What is the essential difference between socialist core values and western universal values?

I. Difference in Theoretical Basis

The theoretical basis of Western "universal" values is abstract humanism, while the theoretical basis of socialist core values is the materialistic concept of history. The materialist concept of history critically transcends the abstract theory of human nature and distinguishes socialist core values from Western "universal" values in terms of theoretical foundation.

Most Western doctrines take a certain theory of human nature as their initial theoretical starting point, and then use it as a premise to construct their own theoretical systems. Western "universal" values synthesize the basic claims of these doctrines and naturally rely on an abstract theory of human nature as their theoretical foundation.

Abstract humanism holds that, under the cover of the characteristics of each individual, each ****same body, each nation, all members of the world's human beings throughout the ages have a ****same nature, the so-called human nature.

The theoretical foundation of socialist core values is the Marxist view of material history. In the view of material history, the emergence of the abstract theory of human nature has its reasonable place: it sees the self-interest of human beings as the bearer of commodity-money relations under the conditions of capitalist private ownership: because it emphasizes that human nature is ****same and equal, it also has the progressive significance of opposing the feudal hierarchical system.

But its defect is that it abstracts the human nature with the mark of capitalism as the human nature of all times and all regions, and then makes the capitalist system with historical rationality a non-historical and absolute interpretation, and generalizes it as a natural and rational system.

Second, the difference in logical structure

The theoretical basis of Western value construction is abstract humanism, and the tools used are social contract theory and formal logical deduction, and the highest purpose is the protection of "freedom" or private property. The theoretical basis of socialist core values is different from that of Western "universal" values, and the tools of construction and the structure of the system are naturally very different.

The materialist concept of history determines that the examination of values cannot be carried out by non-historical contractual imagination and logical deduction, but can only start from the nature of China's society and history of its development, summarize its value traditions, and obtain value***sense as the core values of socialism. China's contemporary value***sense is actually the result of the superposition of four historical traditions.

The four historical traditions are the century-old tradition of national rejuvenation, the 60-odd year-old tradition of socialism, the 30-odd year-old tradition of reform and opening up, and the 5,000-year old tradition of Chinese culture that serves as the underpinning of all of these traditions.

The *** literacy that has coalesced over a hundred years of seeking has precipitated into such values: at the national level, advocating wealth and strength: at the social level, advocating freedom; and at the civic level, advocating patriotism. The values accumulated over the past hundred years have become the first tradition on which the socialist core values are superimposed.

Expanded:

The primary characteristic of socialist core values is their national character. Such values derive from a historical examination of the value***sense formed by the 5,000-year Chinese cultural tradition, the more than 100-year tradition of national renaissance, the 60-year socialist tradition and the 30-year tradition of reform and opening up, all of which are Chinese rather than abstract.

The second characteristic of socialist core values is their epochal nature. This kind of value unites the value **** knowledge of the new period of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The third characteristic of socialist core values is their autonomy.

On the one hand, it will not succumb to the pressure of other values and detach itself from the conditions of its own nation and times; on the other hand, it will not constitute a threat to the values of other countries and impose the values formed by its own history.

See, the socialist core values of great significance is to cohesion value **** knowledge, enhance the cultural soft power, promote the development of the reform cause, help the realization of the "Chinese dream", the nature of socialism with Chinese characteristics.