A Study Of Deng Xiaoping Thought On Economic Ethics

In his leading China’s reform and opening-up and socialist modernization drive, Deng Xiaoping, the chief designer, took Marxist economic ethics as the guidance to resolve major ethical issues in the economic construction. He adhered to and enriched the Marxist economic ethics and draw inspirations from excellent western and eastern economic ethics which displayed the spirits of both inheritance and breakthroughs. Anchored on China’s national conditions and their characteristics, a unique and complete economic ethics system has also formed. Therefore, a thorough and serious study on Deng Xiaoping’s economic ethics and their contemporary values is of both theoretical and practical significance.This disserfation briefly analyzes Deng Xiaoping’s economic ethics which are of various factors. They are not only closely linked to his educational and family background, personal characters, psychological states, social environment and growth experience but also related to cultural traditions, political stance and advocation, economic system, time background, social types, ideals and beliefs. It can be said that the formation is the choice of history, the times, the people and culture. This disserfation discusses in detail the domestic background and points our that the basic national conditions are objective prerequisites and realistic conditions of his thoughts. The development of socialist market economy is their economic conditions. Meanwhile, this disserfation also describes Deng Xiaoping’s legendary life experience, his qualities as a Marxist theorist, his intelligence as a stafesman, all of which constitute the subjective conditions of his thoughts. With reference to the current international backdrop of political and economic development, this disserfation holds that peace and development as the theme of the times is the time background, economic globalization is the international condition, the rapid advancement of new scientific and technological revolution provides abundant nourishment.This disserfation couducts a deep analysis on the theoretical origins of Deng Xiaoping’s economic ethics.(1)The traditional Chinese economic ethics. The inheritance is mainly manifested in the following aspects: the justice profit outlook of “justice above profit’’, public-private value of “public above private”, the wealth value of “balance, etiquette”, the nature value of “harmony between human and nature”, the consumption value of “thrift above extravagance”.(2)Marxist-Engels economic ethics. The inheritance is mainly manifested in the following aspects: the ethics are the products of the social and economic conditions. He discussed the utilitarianism of capitalism and socialism, the relationship of human and nature, responded to basic problems of ecological ethics, and analyzed the moral risks of money worship under capitalist conditions, and the values and pursuits of human beings’ freedom and all-round development.(3) Lie Ning’s economic ethics. The inheritance is mainly manifested in the following aspects: economic ethics and morals are determined by economic development; ethical analysis of economic systems of capitalism and socialism; the values and standards of economic ethics are efficiency and justice; the unity of individual and social interests; consumption ethics, etc.(4)Mao Zedong’s economic ethics. The inheritance is mainly manifested in the following aspects: the direct purpose of economic activities is to meet people’s needs for existence and development; the supreme goal is to achieve ideal and lofty economic and moral characters;economic development should be based on basic national conditions and the knowledge of objective laws of economic development;should be put in the first place about people’s life should be cared of and people’s interests; carry on the qualities of thrift and hard work; attach importance to interests of countries, groups and individuals.Deng Xiaoping’s economic ethics are profound and have abundant meanings. The disserfation discusses many major economic ethics rules and moral conventions.(1) Putting people in the first place is the fundamental value orientation of Deng Xiaoping’s economic ethics. They are demonstrated in the following aspects: people’s interests of paramount significance, the coordination of equity and efficiency, and coordinated development of population, resources and environment. The idea of “putting people first” breaks the restriction of economic, moral and instrumental people. It truly realizes all-round development of people by overcoming the restrictions of economic people and advocating cultivation of good-quality people; it overcomes restrictions of moral people by enhancing anti-corruption and advocating clean government and the master status of people; it overcomes restrictions of instrumental people to be conducive to social justice and harmony. It requires that the government should satisfy people’s pursuit for interests, attach importance to the issue of “agriculture, rural areas and farmers and improve people’s livelihood and stick to the goal of common prosperity.(2)Developing productivity and realizing common prosperity are fundamental goals and features of Deng Xiaoping’s economic ethics. On the basis of a deep analysis of characteristics of the times, scientific knowledge of national conditions and summary of historial experience, Deng Xiaoping made a systematical analysis of the relation between material interests and ethical morals,putting forward basic principles for people to observe in economic activities under the socialist market economy. Besides, he also proposed to keep up with the times, according to objective requirements of market economy, strengthening moral construction with the focus on economic development and promote moral construction through economic development. He also proposed to promote sustainable development through moral construction, attaching equal importance to the construction of material and spiritual civilization so as to let them reinforce with each other. One characteristic of Deng Xiaoping’s economic ethics is the emphasis on utilitarianism. He emphasized to full respect individual material interests. He regarded development of productivity and common prosperity as the essential requirement of socialism. According to this, it is advocated that part of the population might realize prosperity first and help other so as to attain the goal of common prosperity. Prosperity through hard work and in legal way is encouraged.(3)Harmony between human beings and nature is the important principle of the thoughts. Based on China’s national conditions and exploration of socialist development path and socialist modernization drive, Deng Xiaoping summarized the ecological problems emerging from economic development, draw lessons from the experience of developed countries in coordinating human beings and nature to solve the conflicts between economic development and environmental construction. He emphasized population control, environmental protection, resources development and adherence to the law of harmonious development between human beings and nature so as to achieve coordinated economic and environmental development and common development of population, resources, environment. He also stressed enhancing the improvement of ecological environment and following the path of sustainable development and develop science and technology to promote ecological protection and construction.(4)Collectivism is the fundamental principle of Deng Xiaoping’s economic ethics. Anchored on the realities of China’s reform and opening-up and socialist market economy, Deng Xiaoping made new adaptation to the basic requirements of collectivism and put forward socialism collectivism with the Chinese characteristics in an innovative way. In accordance to it, the unity of the interests of the country, the collectivity and the people are emphasized and the legitimate interests of individuals are cared of and guaranteed. It is the basic value orientation to adjust the relations of different interest groups according to the principle of coordination. When there is any conflict between individual interests and interests of the country or collective, individuals should obey the interests of the country and the collective, which is the lofty moral pursuit of socialist collectivism. It is the essential requirement of collectivist morals to oppose such negative and decadent thoughts as individualism, cliquism and local protectionism.(5)Priority is given to efficiency while accommodating equity is the core aspiration of Deng Xiaoping’s economic ethics. He held that productivity development in any form represents a kind of moral progress. In the initial stage of socialism, giving priority to efficiency is of moral value, because it corresponds to the social development law, meets the fundamental interests of the people, and is conducive to the guarantee of social equity and justice. He also thought that efficiency is as important as equity in terms of ethics, and that only when a society attaches importance to the development and efficiency can equally be given equal importance. Equity and justice are important securities of priority to efficiency. Realization of equity is the essential requirement of socialism.Equity and justice are crucial to maintaining of social stability.(6) Honesty and credibility are core principles of Deng Xiaoping’s economic ethics. He held that credibility was of overriding significance. With the deepening reform and opening-up, Deng Xiaoping made new adaption to the role of “honesty and credibility” in China’s socialism market economy based on the practice and experience. Honesty and credibility are the “soul” of the development of socialist economy, the foot-stone of enterprises’ production and operation, the intangible asset of the enterprise, the capital for enterprises to exist and the fundamental requirement to protect the people’s interests. As for how to build the honesty and credibility system adaptable to the socialist market economy, Deng Xiaoping held that the government should enhance moral education, foster honesty concepts among the people, carry forward the virtues of honesty cherished by the Chinese nation, strengthen construction of the legal system and guarantee the sound development of the market economy.Through the vertical comparison and horizontal comparison the disserfation, deeply elaborates four unique and distinct features of Deng Xiaoping’s economic ethics as follows.(1) Inherited development. Deng Xiaoping’s economic ethics and Mao Zedong’s economic ethics thought are the development of the inheritance of Chinese traditional economic ethics, which shows in the following aspects: Deng Xiaoping’s economic ethics value is under the conditions of the primary stage of socialism, avoided from the “left” errors which overlooked the China’s national conditions. Deng Xiaoping inherited and developed Mao Zedong’s view. Deng xiaoping’s socialism embodies the value orientation of “the equality of interests and righteousness”.He proposed to take profit as a beacon of morality, and advocated one part of the people became prosperous first, by means of hard working, honest labor and lawful managemen, which is named as the profit or the fortune. Economic ethics value pursuit is common prosperity and the realization of economic ethics value is results of the whole Nation’s People.(2) Dialectical thinking, which displays in the follows aspects. Compared with Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping put more emphasis on the role of the identity of contradiction in the development process, stressing the absorption and utilization of advanced civilization achievements of capitalism and harmonious existence of socialism and capitalism under certain conditions. Deng Xiaoping emphasized the combination of constitution and systematic theory of dialectical unity. Deng Xiaoping introduced the systematic theory into the dialectics idea, requiring that we not only considered the contradiction of matters, but also took the multi-factors, multi-level interrelated interactions, mutual constraints, mutual coordinations into consideration. Deng Xiaoping paid much attention to obeying the rule of dialectics. Especially, he is good at using the method of contradiction analysis, which reveals the all kinds of mutual coupling and transforming dialectical relationship of China’s socialist modernization construction, such as the relationship between commonness and individuality, plan and market, politics and economy, speed and efficiency, fairness and efficiency, the order of richness and common wealth, independent policy and opening-up policy, material civilization and spiritual civilization, the relationship of reform, development and stability, global view and local view, the analysis of the relationship between essence and phenomenon. All the problems had the nature of the conflict analysis.(3) Times. Deng Xiaoping’s economic ethics is the product of the era, which is formed based on the deep observation, accurate analysis and rational judgment of the theme, nature and characteristics of the current era, which are dynamic. It reflects to the several domains: it adapted to the convertible era themes. Deng Xiaoping’s economic ethics, such as mutual benefit, fairness and reasonability, and peace were adapting to new demand of the transformable era themes. Furthermore, it also met the objective requirement of the times. Finally, it met the demand of revolution of scientific and technological development of the whole world.(4) Practice. Deng Xiaoping’s economic ethics is the theoretical reflection of some important economic ethics problems in the process of Chinese characteristic socialism modernization construction. Under the platform of market economy, ethic-oriented thoughts hold the belief in realizing the common prosperity, with the principle of the unity of righteousness and its core is that the people’s interests are the base of development and fairness. It experienced the exam of China’s reform and opening up and socialist modern construction and proved to be scientific, accurate and practical.The disserfation analyzes and explores the contemporary value of Deng Xiaoping’s economic ethics under the connection of practice of contemporary economic construction and the orientation of major economic ethical problems. The values of this theory are as follows:(1) Handling the relationship between human beings and nature correctly and constructing ecological civilization.The harmony between the man and nature is an important content and characteristics of Deng Xiaoping’s economic ethics. Ecological civilization construction is placed in a prominent position in the report of the 18 th people’s congress of the communist party of China and promoted the ecological civilization construction to the same strategic height with economic construction, political construction, cultural construction, social construction, putting it into the overall layout of constructing socialism with Chinese characteristics “five parts as one whole”, which further illustrated our Party’s will and determination to strengthen the construction of ecological civilization in the guidance of the Deng Xiaoping’s theory of the harmonious development between human beings and nature. The specific requirements of that theory are as follows. Firstly, the ideological basis of construction of ecological civilization is building up the idea of protecting the environment. Second, adhering to the road of sustainable development and promoting the construction of ecological civilization, leads to the realization of nation’s sustainable development. Thirdly, making full use of the strength of modern science and technology will eradicate the ecological crisis and promote the construction of ecological civilization. Finally, in order to guarantee the ecological civilization construction, we should strengthen the construction of the law and legal system.(2) In the process of the realization of the Chinese dream we should, adhere and promote the ideal of common prosperity. Common prosperity is an important part of Deng Xiaoping’s economic ethics. During the new historical period, we should comprehensively, accurately and completely understand Deng Xiaoping’s theory of common prosperity, and promote it in the process of realization of the Chinese dream. Requirements of adhering to this ideal is to, firstly, develop the social productivity to accumulate the material basis for the common prosperity; second deepen the reform in the field of benefits distribution; third improve the reform of system of tax reduction and charitable donations to support charity; finally, carry forward the spirit of mutual benefit, people in the developed districts offer actual help to the underdeveloped regions and individuals to promote common prosperity.(3) Advocating the spirit i.e. “the most glorious is labor” and promoting the entrepreneurship and innovation.Advocating labor glory spirit is the traditional virtue of the Chinese nation, and it is also the important content of Deng Xiaoping’s economic ethics.This brilliant idea possesses a great practical guiding significance to the promotion of the business and the innovation. The requirements to reach the goal is, firstly, let the slogan i.e. “labor is glorious, which can create prosperity” become an ictus of times; secondly, in the process of innovation, every one can do their best; lastly, ensuring the rights and interests of laborers offers them a decent and dignified work.(4)Accelerating and promoting the country’s development and innovation is by means of respecting knowledge and talents. “Science and technology is the first productive force”, “respect knowledge, and respect talents” and so on are important contents of Deng Xiaoping’s economic ethics, which is undoubtedly an important guiding role in the construction of an innovative country.Requirements are as follows: promoting the leapfrog development of science and technology with Chinese characteristics on the base of enhancing the independent innovation ability is premise of the development of science and technology; deeply reforming science mechanism and technology system to fully stimulate the creativity of the whole society and speed up the transformation of scientific and technological achievements into realistic productivity; showing respect to knowledge and talents and adopting strategy relying on promoting science and education and the strategy of reinvigorating China through human resource development.(5)Being honest and trustworthy to promote the development and perfection of social credit system.Honest spirit is an important content of Deng Xiaoping’s economic ethics and has important practical guidance for present construction of social credit system.It requires, firstly, the construction of social credit system should be guided by the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, on the basis of legal system, taking credit system as the core,is the formation of a social credit system and operational mechanism should be integrate, possessing a clear division of responsibilities and running efficient and effective regulation. Secondly, we should intensify propaganda and education of honesty and we should trustworthiness, cultivating credit consciousness of the whole society, to foster good social credit. Finally, perfect laws and regulations to establish transparent and efficient regulatory system.