Combining the Content and Spirit of Western Legal Thought, this Paper Discusses the Ideological, Theoretical, and Practical Logic Behind the "People-centered" Rule of Law Ideology

Abstract

Western legal thought, after thousands of years of evolution, has formed a rule-of-law system centered on rights, the supremacy of law, and social contracts. However, it suffers from inherent limitations such as the alienation of individualism and the obscuring of substantive fairness by formal justice. The "people-centered" rule-of-law thought of the new era is not a simple borrowing of Western legal concepts, but rather a product of dialogue, critique, and critical analysis of Western legal thought, possessing a complete ideological, theoretical, and practical logic. From an ideological perspective, this thought fundamentally transcends the Western concepts of natural rights, social contracts, and the supremacy of law, completing a value reshaping from abstract individualism to concrete people-centeredness. From a theoretical perspective, it is rooted in the Marxist humanistic view of law, representing the theoretical crystallization of the Sinicization and modernization of Marxist rule-of-law thought, and a dialectical integration and innovative sublimation of Chinese and Western rule-of-law thought. From a practical perspective, this thought permeates all aspects of scientific legislation, strict law enforcement, impartial justice, and universal compliance with the law, constructing a comprehensive rule-of-law practice system guided by the people's standpoint. This article, taking the content and spiritual shortcomings of Western legal thought as a reference, systematically explains the three-fold generative logic of the "people-centered" rule of law thought, clarifies the essential differences between Chinese and Western rule of law, highlights the people-oriented core and institutional advantages of the rule of law with Chinese characteristics, and provides theoretical reference for the construction of the rule of law in the new era.