Ethic and morality are key concepts for understanding ethics and moral philosophy. In previous research, the two notions are often indistinguishable and even interchangeable, because they share the same origin in terms of meaning, both referring to social customs, habits, protocols, and so forth. However, the development of academic history reveals important distinctions between ethics and morality, even regarding which of them holds the authority to interpret the other. For example, Hegel elevated morality to ethic, while Li Zehou advocated the study of morality from the perspective of ethic. Their studies indicate that ethics and morality have synchronic interpretations, meaning that they can be explained mutually. An obvious trend in the development of contemporary ethics is the gradual departure from the “stereotype” that “ethics is moral philosophy,” moving instead towards engaging with and serving the real and new “human relations” world with a broader horizon in a unique manner, thus achieving the “free development” characterized by distinction yet not separation from moral philosophy. This will propel moral philosophy to be oriented towards the shaping of individual virtues, and ethics to the regulation of interest relationships over ethical entities. In this context, it may become feasible to conceptualize morality without ethical norms and ethics without moral imperatives, and resolve the dispute between so-called virtue ethics and normative ethics.
Both Western and Chinese civilizations have constructed ethical worlds based on the structures of family and state. In the Western “country” civilization, the fate of this ethical world is marked by a “tragic sentiment,” whereas in the Chinese Guojia civilization, the cultural conditions and ethical spirit are characterized by “family-state sentiment.” This sentiment transcends mere family spirit or patriotism, embodying an integrated ethical sentiment that encompasses the individual, family, state, and all under Heaven. The ethical wisdom of family-state justice in Guojia civilization comprises both everyday wisdom and extraordinary wisdom. Everyday wisdom permeates the entire life and existence of individuals, manifesting through various national festivals. Extraordinary wisdom refers to the ethical wisdom that reconciles conflicts between family and state, historically and logically unfolding into two traditional forms: the state-centered “loyalty to the country” and the family-centered “mutual concealment out of kinship loyalty.” The issue of family-state ethical justice has accompanied the century-long process of modern Chinese civilization, from the Chinese revolution to the reform and opening-up period. This process reflects a dialectical progression of “ethical construction—ethical revolution—ethical liberation.” Modern Chinese civilization remains the Guojia civilization but has evolved into new forms and faces new challenges. It is imperative to achieve creative transformation and innovative development of the Guojia civilization through communal ethical justice, contributing to the creation of a new form of human civilization marked by distinct Chinese characteristics.
In contrast to Western intellectualism and Indian spiritualism, Chinese culture is characterized by a virtue-oriented spirit that emphasizes morality and goodness. Amidst the impact of Western culture, numerous scholars and official documents have explored, argued for, and articulated this overarching spirit. The virtue-oriented spirit of Chinese culture is primarily manifested in the following aspects: morality as a distinctive feature in the formation and development of Chinese culture; morality as the core of all cultural elements; the supremacy of morality as fundamental to Confucian doctrine; and morality as the essence of cultural identity and daily life for the populace. The core and essence of promoting the fine traditional Chinese culture lie in fostering the virtue-oriented spirit of Chinese culture. This virtue-oriented spirit holds significant contemporary value in guiding and integrating society, harmonizing interpersonal relationships, and cultivating noble character.
Developing a socialist moral evaluation system with Chinese characteristics should be rooted in the dynamic practice and practical needs of building socialism with Chinese characteristics while drawing on the intellectual resources and philosophical wisdom from the historical evolution of Chinese society and its rich cultural traditions. Traditional Chinese society has embraced a pluralistic moral cultural philosophy, creating a multifaceted moral evaluation system that integrates Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist elements. This system, marked by distinct Chinese characteristics, recognizes the moral values of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism as valid moral standards, applying them in various contexts to assess people’s moral attitudes towards work, achievements, and other aspects, thus forming a diverse pattern of traditional Chinese moral evaluations. This pluralistic moral evaluation system serves as a value beacon for the moral life of the Chinese nation in traditional society and continues to offer significant moral guidance in present-day Chinese society. The traditional Chinese moral evaluation system remains a powerful force in shaping the moral character of the present-day Chinese nation and promoting moral positivity, providing valuable insights for the development of a socialist moral evaluation system with Chinese characteristics.
"Whether emotions can serve as the foundation for morality is what emotional ethics concerns and involves in the first place. Based on the theory of inherent humanity, pre Qin Confucian scholars established the foundation of ethics and morality by distinguishing humans from animals, that is, the “ease of heart” indicates the dynamics and rationality of humanity. They regarded “being true to conscience” and “ease of heart” as the basis for moral behavior. The heart is the source of moral consciousness, and its ease is the foundation of moral behavior. Morality is rooted in people’s natural needs and physical feelings. It concerns the self and evokes a sense of home. “Ease” is not only about ease of conscience but also involves benevolence, righteousness, and etiquette. The ease of heart represents a unity of “emotion and rationality” and “conscience and norms.” This paper reconstructs the basic problem domain of Confucian ethics of emotion from the perspectives of “what is ease,” “where to be at ease,” and “how to be at ease,” reflects on the dilemma posed when interpreting the dichotomy between emotion and rationality, and attempts to explore a “thick concept” approach to interpreting Confucian ethics, so as to better demonstrate the spiritual origin and embodied thinking characteristics of Confucian ethics."
"Since the implementation of the reform and opening up, China has made substantial progress and significant achievements in ethics research, leading to the establishment of a well rounded discipline system and the development of a distinctive research tradition. While it is essential to uphold tradition, it is equally important to transcend it. In future ethics research, we should transcend the traditional approach dominated by learning and imitating Western philosophy and organizing historical materials, and progress towards a more advanced stage that emphasizes innovative development. The new generation of scholars should effectively utilize mainstream academic resources, especially the main spirit reflected therein. While showing respect and appreciation for the theoretical contributions of earlier generations of ethics scholars, they should expand their horizons to foster an ethics research pattern and atmosphere that align with the new era."