中国传统文化以人为终极关怀的当代价值研究

中西文化比较有一种强势话语误导,即认为中国古代文化忽视人的价值。这是片面的。相反,中国文化的特质就是以人为终极关怀的人本文化,而不是像西方一样诉诸宗教信仰的神本文化。中国传统文化以人为终极关怀的价值观主要体现在几个方面：人与万物相比,以人的生命和道德理义为终极关怀;在国家和社会生活中,以民（人）为终极关怀;在对待人本身的道德理想问题上,以人格意志为终极关怀。中国文化对人的终极关怀的思想是最为值得珍贵的文化财富。它所包含一些优秀的思想仍然对我国当代以人为本价值观在人的内涵、人的素质培育、人的全面发展的具体内容和途径等的理解方面有重要的价值和意义。     

关于“以人为本”的几个问题

要全面把握科学发展观中的“以人为本”的真实内涵,在发展实践中真正体现出以人为本,需要理性地澄清如下一些问题。1.科学发展观的“以人为本”与我国古代“人本”思想的关系“以人为本”的提法在我国古代就有。“战国时期齐国政治家管仲最早提出‘夫王霸之所始也,以人为本,本理则国固’。”(夏甄陶,第63页)这种“以人为本”思想体现的是君对民的态度:凡是不横征暴敛、关心国计民生的君主均可看作是持“以人为本”思想的“明君”。在这里,用“以民为本”取代“以人为本”来描述这种古代“明君”的思想,实际上更为确切,而且这种“以民为本”…     

以唯物史观全面理解"以人为本"

人的问题是改革开放30年来马克思主义哲学研究中的重要问题.近年来,以人为本的科学发展观提出来之后,如何理解"以人为本"成为哲学界的一个热门话题,也出现了不少分歧和争论.有的学者与西方人本主义思想做比较,有的学者同中国古代的民本观做对照,有的学者结合现代管理学中的以人为本观念进行阐释,更多的人认为中国共产党人在当今条件下提出以人为本,尽管也是吸取以往的思想资源和合理因素的结果,但从根本上说,它是共产党为人民服务的宗旨在新形势下的发展和崭新表述,所以只能是以人民为本而不是以作为个体的人为本.也有学者提出,应该把作为"政治理论"的以人为本与作为"学术"的以人为本进行区分,前者就是以人民为本,后者则有着更丰富的内涵.     

“以人为本”的经济伦理价值

1.“以人为本”确立了经济发展的终极价值目标:人的全面发展坚持“以人为本”,就是要关心每个人的利益要求,体现社会主义的人道主义和人文关怀,满足人们的发展愿望和多样性需求,尊重和保障人权;就是要关注人的价值、权益和自由,关注人的生活质量、发展潜能和幸福指数,最终实现人的全面发展。由此而论,“以人为本”为我们确立了经济发展的终极价值目标:人的全面发展。“以人为本”包含着两个层次的问题:第一层次是真理问题,第二层次是价值问题(参见姜志保)。“以人为本”的第一层次问题(真理问题)即人是什么的问题。马克思主义哲学所理解的人…     

微创外科手术的人文关怀

医学存在自然和人丈双重属性.医疗服务必须体现人文关怀.人文关怀的核心是以人为本.强调对人的尊重、理解、关心和爱护,重视人的作用.微创外科是传统外科的一场深刻的技术革命,其哲学基础是以人为本.微创外科手术以患者为主体和中心,提出对患者的主体地位和自由权的尊重;以减少对患者的创伤和痛苦为目的,强调患者的价值和尊严,重视对患者的无限关怀,其开创和发展充分体现了人文关怀的精神实质.     

论以人为本的大学生思想政治教育

以人为本是大学生思想政治教育的基本理念,它要求一切以学生为本,以实现学生的全面发展为目标;要求尊重每一个学生生存和发展的权利,将每一个学生视为教育和培养的目标.以人为本是思想政治教育的本质和功能定位的内在要求,是人的本质和人的全面发展的必然要求,是人的心理的文化本质的根本要求.大学生思想政治教育以人为本,就要用先进的思想文化净化大学生的心灵,用科学的价值观引导大学生的行为,必须动之以情,尊重个性.     

微创外科手术的人文关怀

医学存在自然和人文双重属性,医疗服务必须体现人文关怀。人文关怀的核心是以人为本,强调对人的尊重、理解、关心和爱护,重视人的作用。微创外科是传统外科的一场深刻的技术革命,其哲学基础是以人为本。微创外科手术以患者为主体和中心,提出对患者的主体地位和自由权的尊重;以减少对患者的创伤和痛苦为目的,强调患者的价值和尊严,重视对患者的无限关怀,其开创和发展充分体现了人文关怀的精神实质。     

以人为本的多维溯源

以人为本,是时代精神之精华。从马克思主义哲学、中国传统文化和西方哲学等多个维度,对以人为本予以审视,就可以洞见其多方面的理论渊源。详而言之,以人为本,既是对马克思主义创始人人学思想的继承和发展,又是对我国传统文化中民本学说的洗涤和吸纳,也是对西方哲学中人本观念的扬弃和超越。追溯以人为本的理论渊源,可以深刻体悟其厚实的思想底蕴。     

论"以人为本"的思想渊源和科学内涵

"以人为本"思想的提出有其自身的理论根源."以人为本"不同于"以民为本",因为"民"是"人"的大多数,但"民"并不等同于"人",不能以以民为本代替以人为本,以人为本比以民为本更宽泛.与以人为本相反的原则是以物为本.以人为本最初本来是为了反对以物为本的管理原则提出来的.因此,以人为本的提法有其确切的含义,不能用别的提法笼统地加以取代.提出并肯定以人为本,同提出并肯定人道主义、人性、人权、人权的普遍性、人学等概念一样是理论上的重大突破.     

“以人为本”的社会发展观的哲学前提

“社会发展”问题既是现实的、重大的实践课题, 也是重大的理论课题。党的十六届三中全会明确地把“以人为本”作为社会发展观的核心。我们认为, 改变传统的“社会观”与“发展观”, 确立以人为中心的“社会观”与“发展观”, 是确立“以人为本”的“社会发展观”的哲学基础, 否则, “以人为本”的社会发展观将难以在人们的思想和行动中生根立足; 即使勉强建立起来, 也难免沦为某种形式化的东西并可能走样变形。一、重新反思“社会”与“发展”从哲学理论的角度深入反省以往种种社会发展观的深层缺失, 我们发现, 人们之所以难以形成“以人为…     

Personality and support for universal human rights: a review and test of a structural model

All individual differences that predict support for international human rights are first reviewed: support for human rights is linked most positively to "globalism" (other international and environmental concerns), "identification with all humanity," principled moral reasoning, benevolence, and dispositional empathy. It is related most negatively to ethnocentrism and its root dispositions, the social dominance orientation, and authoritarianism. Other correlates are also noted. Secondly, a structural model of the effects of authoritarianism, social dominance, ethnocentrism and identification with all humanity upon commitment to human rights is presented and tested. Across 2 studies (Study 1, N=218 nonstudent adults; Study 2, N=102 university students), ethnocentrism and identification with all humanity directly predicted human rights commitment. The effects of authoritarianism upon this commitment were fully mediated through enhanced ethnocentrism and reduced identification with all humanity. The effects of social dominance were similar, but its direct effect upon human rights commitment remained significant and was not, in the second study, mediated by reduced dispositional empathy.     

Determinants of Human Rights Attitudes and Behavior: A Comparison and Integration of Psychological Perspectives

Following several political-psychological approaches, the present research analyzed whether orientations toward human rights are a function of right-wing authoritarianism (RWA), social dominance orientation (SDO), basic human values in the sense of Schwartz (1992 ), and political ideology. Three dimensions of human rights attitudes (endorsement, restriction, and enforcement) were differentiated from human rights knowledge and behavior. In a time-lagged Internet survey ( N   =  479), using structural equation modeling, RWA, universalism and power values, and political ideology (measured at Time 1) differentially predicted dimensions of human rights attitudes (measured at Time 2 five months later). RWA and universalism values also predicted self-reported human rights behavior, with the effects mediated through human rights endorsement. Human rights knowledge also predicted behavior. The psychological roots of positive and negative orientations toward human rights, consequences for human rights education, and the particular role of military enforcement of human rights are discussed.     

Overcoming Anthropocentrism: Heidegger on the Heroic Role of the Works of Art

In this paper I argue that although Heidegger's Being and Time and 'The Origin of the Work of Art,' seem to deal with different topics, there is continuity between these two texts. In the latter Heidegger was trying to solve a central problem that arose in the former: how to account for authentic existence and at the same time overcome the anthropocentrism of traditional philosophy.
In Being and Time Heidegger tries to overcome traditional philosophy, by redefining human existence in non-Cartesian terms. Yet, his treatment of the problem of the Self preserves one of the main tenets of that tradition: its anthropocentrism. This anthropocentrism is implicit in Dasein and further reinforced by the notion of the hero as the paradigm and channel of authentic existence.
In 'The Origin of the Work of Art,' Heidegger solves that problem. Placing man at the periphery and the work of art at the centre of his endeavours, gives works of art a special status similar only to that of heroes. Works of art open up new horizons for generations to come by drawing in advance the paths for authentic behaviour.
This shift is more than merely methodological. Heidegger overcomes not only the anthropocentrism of his previous analysis but also the instrumentality that derived from that anthropocentrism, thus revealing the essence of things.     

‘The Only Creature God Willed For Its Own Sake’: Anthropocentrism in Laudato Si’ and Gaudium et Spes

The Second Vatican Council’s constitution Gaudium et Spes stated that man is ‘the only creature on earth that God has willed for its own sake’. Post-conciliar Catholic teaching on the environment largely reproduced this anthropocentric theology. Pope Francis’ encyclical letter Laudato Si’, however, appears directly to contradict this well-established tradition with its repeated assertions of the intrinsic value of nonhuman life and its critical approach to the term ‘anthropocentrism’. Questioning this putative discontinuity, this article challenges the perception that Laudato Si’ has definitively rejected anthropocentrism. It suggests that the claim for the intrinsic value of nonhuman life, and the traditional assertion that man is the only creature willed for its own sake, can be seen to converge in light of the traditional theological anthropology of the human being as microcosm. On this view, the centrality of the human person in the order of creation is constituted by its gathering up of the sakes of creatures. The distinctive place of the human does not come at the expense of the rest of creation, but rather is the means of creation’s movement towards the unity and harmony to which God calls it. Laudato Si’ is distinguished not by its rejection of anthropocentrism, but by its refusal to set human and nonhuman over against one another. In contrast, the language of ‘intrinsic value’ is criticised for conceiving created value as a zero-sum game, as though human and nonhuman value are in competition with one another; the language of ‘stewardship’ is criticised for its extrinsicist conception of the human being in the natural order.     

The Scope of the Argument from Species Overlap

The argument from species overlap has been widely used in the literature on animal ethics and speciesism. However, there has been much confusion regarding what the argument proves and what it does not prove, and regarding the views it challenges. This article intends to clarify these confusions, and to show that the name most often used for this argument (‘the argument from marginal cases’) reflects and reinforces these misunderstandings. The article claims that the argument questions not only those defences of anthropocentrism that appeal to capacities believed to be typically human, but also those that appeal to special relations between humans. This means the scope of the argument is far wider than has been thought thus far. Finally, the article claims that, even if the argument cannot prove by itself that we should not disregard the interests of nonhuman animals, it provides us with strong reasons to do so, since the argument does prove that no defence of anthropocentrism appealing to non‐definitional and testable criteria succeeds.     

Tolerance more than equality? Two facets of tolerance towards immigrants among Czech adolescents

ABSTRACT

This study focused on facets of tolerance towards immigrants among Czech adolescents, drawing on data from 9^th and 10^th graders (n = 2003). The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between tolerance towards immigrants and support for democracy, repression potential, right-wing authoritarianism, and out-group trust. Results showed that tolerance towards immigrants should be treated as a two-dimensional concept: support for equal rights, focused on equality in labour market, housing or access to education, and support for cultural rights, encompassing acceptance of immigrants’ rights to practice their culture and religion. We found that Czech adolescents were generally more supportive of equal rights than of cultural rights, and that out-group trust explained most of the variance for both dimensions of tolerance towards immigrants. The study also indicated ambiguous effects in the relationship between right-wing authoritarianism, repression potential and support for equal/cultural rights of immigrants with out-group trust used as moderating variable.     

Gathered at the Altar: Homosexuals and Human Rights

Abstract

The Catholic Church affirms a double standard regarding homosexuals inside and outside the Church. As evidenced in the teaching of the Bishops' Conference for England and Wales, the (employment) rights of homosexuals are to be defended outside the Church, but not within. This teaching bespeaks a more general ambivalence regarding human rights discourse, which, though it can be used to express what is needed for human flourishing, can tempt us to forget that we are first and last creatures, entirely dependent on others. The Church's teaching on homosexuality is not so much an affront to human rights as the denial of those whom Christ has been gathering at the altar; the queer folk whom he loves in their loving of one another.     

Humour and creativity*

‘He laughed to free himself from his mind's bondage’ (James Joyce). ‘It is very strange that I never get any encouragement from psychiatric audiences when I want to talk about art or humour’ (Gregory Bateson). ‘Let us not always assume that a sense of humour is always mocking. It could be loving’ (Gregory Bateson).     

Gender, sexuality, and the authoritarian personality

The political correlates of the authoritarian personality have been well established by researchers, but important linkages to other major constructs in psychology need fuller elaboration. We present new data and review old data from our laboratories that show the myriad ways in which authoritarianism is implicated in the important domain of gender roles. We show that women and men high in authoritarianism live in rigidly gendered worlds where male and female roles are narrowly defined, attractiveness is based on traditional conceptions of masculinity and femininity, and conventional sexual mores are prescribed. As a construct, authoritarianism is not just relevant for understanding people's politics, but it also affects the most personal of domains--romantic partnerships, lifestyle goals, and basic attitudes about male and female relationships.     

Equanimity and Intimacy: A Buddhist-Feminist Approach to the Elimination of Bias

In this article I criticize some traditional impartiality practices in Western philosophical ethics and argue in favor of Marilyn Friedman’s dialogical practice of eliminating bias. But, I argue, the dialogical approach depends on a more fundamental practice of equanimity. Drawing on the works of Tibetan Buddhist thinkers Patrul Rinpoche and Khenpo Ngawang Pelzang, I develop a Buddhist-feminist concept of equanimity and argue that, despite some differences with the Western impartiality practices, equanimity is an impartiality practice that is not only psychologically feasible but also central to loving relationships. I conclude by suggesting ways that feminist dialogical practices for eliminating bias and meditative practices are mutually supportive.