How to correctly understand and evaluate China's traditional ethical thoughts?

China traditional culture is ethical culture. Since modern times, the reflection on traditional ethics has become a hot topic of continuous discussion. However, the simple praise and reckless rejection of traditional ethics make it impossible for people to establish the consciousness of traditional ethical reflection as a problem. Therefore, this paper emphasizes four preconditions for establishing this kind of problem consciousness: bid farewell to the concept of binary opposition; Say goodbye to the simple orientation of the history of thought; Farewell to descriptive research methods; Farewell to the metaphysical road divorced from ethical practice. Then the rationality of this reflection is supported by six major issues: highlighting the structural characteristics of traditional ethics; Compare the similarities and differences between Chinese and western ethics; Summarize the traditional ethical reflection methods; Describe the interaction between ethics and society; Seeking the construction of modern ethical theory; Explore the practice of modern ethics.

In modern times, the fate of traditional culture has become an ideological and cultural problem that China people must face. This is because modern China society has encountered the overall cultural dilemma: under the condition that its own integration model is difficult to play its social function, traditional culture is increasingly facing the danger of self-order disintegration. The popular order and social order in modern China society can no longer be realized.

Set the traditional cultural paradigm for integration. On the other hand, western cultural values, institutional arrangements and lifestyles, which have their own origins and have been handed down by themselves, have shown great charm different from China's traditional culture, and by virtue of their economic strength and political power, they have been rigidly wedged into various fields of modern China's social life. This has brought two completely different social models to China society. In addition, as far as the types of the two social life patterns are concerned, they are inherently exclusive. This is doomed to choose one of the life patterns, and you must give up the other life pattern. Thus, in modern China, the so-called "conflict" between tradition and modernity has formed a rigid cultural pattern. This social and cultural pattern has created a corresponding ideological and cultural pattern. If we say that a systematic description of this ideological and cultural pattern cannot be completed by a scholar who specializes in the study of the history of ideas, but only allows him to grasp this ideological pattern from a specific angle, then observing this pattern from an ethical perspective is the best way to capture the overall perspective. Because China's traditional culture is ethical culture. This view has basically been recognized by the academic community. This can be confirmed from three aspects: First, as far as the core value of China traditional culture is concerned, ethics constitutes its connotation. The three cardinal guides and eight objectives that embody Confucian moral idealism and the three cardinal guides and five permanent members that embody Confucian ethical centralism play an interrelated role in integrating the inner order of China people and the social order in the classical society. In modern society, people try to bid farewell to classical history. It is from the perspective of "our last consciousness is ethical consciousness" that we bid farewell to traditional culture. These two aspects just prove the characteristics of the value structure of China traditional culture from two aspects. Second, as far as China's traditional institutional arrangements are concerned, ethicalization is its basic orientation. The patriarchal clan system in politics, the balance of power pattern in economy and the Confucian educational loyalty in law all show ethical institutional characteristics. If we look at the process of system operation, at the starting point of system arrangement, ethical motivation determines the system mechanism; In the actual process of system operation, people's ethical status is the basis for the function of the system to occur, the effectiveness of the system to be guaranteed and the state of the system itself to be adjusted; In the performance evaluation of system operation, it is also based on the ethical consequences of the system. If the consequences of institutional arrangements are ethically unacceptable to people, then it is definitely not a good system (for example, people in classical China have rejected competition), and if the consequences of institutional arrangements are what people are happy to see ethically, then it is a certain rule worth continuing to implement (for example, people in China have developed equal psychological habits &; nb sp)。 Thirdly, as far as the actual situation of China's traditional social life is concerned, ethics has also become a leading force. People's daily thoughts and behaviors are determined by ethical relations. As far as male-dominated society is concerned, dental order plays a decisive role. As far as interpersonal relationship adjustment is concerned, the doctrine of the mean plays a basic command role. As far as the way to solve conflicts is concerned, non-litigation has become the realm that people pursue. As far as the ideal social state is concerned, great harmony is a recognized goal. These are all ethical things.

This kind of ethical culture, within the scope of classical society, is greatly different from the marginal state of alternation between classical society and modern society. If the former is not fully adapted, it is at least basically coordinated. But as far as the latter is concerned, it is completely impossible to give the social movement process gravity. People have long denied this cultural fact.

However, what is complicated is that what is involved here is a subtle problem of value judgment, value choice and value identification. The value choice is weak in publicity and strong in personality. In other words, the differences on the value issue will be greater than the actual cognition. Moreover, the value problem is an ideological field that can operate independently in the spiritual world without the real world. Therefore, a certain value proposition can be supported by some personal preference or some group psychology. Seeking the relative consistency between facts and values is the requirement of highlighting the road of value identification and guiding realistic cognition.

This is a question of values. Around this value issue, modern China gradually formed two sharply opposed judgments on the modern fate of traditional culture and traditional ethics with Confucian ethics as the core: denying the modern function of traditional culture, calling for people's "ethical consciousness" and forming the so-called overall anti-traditionalism thought. Affirm the modern function of traditional culture, and call on people to see the fact of "spiritual root cultivation" after "flowers fall and fruits fall", so as to rake and comb the modern factors in tradition and connect the blood of tradition and modernity. In mutual measurement, the former regards the latter as a hopeless conservative. The latter regards the former as a radical figure who forgets his ancestors. In their ideological and academic efforts, the former regards the traditional ethics represented by Confucianism as a simplified thinking that reduces all social elements to ethics, thus taking the ethical centralism thinking formed on this basis as the basic thinking set of traditional culture and asking people to abandon it in the modern background. The latter thinks that the traditional ethical thoughts and behavior choices represented by Confucianism reflect the characteristics of moral idealism that modern society still expects. This is an indispensable thing in modern social life. Therefore, we can't simplify the situation of traditional ethics into a problem of denying and abandoning tradition, but should try our best to dig out what has time value in tradition and use it for the current social ethics construction.

The two are in a completely different state of confrontation. From an analytical point of view, both have their own reasons. From the theoretical standpoint of opposing tradition, if they look at the problem from the type difference between tradition and modernity, then they can find a strong basis for their views on the basis of this factual difference. Because, no matter what theoretical angle you look at the problem, China's classical tradition and western modern society are two types of society, and the similarity of those specific elements can be ignored compared with the differences of types. Moreover, no matter what kind of mental state you are in, you will feel a kind of "disappointing" bad luck because of the lack of internal motivation of the Ming and Qing traditions themselves. Needless to say, anti-traditionalists, even modern neo-Confucianism, feel sad for the "falling flowers and falling fruits". In addition, no matter what kind of theoretical presupposition you take, you will leave the traditional ideas and discuss the "new" thinking problem that is enough to "combine" the classical tradition with the modern spirit.

From the theoretical standpoint of supporting tradition, if they look at the problem from the perspective of the correlation between tradition and modernity, then they can provide all kinds of support for their views on the basis of this factual connection. Because, even if you emphasize the type difference between tradition and modernity, history never runs on the basis of complete interruption, so the historical connection will always be the historical reality. This provides a supporting reason for people to seek the motive force of their own cultural development on the basis of the value of cultural traditions. Moreover, both the history of China and the history of the West always provide nutrients for the development of their respective cultures through mutual borrowing of cultural resources on the basis of cultural exchanges. Therefore, absolutely no nation has independently explored a road of cultural development without the ideological and cultural resources of other nations. For western modern culture, the enlightenment contribution of China's classical culture can't be ignored, so the modern value of China culture is undeniable. However, from a comprehensive point of view, there will be different conclusions.

Let's not talk about the two people's opposite conclusions about the traditional fate. At the same time, no matter how attractive their design of the development prospect of traditional culture is, there is still room for improvement only in terms of their ideas and conclusions. First, in terms of problem consciousness, the two arguments are only based on one aspect of the primary social problems, and the linkage mechanism of the China issue is taken lightly. Secondly, in the statement of the problem, they are only two sides of China's traditional fate problem (modern validity and times ineffectiveness), each accounting for a factual basis. Third, in terms of value proposition, each party also advocates the rationality of its own position on its own value position, lacking the minimum respect for the other party's value position, so it ignores the shared value resources. Fourth, in solving the problem of the way out of traditional ethics, they each look for a "way out" in their own closed thinking. Those who maintain traditional values (with Confucianism as the core) think that tradition itself can provide us with all the prescriptions to get out of the cultural predicament since modern times. Those who oppose traditional values (with Confucianism as the core) think that tradition constitutes an obstacle to our modernization, so they enter modernization on the premise of bidding farewell to tradition. In fact, as far as the current cultural development is concerned, the situation of tradition itself is not a real modern way out. About the confirmation of the problem? Where is the right umbrella? /P & gt；

To this end, before discussing the modern situation of traditional culture and traditional ethics, it is necessary to establish several principles for discussing issues:

First, bid farewell to the traditional fate of binary opposition. On the one hand, it is absolutely not just from the perspective of moral idealism with eternal value to defend the traditional ethical system with Confucian values as the core. On the other hand, it is definitely not from the perspective of ethical centralism that needs to be discarded to demonstrate the overall anti-traditionalism. Instead, we should get out of the theoretical dilemma of one aspect of this tradition and explain each other. Moral idealism and ethical centralism are regarded as two inseparable aspects of traditional (Confucian) ethics, and tradition is regarded as a whole. Only in this way can we ensure that we will not make unreliable discussions and value choices on tradition on the basis of splitting the traditional structure.

Second, bid farewell to the academic orientation of the discussion on the history of ethical thoughts based on academic requirements. In this way, we can avoid skimming the rich implication of the problem in the rigid logical approach of academic theory, and focus on one or more value excitement points that the discussant pays attention to, defends or rejects. Therefore, the interpretation of the history of thought based on fundamentalism is rejected; At the same time, the way of judging the history of thought based on anti-traditionalism should also be abandoned. On this basis, according to the historical characteristics of traditional ethics, especially Confucian ethics, it is theoretically reflected. While thinking about theoretical logic, we should make a sympathetic understanding of practical logic, so that the theoretical logic and practical logic of traditional ethics will not be separated, so as to obtain a guaranteed understanding of authenticity.

Third, bid farewell to the systematic description of tradition, traditional ethics and Confucian ethics. Therefore, we should make a breakthrough thinking on the problems closely related to modernity in tradition. This requires us to pay attention to traditional ethics, which affects the ethical choice of modern China people's ethical thoughts and behaviors. Such questions generally include: what is the composition of traditional ethics, what are the actual types and characteristics of traditional ethics, what are the similarities and differences between China's traditional ethics and western ethics, what is the situation of traditional ethics under the condition of "modern" reform, and what is the modern theoretical situation and practical opportunity of traditional ethics? The answers to these questions are more helpful for us to enter the traditional palace and bring the traditional precious heritage into the modern door than the academic orientation of describing traditional ethics that lasted for nearly a hundred years.

Fourth, bid farewell to the mysterious way of thinking that is divorced from the ethical issues related to real ethical life. In this regard, we can expect that when discussing the modern situation of traditional ethics, we should start from the most powerful basis of realistic ethical life requirements and consider the authenticity and reliability, pertinence and effectiveness, theory and practice of the problem. Therefore, the requirements of moral disorder and reconstruction of moral order in contemporary China have become the background conditions for us to reflect on the theoretical problems and practical situation of tradition, traditional ethics and traditional Confucian ethics. Thus, the question leads to the discussion on the dimension of traditional ethical sense of the times. This makes it possible to find the root of the current ethical life problems in tradition and think about their solutions in tradition. However, tradition is definitely not the axis of our thinking about modernity.

When these principles are confirmed, the idea of discussing traditional ethics is highlighted, and the theoretical starting point of discussing traditional ethics is established. This starting point is the structural analysis of Confucian ethics, the core component of traditional ethics. For a long time, anti-traditionalists have magnified the disgusting ethical centralism directly related to traditional politics in this structure as a basis for denying traditional ethical values. Conservatives, on the other hand, expand the moral idealism which is consistent with the normal moral life in classical society, and take it as the theoretical basis for the modernization of traditional ethics. In fact, from the analysis, moral idealism and ethical centralism are two inseparable aspects of traditional (Confucian) ethics. Once separated, tradition will become a "little girl who can dress up." Only by starting from these two aspects at the same time can we understand why Confucian ethics, as a classic normative ethical system, can provide a universal norm for adjusting social life and a guide for personal moral cultivation. Confucianism has a set of theories about conscience, which is a response to the latter. The Confucian statement about loyalty is a social and ethical statement about the former. In this regard, Confucian ethics can never be regarded by some theorists as management ethics that can directly play a management role in modern society, but can only be normative ethics in the classical sense.

After confirming the structural characteristics of traditional ethics, we need to analyze and understand the external conditions for traditional ethics to show its structural characteristics. In the field of comparative ethics, the structural differences between China's traditional ethics and western modern ethics are the most obvious. The reason why we want to compare these two ethical systems is not because some theorists think that we China people have formed the so-called "social Darwinism" mindset since modern times. But because, on the one hand, it depends on the structural background of traditional ethics and western ethics, and the latter just constitutes the corresponding reference framework. From the perspective of comparative methodology, this is most conducive to explaining the reasons for their differences and their unique characteristics. On the other hand, ethics, in its own extended logic, constitutes a systematic and valuable ethical tradition, namely China and the West. On the other hand, due to the cultural conflict between China and the West since modern times, it has become the most violent modern cultural issue with the most cross-cultural traditional research value since the development of capitalism in17th century. In this process, traditional ethics and modern ethics have collided and docked, and they have rich theoretical connotations. This is worth investigating. Of course, this is so complicated, but also in the whole process of conflict and integration? What's the matter with you? Nbsp; it is worth trying to grasp it from three angles. First, whether China and western ethical traditions have some common theoretical topics. Therefore, it is of special significance to discuss the "golden mean", which has the most ethical significance and is also a topic of great concern to both Chinese and western classical ethicists. The second is whether there is some deep ethical and psychological diversion in Chinese and western ethical traditions. Here, through the comparative analysis of the moral and psychological phenomenon of "regret" which is common in Chinese and western social and ethical life, it seems that we can expect to realize some differences. Thirdly, whether the ethical answers of Chinese and western ethical traditions to social and political issues have the theoretical inducement to guide the society to run in different directions. In this regard, the direct confluence of China's classical ethics and politics, and the close connection between China's classical ethics and western modern ethics and jurisprudence do show us two social, political and ethical prospects.

Thirdly, after the ethical model of regionalized development is broken, that is, under the background that the ethical development model leads to globalization, our reflection on ethical issues has a way of legitimacy and rationality different from our own traditional self-censorship. Therefore, how to reasonably confirm the method of judging the legitimacy and rationality of ethical issues under such conditions has become the methodological premise that we must establish in ethical review. Therefore, descriptive analysis of the formation process of our own tradition, description of the spiritual characteristics of our ethical tradition, description of the essential differences between our society and different types of society, and further examination of the methodology of ethical reflection in a general sense have become interdependent issues. Therefore, the humanistic spirit of traditional culture, the germination of capitalism in China, the delineation of China's cultural characteristics, and the reflection on the theoretical and practical premise of ethical thinking have become the basic issues that ethics must face directly.

These four aspects, whether it is the reflection on traditional ethical issues or the examination of modern moral issues, must revolve around a modern social background condition that we have to face squarely-the process of social modernization and the modernity that dominates this process. In this process, there is nothing wrong with the variation of China's traditional ethics or Confucian ethics. Otherwise, we don't have to pay attention to other ethical traditions that have nothing to do with our ethical life. The process of modernization and the challenge of modernity are the profound practical driving forces that urge us to examine traditional ethics. Therefore, we need to confirm that modern society must bid farewell to the ethical life mode of ethics-centeredness, and also need to return to China to rebuild modern beliefs. In this way, the May 4th Movement is an unavoidable topic. In addition, we should pay due attention to the fundamental changes in the ecological environment sought by modern ethical living standards. In this way, a new background condition is established for us to reflect on traditional ethics.

5. Based on the double-sided structure of ethical life, that is, it is not only a theoretical structure formed under the influence of an ethical desire, but also a realistic norm formed in the process of actually adjusting the rhythm of ethical life, so we need to analyze and understand the modern reconstruction of traditional ethics from these two perspectives. As far as the process of China's modern thought is concerned, the reconstruction of modern ethics began in the period when China culture lacked internal motivation between Ming and Qing Dynasties, and the real mobilization was in the period of brand-new theoretical desire in late Qing society. However, it is contemporary thinkers who have effectively constructed modern ethics. This kind of construction is a matter that needs many efforts for thinkers. Until now, it is still in progress. What is worth discussing is nothing more than the efforts made by three types of scholars: one is Marxist scholars who have gradually occupied the mainstream position of theoretical creation since modern times. They take Marxism as their guiding ideology and understand ancient and modern China and foreign countries as their theoretical pursuit. They have made a lot of theoretical achievements. Among them, Feng Qi is the most successful scholar in recent years. The other is modern neo-Confucianism, whose responsibility is to restore tradition. Feng Youlan is the most worthy of discussion as far as scholars who are concerned about the wide range of issues and have a lasting impact on the mainland are concerned. The other is the concern for value, which is not particularly attractive to sociologists. Although these sociologists later showed their value concern and showed a position close to that of Neo-Confucianism, the significance of their ethical theory based on field investigation was not affected. Among them, Fei Xiaotong's words deserve the most attention.

Sixthly, considering that all ethical reflection will ultimately meet the needs of our realistic ethical life, our current ethical life has become the foothold or destination of our reflection. In fact, since 1 978, we have gradually implemented new social measures such as reform and opening up and market economy. Our ethical life pattern has undergone remarkable changes. The question is how to face this change and how to evaluate it, which is the premise for us to guide this change and make it develop in a benign direction. In this regard, we should not only oppose the moral determinism of ethical centralism, but also oppose the moral nihilism that completely rejects moral idealism, and give healthy guidance to our ethical and moral reconstruction practice on the basis of being conducive to the construction of social spiritual civilization. Therefore, we positively evaluate the ethical reorganization of China's ethical life from private ethics to public ethics, and give beneficial guidance to the moral reform promoted by market economy. Give a reasonable affirmation to the way of ethical choice under the condition of social openness. We are not ignoring the moral reconstruction in contemporary China with the theory of cost, nor simply praising this change with the theory of development. Rational measurement and rational planning of our moral life may contribute to our "modern" ethical construction. These six aspects are interrelated. As long as we attach importance to the correlation of these six aspects, our expectation of China's orderly modern moral life will never fail.