A review of the just functions and expansion issues of the principle of honesty and good faith
诚实信用原则的正义功能及其扩张问题综述

摘要

诚实信用原则作为民商法的“帝王条款”，历经从道德伦理到法律原则的演进，其核心价值在于实现个案正义、矫正法律关系的失衡以及填补法律漏洞。然而，随着数字经济的崛起、新型权利的涌现以及社会关系的复杂化，诚实信用原则的适用呈现出明显的扩张趋势，在标准必要专利许可、人工智能缔约、劳动争议、政府信息公开等新兴领域不断突破传统边界。这种扩张既彰显了原则强大的生命力，也引发了对其滥用风险、裁判不确定性以及传统理论适用困境的担忧。本文系统梳理诚实信用原则的正义功能，分析其在传统与新兴领域的实践形态，深入探讨扩张的动因、挑战与规范路径。研究表明，诚实信用原则的正义功能包括衡平功能、修正功能与补充功能，其扩张是回应社会复杂性与司法能动主义的必然结果，但必须在类型化适用、强化裁判说理和完善协调机制等路径下加以规范，以实现灵活性、确定性与正义价值的有机统一。

Abstract

As the “supreme clause” of civil and commercial law, the principle of good faith has evolved from ethical morality to legal principle, with its core value lying in the realization of individual case justice, the correction of imbalanced legal relationships, and the filling of legal loopholes. However, with the rise of the digital economy, the emergence of new types of rights, and the increasing complexity of social relations, the application of the principle of good faith has shown a significant trend of expansion, continuously breaking through traditional boundaries in emerging fields such as standard-essential patent licensing, artificial intelligence contracting, labor disputes, and government information disclosure. This expansion not only demonstrates the strong vitality of the principle but also raises concerns regarding the risk of its abuse, uncertainty in judicial adjudication, and the dilemmas in applying traditional theories. This paper systematically reviews the justice function of the principle of good faith, analyzes its practical manifestations in both traditional and emerging fields, and deeply explores the motivations, challenges, and normative pathways of its expansion. The research shows that the justice function of the principle of good faith includes the function of equity, the function of correction, and the function of supplementation. Its expansion is an inevitable response to social complexity and judicial activism, but it must be regulated through typified application, strengthened judicial reasoning, and improved coordination mechanisms, so as to achieve the organic unity of flexibility, certainty, and justice values.