On Guyau’s Theory Of Morality Independent Of Obligation Or Sanction

Jean-Marie Guyau is one of the pilots of the Western philosophy of life，ethics isthe main content of his research. In his book called “A sketch of morality independentof obligation or sanction”，he expressed his moral theory systematically. This articleaims to specific and have an in-depth analysis of the main content of his moral theorybased on, from an ethical perspective to clarify the characteristics and limitations of thetheory, and then reveal its moral theory in the practical significance of the referenceand social life of contemporary theoretical construction.Deeply influenced by the late Stoic philosophy, GuYau advocates to exploremoral philosophy from experiences of life, and integrated their philosophy into hisown moral theory. The idea about moral evolution of Darwin and Spencer also inspiredGuyau to interpret moral from the perspective of the evolution of life. Fouillèe’s “forceof concept moral” has an influence on his thory to explain the occurrence of moralbehavior from people’s minds and will. Traditional moral theory from the people’sawareness of life in the demonstration of moral obligation to do priori assumptionstend to ignore the fact that the empirical life performance is mandatory and binding,which promotes Guyau to get a scientific natural morality from life facts.With a pure principal thinking, from the relationship between life and moralperspective, Guyau discusses the main content of their own moral theorysystematically. In the nature of life,“vitality”,“spread”, had a “moral reproductive”moral sources, clarified by the “moral the reproductive principle”, Guyau illustrates life is the foundation of moral. He views moral obligation as a “life momentum” fromthe life of unconscious motivation, concept of ideology, social emotional, the result ofthe unconscious moral instinct role of the love of adventure and struggle, and thus it isspontaneous, moral sanctions no longer need, but the main external manifestations oflife management.From the relationship between life and moral, his moral theory maintains thatmoral should regress to the life: moral comes from the nature of life, the essence ofmoral is life harmony of the subject, the progress of moral is associated with lifeevolution, the realization of moral demands subject to take the initiative to create newlife in the guidelines of the moral ideals. The nature of life contains selfishness andaltruism, that realized the egoism and altruism become harmony in the progress of thesocialization life evolution. But overemphasize Moral subjectivity; he neglects the factof life evil, which makes his moral theory lacks evil correct.Guyau constructs moral theory from the irrational aspect of the people, andrecommend Original idea about moral evolution, which provides useful inspiration forthe construction of today’s moral theory. It encourages us to take the initiative to createnew life, perfect ourselves and make contributions to society to realize self-worth inthe socialization life, also persuades us to take the initiative to assume SocialResponsibility.