1992 年榮膺中央研究院院士的張灝先生專攻中國近代思想史，精通中國思想通史，尤重政治思想。1989 年5 月臺北聯經出版《幽暗意識與民主傳統》，收入十篇文章，包括兩篇張先生訪談記錄。這些文章論及內涵極複雜、牽涉甚廣大的課題，實非筆者才學所能置喙，姑且摘選「幽暗意識與民主傳統」課題，1略抒所思所感，幸大雅君子不吝諟正。

The present essay is divided into six sections. The first section recapitulates themain points of Professor Chang Hao’s celebrated work Consciousness of Darknessand Democratic Tradition. In section 2, I add a supplement and offer a correction toChang’s arguments from four aspects, particularly those about orthodoxChristianity’s perspective on the consciousness of darkness in human nature,suggesting that Chang’s understanding is far from what is shown in traditionalChinese thoughts and orthodox Christianity. In section 3, I firstly discuss three issuesin regard to human nature and democracy: the idea that human nature is evil can leadto anti-democracy; the belief that human nature is evil is not what democratic systemis based on; and, non-Christian thoughts had helped to shape democracy, thoughunintentionally. In light of these philosophical reasoning and historical reality, Iclarify the relationship between the consciousness of darkness and democraticsystems. In section 4, I demonstrate that there has never been the concept ofdemocracy in traditional Chinese thoughts and Christianity. Instead, both of themhave understood the dynastic transition from the perspectives of Heaven’s Mandate.However, their understandings of Heaven’s Mandate are obviously different fromeach other in the fundamental sense. Section 5 starts by explaining why we adoptdemocracy, pointing out that democracy is no more than an expediency for securingliberty for the time being. I further delve into Christianity’s viewpoint on liberty,which has been widely saluted. The last section reflects on the democracy-relatedissues such as whether the Christian church should adopt democracy, the actualdegree of the practice of democracy in the Christian church, and whether it should bepracticed uncompromisingly.