Ethics And Economic Relations

The issue of morality exists all the time. The discussion on it has been the focus in the process of social economic development in the long history of China. Ethics is the starting point of morality in the research by all schools of thoughts, that is to say, the self-accomplishment is treated as an emphasized aspect. The focus of all these researches is mainly developed with the connotation of morality.From Mengzi' s congenital morality idea of "the compassion" to the exogenous nature of morality of Xunzi and to the heart-based thought that the heart knows what is right and what is wrong, our ancestors have thoroughly explained the connotation ofMorality. With the evolution of society, especially in the present modern society, Morality itself no longer stresses the process of its self-perfection, but closely integrates morality with the development of the whole economy. With the introduction of market economic system, "profit" will be the greatest motivation which pushes the social development, "benefiting oneself will be released from the trammels of non-morality, that is to say, "benefiting oneself will be included in the realm of morality in the economic operation of morality.The great thinkers of the past held: "benefiting oneself will be the greatest motivation of economic development while morality will be its best motivation." How can the greatest motivation and the best motivation be perfectly combined? What tensions does morality possess in economy? Starting with the present economic formation, this dissertation attempts to analyze the relation between morality and economy by integrating morality into the core of economy, and the endogenous tensions of morality in the process of economic development.The main ideas of this dissertation will explained as follows:1. The exogenous nature of morality: when any moral behaviour alienates from tile present situation of economic society, no matter how lofty the idea is, such moral slogans and moral behaviours, are impossible to last long because if it is forced to be put in an unsuitable economic society. Many examples in the Cultural Revolution can illustrate this point. At that time, combating private property and criticizing revisionism was advocated, but at the same time, in a time when material was in lack, the back door was wide open for people who had power toget more benefits and self interests. "Utter devotion to others" was advocated, while many people struggled hard for increasing some limited salary. Therefore, the exogenous morality can only support temporary idea but it cannot last long, because it may happen that the more those people stick to the morality, the more damage they may get.2. The endogenous nature of morality: in the development of economic society, the exogenous morality does play certain roles, but the main stream is still the endogenousness, and many moral standards and moral ideas are comprehended and formed in the process of economic development. Many century stores in China have been flourishing for a long time because there is something in common between them: faith is beyond everything else. The idea of "honest with all customers" is the aim of economic operation. The introduction of marker economy has brought many new ideas to China which had employed planned economy for tens of years. The basic principles of western economy such as input and output, equilibrium of market demands have become die direction of "feeling motivation ?"benefiting oneself", in particular, has brought treat change into the endogenous significance of morality. Endogenous morality is closer to the development of economic society and it can last long with economy.3. The economic logic of morality: the economic behaviour of morality is both temporary and long-lasting. Chairman Mao Zedong once pointed out that "it is difficult to do good deeds a whole life". The economic behaviour of morality holds the same truth. Enterprises and individuals can logically last long only with super international enterprise from a coll...