Belief As The Basis Of Virtues And Its Encounter In Modern Society

Ethics-systematization can't embody the essence of morality, ethics of virtues is the goal of moral construction. Spirits is necessary for virtues. In China, construction of spirits is systemized and ideologized, so it can't succeed. It tells us that the basis of virtues and its conditions needed haven't been made known, virtues' basis is restricted by social background. So research on the basis of virtues and its conditions needed is necessary. This article will do that.This article demonstrates that virtues is the foundation of morality by explanation of virtues'structure. Then, this article put forwards that the knowledge basis of virtues is belief, the feeling basis of virtues is subject's meaning. Belief is the basis of meaning, so this article sums the basis of virtues up as belief.Why virtues based on subject's meaning and belief was weakened in modernity? This article demonstrates the contradiction between ethics of norms and ethics of virtues, the contradiction between scientific-reason and belief, the contradiction between instrumental-reason and meaning-concern, and then draws a conclusion that the three contradictions make virtues and morality weaken in modern society.In China, morality is falling. Ethics-systematization can't accomplish ethics of virtues alone. And constructing ethics of virtues must start from spirits. China has been constructed all kinds of 'spirits 'and 'doctrines' for twenty years, why that can't get ethics of virtues? This article thinks that the Confucian ethics are losing influence, views of values of Socialism are suspended in mid air, unmaturity of modernity in China, the three factors above leads China to morality's falling.In China, constructing ethics of virtues must start from subject's meaning and beliefs. The author thinks three contradictions must be resolved, they are the contradiction between pragmatic-reason and meaning-concern, the contradiction between social polarization and social identity, the contradiction between ideology and belief.