An Introduction to the Ideas of Western Ethical Thought

Western ethical thought has a long history and covers a wide range of issues. To summarize, the main issues are: on the origin and nature of morality, moral principles and norms, the content and classification of virtue, freedom of the will and moral responsibility, the relationship between moral emotions and reason, the value analysis of moral concepts and moral judgments, moral education and moral cultivation, as well as the purpose of life and the ideal way of life. In Western ethical thought, especially since modern times in the West, these issues are often expressed in terms of values and facts or in terms of the question of the relationship between morality and interests. Are values unrelated to facts or closely related? Do moral values depend on the interests of the individual or the interests of society or on the harmonization of individual and social interests? Different or opposite answers constitute the theoretical and ethical distinction between various ethical ideas. Generally speaking, ethical thoughts belonging to naturalism and empiricism pay more attention to practical interests and life experiences, and deny any a priori or mystical explanations of moral values, such as pleasure, happiness, utilitarianism, humanism, pragmatism and so on, which are all characterized in this way. In contrast, various non-naturalistic and a priori ethical doctrines, which seek the basis of moral values from a priori reason, the moral sense, or the will of God, such as rationalism, sentimentalism, seriousness, intuitionism (see intuitionist ethics), and religious fideism, are characterized by this type of trait, and clearly display idealistic and mystical tendencies. These two types of ethical thought present intricacies in their treatment of the relationship between personal and social interests. They are either partial to emphasizing self-interest, or partial to emphasizing altruism and public interest, or they seek explanations for the mutual combination, equivalence and coordination between self-interest and altruism, self-interest and public interest. However, they are all essentially individualistic and egoistic ethical thought systems and value standards based on private economic relations and adapted to the requirements of the interests of the exploiting class.