东西方文化的人性观差异及其对道德认知的影响

人性观,即认为人性究竟是本善的还是本恶的,不仅是哲学思辨的焦点,也是日常生活中形成的一种常人理论(lay theory)。对于东西方文化传统的检视表明,西方文化占主导地位的是性恶论人性观,东方文化占主导地位的则是性善论人性观。研究通过实证数据支持了这一结论,发现中国被试相对于美国被试,对于人性的主观评定更倾向于性善的一端(研究1)。这种人性观差异导致中国被试在道德方面,尤其是规范性道德(行善)方面,对人提出了更高的要求(研究1),并且这种因果关系得到了启动实验的支持(研究2)。这些研究结果有助于人们更好地理解文化如何塑造了人们对于人性和道德的看法。

Differences in the View of Human Nature between Eastern and Western Cultures and Its Influence on Moral Cognition

The view of human nature—that is,whether human nature is good or evil—is not only the focus of philosophy but also a lay theory formed in daily life.Review of Chinese and Western cultures shows that Western culture is dominated by the theory of the original evil of human nature while Eastern culture is dominated by the theory of the original goodness of human nature.This study supported its conclusion through empirical data and found that Chinese participants subjective evaluations of human nature was more inclined toward goodness than American participants(Study 1).This difference in the view of human nature led to higher requirements for Chinese people in terms of morality,especially normative morality(good deeds)(Study 1),and this causal relationship was supported by a priming experiment(Study 2).These findings help us to better understand how culture shapes people's perceptions of human nature and morality.