Drawing lessons from western environmental ethics to build a beautiful China

Co-sponsored by China Ethics Society and Shandong Research Base of Ethics and Spiritual Civilization Construction, the theoretical seminar on "Ecological Ethics and Beautiful China" hosted by Qingdao Huangdao District Party School was held in Qingdao. More than 20 experts and scholars from China Academy of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University, Sun Yat-sen University and other institutions and party schools attended it.

Wan Junren, president of Chinese Ethics Society and professor of philosophy department of Tsinghua University, pointed out that the ecological environment problem has become one of the severe challenges faced by all mankind. Historically, the ecological deterioration in China today is a by-product of the world modernization movement for more than 500 years, and it is also the price that China has to pay in its dream-chasing journey of modernization since modern times. In this regard, we should look at it from the dual perspectives of history and philosophy. At the same time, we should understand the significance of human existence and development with enough ethical wisdom, and deal with the relationship between man and nature accordingly. This needs to start from three aspects: first, establish clear, complete, long-term and scientific values of ecological civilization and realize the change of ideas; Second, it is necessary to strengthen institutional construction and effectively transform the basic institutional arrangement of ecological civilization into the political responsibility of the government and the basic obligation of the whole society; Third, members of the whole society should consciously take action and participate in the construction of "beautiful China".

"In the process of building ecological civilization, on the one hand, we should advocate the value of human beings, on the other hand, we should respect the value of nature and follow the objective laws of nature." Jia Yingjian, the academic leader of Shandong Moral and Spiritual Civilization Construction Research Base and deputy director of the Philosophy Teaching and Research Department of Shandong Provincial Party School, believes that only by establishing the concept of ecological civilization of respecting nature, adapting to nature and protecting nature can we properly handle the relationship between man and nature in the historical process of modernization and promote the early realization of "beautiful China".

Scholars attending the conference believe that both Marxism, China's traditional Confucian and Taoist culture and western ethical thoughts contain rich ecological civilization thoughts. How to fully tap the above ideological resources at the academic level is of great value and significance to the practice of building a "beautiful China".