On The Issue Concerning The "Foundations" Of Ethical Norms

The"foundations"of ethical norms has been one of the most basic problems during the ethical inquiring history, and one fundamental ground according to which various ethical norms has been judged to see whether they have the legitimacy and rationality, yet it has been one of the most difficult questions during ethics history.In the first place is the definition of the concept of"foundation", which determinates the scope and subjects in this work. The definition cannot be derived simply from the semantics analysis of the"foundation"concept, but should be in connection with the nature and properties of ethical norms. This dissertation starts from the nature of ethical norms as social and institutional reality, focuses on the accounts of"normativity"characteristics and requirement of ethical norms, carries out the research about the issue of"foundations"of ethical norms.According with the nature and characteristics of ethical norms, there are mainly three fields that have to be deal with concerning the denotations of"foundation"concept. The first is the meaning of"source", that is, where it came from, which is the descriptive, empirical and phenomenological denotation. This dimension about the understanding of"foundation"might limit the research about the foundations of ethical norms mainly in sociological, historical and hermeneutical fields, and makes the research program more become some kind of causal accounts about its springing up and functions, which is one kind of"traced"methods. In light of the"traced"and"coming"interpretations, it wants to show the legitimacy of ethical norms, so this kind of approaches focuses on the"legitimacy"issue. The second meaning is"reasons", emphasizes theoretical and logical justifications of ethical norms, focuses on the"justification"issue. The third is the meaning of"validity"and"acceptance", focuses on the practicality and normativity of ethical norms. In a sense it would not become one ethical norm, if it cannot be accepted and followed by agents. This dimension focuses on the acceptance, subscription, motivation issues, contrary to the former two dimensions about"legitimacy"and"justification", this dimension can be called"validity".In the second place, our times, called scientific and post-metaphysical epoch, have influences upon the methodology in ethics researching, From which may follow two kinds of effects, on the one hand, we have to explore what kind of accounts about"foundations"would be recognized as"legitimate", and what kind of researching methods would be thought of valid in this epoch. On the other hand, it can show us the fundamental significance that the theoretical backgrounds and idea frameworks have in our epoch on the probing into the foundations of ethical norms.Logically, there may be three kinds of fundamental approaches to the research about ethical norms'foundations. 1, Ontological approaches, which attempt to derive ethical norms or principles directly from the word (realism); 2, Logical methods or approaches, which want to derive"ought"from"is", as well as other logical approaches; 3, Practical approaches, which provide ethical norm with constructivist or pragmatist reasons (constructivism).This dissertation concretely analyzed moral realism and constructivism, which are the two kinds of models that have probed and given some answers to the question about ethical norms'foundations, and show their advantages and problems respectively in their argumentations concerning the resolve to the issue of ethical norms'foundations. In course of the analysis, logical methods or justification as well as their problems involved, are demonstrated obviously through the probing into"open question","Euthyphro dilemma", and"transcendental justification". At the same time, contrary to traditional ethics, which puts the"objectivity"in the centre of probe into the issue of legitimacy and justification of ethical norms, this dissertation, on the one hand, studies some philosophical thoughts about objectivity, on the other hand, according to the"normative"characteristics, proposes that the objectivity justification cannon be the legitimate justification for the foundations of ethical norms.This dissertation also analyzes communicative ethics, because communicative ethics is concerned with the grounding of the normativity itself. Its central focus is the problem of the rational validation or justification of metaethical principles, including the specification of appropriate validation procedures. It stresses the unavoidable and rationally necessary"premises"of argumentation, and hopes to resolve the problem about"foundations"of ethical norms and ethics itself.In the last place, focusing on the relationship between universality and rationality of ethics theoretical justification, and the validity and speciality of acceptance and action, taking the examples concerning argumentations of"kinship","universal", and"environmental (ecological)"ethical thoughts, this dissertation demonstrates the social historical natures and evolving laws of ethical normative foundations. It maybe further the research program in the globalization and post-metaphysical epoch, and further the thinking of our ethical problems.