转向生活世界的伦理学变革

转向生活世界的伦理学变革,使当代伦理学研究从对普遍化的道德原理和道德体系的知识论建构转向对以现代性问题为背景的现实生活世界的道德关切.在这种变革中,当代伦理学研究实现着从体系意识向问题意识的转变,引发了应用伦理学的勃兴和德性伦理传统的当代复兴,从而使伦理学的人学价值意蕴得以彰显.当代伦理学的发展还需要在此基础上,进一步面向现实生活世界,实现问题意识与理论意识的互动、德性伦理与规范伦理的整合、道德共识与差异伦理的和谐.     

化德性为规范:西方的理论尝试及其批评

德性伦理学是古希腊伦理学的传统.但自近代以来,德性伦理学先后发生了两次规范化运动.一次是以功利主义和康德伦理学为代表的规范伦理学取代了德性伦理学的主导地位;一次是20世纪50年代以来兴起的德性伦理学复归运动中,德性伦理学内部阵营中出现的规范化的理论动向.德性伦理学的两次规范化运动都不可避免地面临着理论上的批评.德性伦理规范化引致的理论思考是:在现代社会中,德性伦理是否必要,如何可能.     

第二国际时期马克思主义与伦理的关系论争及时代回响

建构中国马克思主义伦理学，马克思主义与伦理之间的关系是无法绕过的一个前提性问题，对这一关系的相关辩论始于第二国际时期。基于新康德主义的巨大影响及其对马克思主义构成的严峻挑战，第二国际内部在马克思主义与伦理的关系论争中出现了以伯恩施坦为代表的“矛盾论”、以奥地利马克思主义者为代表的“分离论”和以考茨基为代表的“包含论”等理论立场。其根源在于对以科学方式有效地改变世界的历史唯物主义的片面化解读。第二国际时期马克思主义与伦理的关系论争是马克思主义伦理思想史上的重要阶段，它不仅成为后来马克思主义者在此问题上讨论的对象，也是建构新时代中国马克思主义伦理学需要辨析和反思的重要理论课题。     

早期儒家与德性伦理学:儒学研究中的相对主义话题——兼与安乐哲、罗思文商榷

20世纪中叶以来,西方伦理学研究的一个重要特征是德性伦理学的复兴.万白安、艾文贺、余纪元等西方汉学学者参照德性伦理学视角来重新诠释中国早期儒家伦理学,借以彰显儒家伦理与西方伦理对话的新路径.安乐哲和罗思文《早期儒家是德性论的吗?》一文则持一种与德性伦理学完全相异的视角:他们认为早期儒家伦理是一种角色伦理(role ethics),“儒家不寻求普遍,而是集中关注特殊性”.本文尝试对此问题展开讨论.意在阐明三个论点:其一,德性伦理学是儒家伦理的题中应有之义;在这一点上,早期儒家伦理虽不及宋明新儒家突出,但实备此一面向.故此,以德性伦理为视角来考究早期儒家伦理,不仅并非绝然扦格,而且可以开启理解儒家伦理的新视域.其二,安乐哲、罗思文的观点固然能够启人心智,但其论说与其说阐明了早期儒家伦理的根本特征,莫若说自我指涉性地流露了其自身的理论限域:去本质化的过程哲学、以实践为先的新实用主义.将这一理论限阈视为“奥卡姆剃刀”,只会使早期儒家伦理成为一种过度后现代化和单面化的狭隘存在.其三,与角色伦理相关联的文化相对主义极度排斥普遍主义的价值诉求,对相对主义和普遍主义之间应有的张力视若不见.以儒家伦理为价值取向的理论和行为主体若将这种绝对了的相对主义内在化为主体自身的信念内容,则无异于自我设限,从而在根本上使得跨文化交流和融合成为一纸空文,在最低限度上也不能避免或消弭不同伦理体系之间的道德冲突.     

康德的道德形而上学及其与儒家伦理的比较

康德所开创的道德形而上学仍然是某种意义上的"物理学之后",即以知识论和逻辑规范为框架或"模型"而建立起来的道德原则。这种规范伦理学与儒家的德性伦理学在出发点上是截然不同的,但这并不妨碍双方可以以某种方式相容和互补,即以康德规范伦理学的普遍原则为纲,而以儒家的"良知"和"四端"学说为补充。但前提是,首先对儒家伦理进行一番现象学还原,剔除那些具体的缺乏普遍性的伪规范,还原到其中的人类共同的规范,也就是通过具体批判来达到抽象继承。这就是我所设想的中国今天的道德建设路线图。     

德性伦理及其现当代价值

现当代是否只适合发展规范伦理,而德性伦理注定趋向衰落?本文在分析德性伦理与道德特质、中国古代与西方德性伦理传统、马克思主义如何对待德性伦理以及如何应对德性伦理所面临的挑战和冲击等问题的基础上,认为德性伦理在现当代仍有重要的价值意义,仍是伦理学研究与道德建设具有重要理论意义和实践意义的课题。     

在"互镜"中寻求"合作"——现代性视域中的规范伦理学与德性伦理学之争

面对现代社会的各种道德危机,尤其是在解决现代人如何安身立命的重大生存论问题上,规范伦理学与德性伦理学究竟处于何种关系,亟待从理论层面加以澄明。对之把握,需要摒弃"二元对立"的抽象思维,立足现代道德生活的完满诠释与理解。现代道德生活既追求社会秩序,又崇尚道德理想,希冀幸福生活。由此,现代道德生活既需要能够守住道德底线的规范伦理学,也需要能够满足人们对美好生活热烈追求的德性伦理学。不管是规范伦理关于道德的外在约束,还是德性伦理从主体内在阐发的幸福期待,都旨在回应现代人道德生活的重大问题。     

论传媒伦理的界定

要科学地界定传媒伦理,首先,不能偏离伦理“致至善”的本性;其次,须从元伦理学、规范伦理学及应用伦理学三个层面深入考察传媒伦理的理论进路。本文认为,传媒伦理首先是对人们媒介行为中善恶选择的系统性探究,它系统地研究道德善的媒体当如何履职、媒体是否符合它的应当以及媒介从业人员在其媒介行为中对善与恶,正当与不正当的认识与抉择等问题;其次,与人们实际生活相关的是,传媒伦理也试图界定那些构成价值与生活规范的,被作为个体、群体或文化共同体的人们所共同认可的原则性的内容。     

美德伦理与规则伦理：由对立互竞到协同互补

当代西方规范伦理学在理论形态上表现为美德伦理学与规则伦理学的对立互竞。这种对立局面导源于对立双方理论动机上的共同错误:单极化企图以及对伦理学限度的认知不足。现实道德生活是多样化的,这就决定了伦理学必须采取多元化的基本概念。因此,美德伦理与规则伦理的协同互补将是规范伦理学的未来发展趋势。     

德性论与伦理学

伦理学中有价值论、规范论或义务论,但没有专门研究德性问题的德性论.德性问题是一个重要的人生问题,也是一个重要的社会问题,尤其是当代社会的严重问题,而且只有伦理学才能从理论和实践的结合上给予系统的回答.因此,应该建立德性论专门研究德性问题.德性论研究什么是德性以及如何形成德性的问题,其主要任务是确立伦理学的德性原则.德性论与价值论、规范论一起分别从人的品质、目的、行为方面解释和回答人生问题,它们是相对独立、相互补充的,共同给人生提供伦理学原则并研究回答人生的伦理学问题.德性伦理学属于德性论的研究,但德性伦理学是西方伦理学的一个流派,而不是伦理学的一个相对独立的分支.     

The Effectiveness of Ethics Education: A Quasi-Experimental Field Study

Ethical conduct is the hallmark of excellence in engineering and scientific research, design, and practice. While undergraduate and graduate programs in these areas routinely emphasize ethical conduct, few receive formal ethics training as part of their curricula. The first purpose of this research study was to assess the relative effectiveness of ethics education in enhancing individuals’ general knowledge of the responsible conduct of research practices and their level of moral reasoning. Secondly, we examined the effects of ethics education on the positive psychological outcomes of perspective-taking, moral efficacy, moral courage, and moral meaningfulness. To examine our research hypotheses, we utilized a pretest–posttest quasi-experimental design consisting of three ethics education groups (control, embedded modules, and stand-alone courses). Findings revealed that both embedded and stand alone courses were effective in enhancing participants’ perspective-taking, moral efficacy, and moral courage. Moral meaningfulness was marginally enhanced for the embedded module condition. Moral judgment and knowledge of responsible conduct of research practices were not influenced by either ethics education condition. Contrary to expectations, stand alone courses were not superior to embedded modules in influencing the positive psychological outcomes investigated. Implications of these findings for future research and practice are discussed.     

Situationism and Confucian Virtue Ethics

Situationist research in social psychology focuses on the situational factors that influence behavior. Doris and Harman argue that this research has powerful implications for ethics, and virtue ethics in particular. First, they claim that situationist research presents an empirical challenge to the moral psychology presumed within virtue ethics. Second, they argue that situationist research supports a theoretical challenge to virtue ethics as a foundation for ethical behavior and moral development. I offer a response from moral psychology using an interpretation of Xunzi—a Confucian virtue ethicist from the Classical period. This Confucian account serves as a foil to the situationist critique in that it uncovers many problematic ontological and normative assumptions at work in this debate regarding the prediction and explanation of behavior, psychological posits, moral development, and moral education. Xunzi’s account of virtue ethics not only responds to the situationist empirical challenge by uncovering problematic assumptions about moral psychology, but also demonstrates that it is not a separate empirical hypothesis. Further, Xunzi’s virtue ethic responds to the theoretical challenge by offering a new account of moral development and a ground for ethical norms that fully attends to situational features while upholding robust character traits.     

GENRE AND PERSUASION IN RELIGIOUS ETHICS An Introduction

Issues of genre and persuasion are central to ethical thought and practice. Until recently, there has been an asymmetry between religious ethics and moral philosophy in regard to these issues. Renewed attention to these issues in moral philosophy creates a new context for their consideration in religious ethics—one in which the relation of religious ethics and moral philosophy is less determinate than it has been in previous discussions. The four essays that comprise this Focus Section reflect this new context while also making new contributions to perennial concerns of genre in ethical thought and practice.     

Doing Ethics or Changing for the Better?

In this paper, classical pragmatism is used as a method, not as a substantial ethical theory, to develop “moral pragmatics.” Moral pragmatics offers a constructive approach for making progress where traditional ethical theories converge, and it innovates ethical deliberation. Assuming widespread agreement that real moral problems need practical solutions, the paper addresses two related problems: the missing link between ethical theories and moral practice, and the question of who is in charge of finding such solutions. It argues that “conscience” can create a link between ethical knowledge and moral practice, and that this partly discharges “the ethicist” from the task of solving problems that are not really, or not only, hers. Two specific methodological innovations are suggested that go beyond admonitions to render ethics sensitive to context. Instead, a reevaluation of “casuistry” and a sensitivity for “finding the right words” give an idea of how to achieve this goal.     

Unique ethical problems in information technology

A distinction is made between moral indoctrination and instruction in ethics. It is argued that the legitimate and important field of computer ethics should not be permitted to become mere moral indoctrination. Computer ethics is an academic field in its own right with unique ethical issues that would not have existed if computer technology had not been invented. Several example issues are presented to illustrate this point. The failure to find satisfactory non-computer analogies testifies to the uniqueness of computer ethics. Lack of an effective analogy forces us to discover new moral values, formulate new moral principles, develop new policies, and find new ways to think about the issues presented to us. For all of these reasons, the kind of issues presented deserve to be addressed separately from others that might at first appear similar. At the very least, they have been so transformed by computing technology that their altered form demands special attention.     

Contemporary virtue ethics and action-guiding objections

Many defenders of contemporary virtue ethics contend that it directly competes with modern ethical theories such as consequentialism and deontology. One of the most common responses is that contemporary virtue ethics does not compare well because its proponents fail to provide guidance to an agent who is deliberating about what she should do. There are at least four different types of action-guiding objections to an ethical theory. They are based on moral dilemmas, indeterminacy, knowledge, and reasonable judgment. I will show how three current versions of virtue ethics are subject to at least one of those objections.     

Ethical and institutional frameworks for interactional justice in public organizations: a comparative analysis of selected Western and Chinese sources

This paper explores both differences and points of contact between selected contemporary theories of public ethics in the West and China. China is in a greater state of flux in this connection, with new, eclectic approaches to ethical justification for moral agency gaining prominence. There are thematic parallels between East and West in their distinct strains of institutionalism (in which neither individual moral agency nor the justice claims of individuals have much play). However, there are recent Chinese theoretical proposals – many incorporating Western sources – that address this quandary, namely the institutional overdetermination of moral agency. These proposals are joined to contributions from feminist and liberation ethics in a critical reconsideration of overridingness in formal ethics. Contemporary Chinese ethics connect moral claims to kin, community, and reciprocity networks, particularly as traditional philosophy is recovered in new theoretical syntheses. The grounding of Confucian ethics in kin and community offers an instructive contrast to formal Western ethical systems, as do radical strains of Western ethics that suggest that transcendence is found in the self's extension toward others in need. This paper considers these ethical themes in connection with hypothetical instances of interactional justice in organizations.     

Turning a Blind Eye: A Study of Peer Reporting in a Business School Setting

This article examines student peer reporting by extending the findings from the business ethics and higher education literature. In the conceptual model we propose that reflective moral attentiveness, subjective knowledge of the code of ethics, and academic dishonesty beliefs antecede ethical judgment of peer reporting, which impacts intentions to report peers’ unethical behavior. The relationships are tested using structural equation modeling. The findings indicate that moral attentiveness significantly influences ethical judgment, which in turn affects intention. The relationship between beliefs about academic dishonesty and ethical judgment is partially supported. Based on these results, suggestions for higher education institutions are provided.