The Modern Alteration Of Traditional Family Ethical Principles Of China

At first the thesis summarizes the contents of the traditional family ethicalprinciples. This kind of family ethic has its own characteristic,which is embodied inthe patriarchal ethical that was family standard,family and state together and emphasizingpatriarchal hierarchy.This kind of instruction of the family ethic was a useful meansto keep Chinese society stable. At present,the traditional family ethical principle has altered with the developingof the Chinese society.The thesis holds that there are two reasons influence the familyethic.One is social conditions.another is the structure and function of the family.Thealteration of the family ethical principles embody two sides.The first one is thealteration of ethical rules between husband and wife,which is changed from the authoritycentered on the husband to the mutual equality and harmony between males andfemales.Traditional society is the one centering the authority on males and husbands,while the females have lower status in society and family.In the opinion of modem familyethic,both husband and wife are equal.In every day life the couple should respect eachother and care for each other,enj oying and sharing family'S rights and duties alltogether.The second iS the alteration of the ethical roles between father and son,whichis changed from one—way filial piety to two—way affection.The filial piety wasunilaterally emphasized,in the traditional family ethic,pushing the unequal relationshipbetween father and son to the maximum shift from the filial piety to the loyalty even tostupid ones at last.From the part of modem family ethic the relationship between fatherand son should be SO equal that it should be based on mutual respect and endurance.Thefamily ethic takes on a trend of freedom,self-reliance and independence out of autocracy and dependence. In the end the thesis points out the traditional family ethic has the important valuetoday. The modem family ethic should bases on the traditional family.The correct methodis to link up the cultures of Chinese and western family ethic,and to connect the culturesof the traditional modem family ethic according to the practical need in the course ofsocialist modernization construction.According to socialist ethical system,we shouldconstruct the modem family ethical principles.