Contemporary Situation In The Theory Of Value And Modernity

Modernity is a movement of social changes which initiated in the western world and then outspreaded to other parts of the world. Modernity regarded as a project for the life world includes a series of new conceptions of values such as individualism, rationalism, market economy, democratic politics and so on. and its core conception is the freedom of individual. The liberation and freedom of individual is the great achievement that modernity brought to us. However, with the change of life practice, in the present age. modernity is considered as a difficult problem. The problem of modernity results from modernity, and means people's discontentment to modernity. So the problematic symptom of the modern society lies in the modernity itself. At present, the most significant problem of modernity has three aspects: firstly, the meaning of human life; secondly, the justice of the society; thirdly, the contradiction between human development and the environment. The essence of the problem of modernity is the human rights and obligation. Therefore it calls for people to retrospection and reconstruction modernity.In this paper the studies of the theory of value in the contemporary circumstances and the special way of affiliation of modernity are the theme. The problem of modernity requires the philosophers rethinking about the human beings and their value conceptions, the principle of practice and the relationship between a person and the society, human being and the world, human being and the cosmos. And based on the over all philosophical thinking, can we study and solve the problems. At present, in philosophy there appears " the axiological turning ", and the study of axiology becomes the main stream and the center in the modern philosophical study, which means to reconstruct the philosophy in terms of putting the axiology in the center and make the axiology a fundamental philosophical concept. The problem of modernity calls for axiology philosophy. The happiness of man lies in the creative life. Axiology philosophy is capable of and good at searching the way to the happiness.To talk with philosophers on the problems of modernity. Post-modernism is the most important and influential cultural trends which spreads all around the world. The basic theme of post-modernity is to research the symptom and question of modern society, to put forward theory design for the conquer of culture contradiction and the step out of modernity plight. The basic characteristics of post-modernity are to deny and transcend the theory base and thinking mode and value trends of western mainstream culture. Michel Foucault and J.Derrida put forward radical post-modernity axiology, David Ray Griffin and John B. Cobb put forward constructive post-modernity axiology, Emmanuel Levinas put forwards "the others" ethics. All these are three post-modernity reflections to the problems of modernity. The value theory of Post-modernism is not only defection but also exploration for human future life.Rawls attempts to solve the modernity question of social justice in his justice theory. He put forward two principles of justice: "the principle of greatest equal liberty" and "the difference principle". His two principles of justice attempt to conciliate freedom and equality. In a sense, Political Liberalism is still an extension of a Theory of Justice. Rawls considers democratic society is reasonable multi-society, he tries to seek a consensus in a multi-society because a consensus of justice is not only necessary but is strictly limited in "political field".Modernity is Habermas'consciousness of question and theme of theory. His axiological thought is the logical outspread of modernity theory. Habermas who stands on the position ofmodernity considers modernity still as an "unfinished project". Communicative rationality is the base and spirit of Habermas' theory, which focuses on "discourse ethics". Jurisprudence, political philosophy, aesthetics and the theory of culture are the extension and actual application of Communicative rationality, wh...