A Research Into The Moral Thoughts Of Yuanpei Cai

Yuanpei Cai, an outstanding democratic revolutionist, thinker, and educationalist in China's modern and contemporary history, is the founder of the discipline of Chinese ethics history and the discipline of modern ethics. He was praised by Chairman Mao as great academic master and model of the world. The research into Cai's thoughts and education practice occurred during his lifetime, reached to a climax after his death, and then gradually faded away.Since reform and opening-up, this research comes into renewed activity after a period of quiescence. People have gained a certain achievements in the research of his philosophical thought, political thought and educational thought. But, by contrast, the study on the moral thought seemed rather backward.The existing works and papers paid attention to the moral thought of Yuanpei Cai in varying degrees. But general speaking, their analysis is neither comprehensive nor acute. It is easy to find the disproportion between the research into Cai's thoughts and Cai's contribution to China's modern and contemporary ethics history. In view of this, this thesis attempts to expound the moral thought of Yuanpei Cai through the analysis of the different arguments of all ages in the east and west and the analysis of the modern civic virtues. Thus the reasonable elements in Cai's thoughts will be enhanced.The thesis consists of three parts including an introduction and eight chapters. Chapter One is the first part. In this part, a brief survey is given of the historical background and philosophical basis of Cai's moral thought, providing the grounds for further systematical research. Part Two, from Chapter Two to Chapter Seven, presents a thorough investigation into Cai's thoughts including the theory on the moral principles and norms, the theory on moral traits and conducts, the theory on moral education and civilization, thus bringing out the main findings and characteristics of Cai's moral thought. By exploring the significance andvalue of Cai's moral thought, Chapter Eight, the last part, puts forward a realistic comments on Cai's achievements and historical position.The first chapter illustrates the historical background and philosophical basis where Cai's moral thought stems. His moral thought is considered to be the logical achievements in the trends of thoughts on ethic criticism and moral revolutionary in modern China; the synthetic products of east and west cultures and a generation of advanced Chinese intellects' psychological development and pursuit of morality in the duet of salvation and enlightenment. Although he was deeply influenced by traditional moral culture, Cai didn't confine himself to it. Cai's moral thought retraces its cultural base to the fine tradition of ancient Chinese morality and trends of thoughts on ethic criticism and moral revolutionary in modern China. At the same time, Darwinian Theory, Spencer's Social Organic Theory, Kropotkin's Mutual Aid Theory, Schopenhauer's Voluntarism, Kantian Dualism and the substance of freedom, equality and fraternity preached in French Revolution operated on his mind and constituted his philosophical basis. The logical starting point of his moral thought can be inferred that the resurgence of the nation depends on the cultivation of sound national personality and the training of national character.From Chapter2 to Chapter7, the thesis focuses on the total study of Cai's moral thought, including the analysis of Cai's theory on target and purposes of ethics, the theory on moral principles and norms, the theory on moral traits and moral conducts, the theory on family ethics, professional ethics, social morality and national morality, the theory on moral education and personality formation, and the theory on Chinese ethics history. All of these draw the outline of its theory frame.Through the analysis of Cai Yuanpei's two pairs of core categories—"the active morality" and "the passive morality", "the new morality" and "the old morality"—the thesis points out that his ethic cultural perspective "comprehensive digestion andsynthesis innovation" on the disputes in moral field at all times and in all countries, taking on definite rationality and historical progressiveness.His dissertation on the moral principles of groupism , humanism, sacred labour and their adaptive ethics principles incarnates his incorporation of diverse reasonable factors on moral principles from ancient to modern times, at home and abroad, and the synthesis creation on the basis of it, not only reflecting the temporary requirements of moral revolution and ethic enlightenment, but also concluding the thoughts of basing upon our own country while facing the world, as well as basing upon the realities while facing the futurity. The theory on moral principles and norms is reflected in such aspects as individual morality, moral life, moral education and personality cultivation. The thesis takes for that Cai's idea of individual morality grasp firmly its relationship with social morality, that his theories of deontology, conscience, idealism, moral teleology and moral evaluation, etc., with its own characteristics, possesses abundant meanings.lt also regards that the family ethics requirements "family oriented in a nation", the professional ethic "the great rub shoulders with the humble", and the social morality pursuing "justice, equity, cooperation and harmony", put forward by Cai Yuanpei in the field of human moral life, have laid the groundwork for the basic principles and criterion system of modern ethics.Surpassing his contemporaries, Cai Yuanpei regarded the moral education and the personality civilization as the ultimate care of human value, forming a completely new theory with equal attention to the education on the moral education as the nucleus, formation of people's "full personality" as the objective, and indispensable outlook education and beauty education.What's more, it is Cai's initial exploration into Chinese ethics history that makes China, the venerable country with a long history of 5000 years, develop the disciplinized ethic history.Chapter Eight discusses the historical status and practical meaning of...