An Inquiry Into The Core Value And Functions Of Development Ethic

Development, in essence, is a concept of modernity. Cultural spirit with modernity provides the base of axiology for notion of development. In a macro sense, social development is a large system, including social phenomena and activities concerning economy, politics, culture, environment, etc., which makes people realize it is of importance that any step in economic activities and its processes should take into account submission to goals and laws of social development. In the scene of plight of survival and development human beings face up to, development ethics, as a branch of applied ethics, has been brought out, which examines and assesses development itself, social development, and developmental ideas from aspect of ethic and value, thus acts as the guide of development practice.The goal of the inquiry to the core of value of development ethic is to find out a kind of value that is able to think back to the past, gauge the present, usher the future, concerned with what is the core value of development ethic, how it gets its status, and its worth in the practice of development, etc. Existed are various kinds of demerits and shortcomings from different ideas with regard to development, and serious crises of eco, spirit, society, which is eager to demand a new way of thinking and development--harmonious development. In order to understand harmonious development, it is necessary to begin with problems emerged, to make sense its the connotation and value. Harmonious development is a kind of idea and pattern of thinking pursuing full-scale development, including all kinds of dimensions, involving harmonious development between man and nature, man, society, and itself. In this process, one cannot ignore the essential influence coming from harmonies of productive power, systems and culture.The core value of development ethic, however, is harmonious development. It means a coordinative development in moderation to pursue overall benefits of human beings under the surveillance of development ethic. This trend, meanwhile, determines this kind of ethic focuses on not only abstract aspect of its principles, but also more problems in practice, advocating some basic rules, new worldview of value with practical orientation and new ways of living and production. Functions of development ethic in practice are displayed as follows: 1. Guiding human beings'development of nature moderately, establishing the idea of development with harmonious eco, forming the way of sustainable development. 2. Realizing overall harmony of society on the bases of eco harmonious development between man and nature, development between man and economy, political harmonious development between state power and civil right, cultural harmonious development between different groups. 3. Building a harmonious spiritual paradise of human beings via coordinating interpersonal relations, paying attention to human consideration, enhancing psychological guidance. As a new discipline, development ethics'functions in practice lie in its trying to direct humans pay attention to coordination of relations in development practice, to seek a kind of mechanism regarding to harmony located between man and nature, people and people, and human minds.