke's Collected Works of Hanliu Hall. Translations such as The Dust Bowl and Anti-Intellectualism in American Life reflect an interest in overseas social and cultural studies. Its authors include historians Wang Qisheng, Huang Yuzhang and Guo Rugui, as well as figures associated with classical literature such as Cao Xueqin and Sun Wen. Common categories include history, literary appreciation, essays and miscellaneous writings, and social-science and cultural titles, showing a balance between historical scholarship and literature and between academic and popular publishing. Because public information is limited, this overview is based only on the books in the catalog.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 第一章 从家元共同体到族阈共同体
- 第一节 共同体的演进史
- 第二节 共同体的民主生活
- 第三节 共同体中的人及其生活
- 第二章 基于契约的社会治理
- 第一节 习俗与道德的衰落
- 第二节 契约的建立与扬弃
- 第三节 社会治理的自我超越
- 第三章 在“自我”与“他人”之间
- 第一节 从“自我”到“他人”
- 第二节 通向合作之路
- 第三节 权利、荣誉与职权
- 第四节 重塑自我与他人的关系
- 第四章 权利、民主与公共性
- 第一节 权利观念的历史性
- 第二节 差异与普遍性的矛盾
- 第三节 民主的没落与公共性的扩散
- 第五章 正义追求及其困境
- 第一节 追求正义的历史
- 第二节 支配的正当性与合法性
- 第三节 复杂社会的秩序
- 第六章 当官、用权以及职责
- 第一节 家元共同体中的“官”
- 第二节 权力分化的历程
- 第三节 社会职业化中的职责
- 第七章 风险社会与社会革命
- 第一节 人类追求确定性的历史
- 第二节 风险社会中的自由
- 第三节 社会革命的方式和途径
- 第八章 共同行动的基础
- 第一节 应对危机的共同体行动
- 第二节 共同体与意向一致
- 第三节 历史视野中的意向一致
- 主要参考书目
- 后记
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About the author
Zhang Kangzhi: publicly available information is limited, and no complete biographical details can be confirmed. Eight of his works are held in the collection, spanning categories such as politics, social sciences, and examinations. Representative titles include Historical Narratives of Social Governance, The Evolution of Community, The Concept of Public Administration, The "Center-Periphery" Structure of the World, The Emergence of Public Life, The Meridians of Social Governance, Public Administration, and Enlightenment, Re-Enlightenment. These titles suggest that his writing centers on public administration, social governance theory, and political philosophy, often developed through historical narrative and conceptual analysis, with attention to community, public life, and the evolution of social structures. Public Administration belongs to the "New Series of Textbooks on Public Administration and Public Management," indicating that his work also involves textbook writing for university courses. Overall, his writings emphasize theoretical construction and broad macro-level issues, and are suitable for readers interested in social governance and public administration research.
Zhang Qianyou is an author who writes consistently in the fields of political science and social science. Public information about him is limited, and four works can currently be confirmed: The Evolution of Community, The Emergence of Public Life, The Concept of Public Administration, and Contemporary Perspectives on Political Theory. These titles suggest that his interests center on foundational issues of political theory, public administration, and public life, and that he attempts to examine the relationships among community, publicity, and administrative practice from the perspectives of conceptual history and theoretical construction. In common classifications, his works are usually placed in politics and social science, with readers who follow political philosophy, public management, and social science theory. Because reliable records of his birth and death dates, nationality, education, and positions are unavailable, no speculation is offered here; a full assessment of his writing style and scholarly influence must also await the emergence of more public materials.
