Research On The Synergistic Development Between Public Opinions And Civic Virtue In Contemporary China

Public opinions and civic virtue are important spiritual powers which the open society’s healthy operation relies on, and they play an important role in value leading and codes of conduct in public living. However, with the acceleration of marketization, urbanization, informatization, we have stepped into “stranger society”, where that sets of ethic norms in traditional acquaintance society fades away gradually and public morality rule system hasn’t developed perfectly which needs to be strengthened in one hand. On the other hand, citizens’ participation in public opinions becomes more and more convenient with the coming of “We Media Time” with colorful and complicated social opinions, however, behind which social opinions increasingly polarizes leading to the formation of discourse system and opinion field and usual occurrence of speech conflicts and opposite public opinions. Therefore, we have an increasingly obvious feeling that public opinions are overwhelmed by negative emotions such as fickleness, anxiety, cruelty and fierceness and so on; civic virtue is passivated and eroded by moral confusion, indifference, shame and so on; the differentiation of public opinions and hysteresis of civic virtue have brought heavy spiritual pressure and communication costs for people’s public living. This makes it clear that there are some problems happening in the process of public opinions and civic virtue and solution theories are needed when solving these problems.Aiming at this practical problem, this dissertation gives the solution theories adhering to the following ideas. First of all, in the vision of ethics, what moral qualities and functions do public opinions contain? Secondly, what is the connection between public opinions and morality construction in the modern social life? Finally, how can the synergistic development between public opinions and civic virtue realize in face of the current situation?Based on the theory of public opinion and the historical interpretation, this paper argues that moral qualities of the public opinions mainly include there aspects. Firstly, the debates between reason and interests are the source of moral value in public opinions. Secondly, the evaluation of virtues and vices is the kernel of moral value in public opinions. Thirdly, the expression of honor and disgrace is the demands of moral value in public opinions. Moral functions of public opinions are mainly presented in the following aspects. Firstly, public opinion is an important mechanism to the operation of social morality. Secondly, public opinion is an important resource for individual moral internalization. Thirdly, public opinion is a power for the promotion of moral civilization.In modern public life, public opinion has a natural relationship with social morality, which often reflects the coexistence and co-prosperity. In a word, publicity is the internal feature of civic virtue and public opinions which constitutes value basis of communion between public opinions and civic virtue. This paper analyzes the intrinsic communion of civic virtue and public opinions from there aspects: public missions burdened together, public values focused together and communion mechanisms complementing each other.In reality, we currently confront double dilemmas with regard to civic virtue and public opinions. The so-called double dilemmas are mainly reflected in two aspects in which one aspect refers to the shortcomings existing in the process of the civic virtue and public opinions’ operation respectively, and another aspect refers to poor accommodation and insufficient supports between them. In face of the current dilemmas, this paper holds the view that we must seek the road to coordinate the development of civic virtue and public opinions.As key elements of the social spiritual system, the synergistic development of public opinions and civic virtue refers to the mutual cooperation, coordination with each other, mutual communion and supports, which leads to the synergistic development of other elements of social spirit, realizing the maximization and optimization of the function of social spiritual system. The targeted goals concerning the synergistic development of public opinions and civic virtue mainly reflect in four aspects: the accumulation of social capital, optimization of moral order, conservation of social mentality and promotion of personality. Then, this paper argues the implementation ways of civic virtue and public opinions. From a single point of view, the benign development of public opinions and the upgrading of civic virtue system is the foundation. From a comprehensive perspective, it’s vital for public opinions and civic virtue to cooperate together. Therefore, if we want to realize the synergistic development of public opinions and civic virtue, the need not only lies in “each doing his duty” but also lies in “bring out the best in each other”.The construction of a new public value system must rely on the synergistic development of civic virtue and public opinions. Historical materialism enlightens us that civic virtue and public opinions are products of economic social development and will develop with the continuous development of economic society, which will come into the synergistic development in the end.