Ethical Reflection On Sustainable Consumption

The prevalence of the consumerism and ecological crisis that caused makes the consumer issues become another major problem by the world after population issue and environment issue. A new concept of consumption and consumption patterns must be established in order to alleviate the enormous pressure on the environment and resources caused by human-being. It is the basis that sustainable consumption yielded.Based on the contemporary critical and reflection of the consumerism, this paper discusses the connotation, ethical principles, realization form and countermeasures of the sustainable consumption from perspective of ethics.At first, this paper comb and research the connotation and the performance of the consumerism from the unified perspective of the history and logic, and points that consumerism is a kind of values and the practice which pursuits material possession or excessive consumption and has a social universality.The consumerism has an outstanding performance on the concept, behavior and targets of consumption. And then this paper gives an in-depth analysis of the economic, political, cultural and human causes of the consumerism and the serious harms that caused to natural and human society.Second, followed by a brief review on the process of the concept of sustainable consumption , this paper focuses on two ethical principles that the sustainable consumption must be followed, namely, the principles of justice and the principles of human-being' s comprehensive development. The principle of justice is that every person should not affect right of others' and the communities consumption when he exercise his right of freedom, and so does others and the communities in order to promote the right of consumer which includes the inter-generational justice and justice within. The principles of human-being' s comprehensive development mean that the starting point and end point of the consumption is to promote the people's physical and mental health and overall development. For this it is necessary to optimize the consumption structure, increase the consumption quality, increase the scientific and technological content and cultural content in consumption as to make people's material needs and spiritual-cultural needs better satisfied.Third, this paper discusses the realization form and countermeasures of sustainable consumption. The moderate consumption and green consumption is the main form of sustainable consumption. The moderate consumption, from the macro social level, requires the overall consumption level of human-being fit for the supply capabilities of the environment; from the micro-level, it should be suited to the level of personal economy, so as to meet consumer' s spiritual needs better, and to provide more freedom choice for the consumers. Green Consumption refers to a modern consumption patterns that meet people' s physical and social needs, and be benefit for human' s health, the environment and resources. Papers also expounded on the significance and countermeasures of the implementation of moderate consumption and green consumption in a further distance.Finally, this paper analyzes the relations between the consumption and happiness and relations between the consumption and social development. Criticism of the traditional viewpoints are criticized that more consumption more happiness, and more social development. Happiness is never simply sensory enjoyment, but the unification of material life and spiritual life, and the unity of the creation and enjoyment. Consumption also makes a heavy price to the natural and social when it promotes economic growth. Development should always adhere to the people-centered, comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable development while it does not mean that economic growth equals social development.