From Mercy To Justice

This text is based on the ethical thought, which is representative in western society, and the author finds out the clue of thought of social security which is from mercy to justice. After the thought is found, the author points out the historical clue which is related to the thought of social security at the same time. By analyzing how the ethical thought influences the development social security, we can find three transitions of social security. First, the form of social security is transformed from the informal institution to the formal institution. Second, the target of social security is transformed from the personal interests to the right. Third, the motivity is transformed from the personal morals to government's responsibility. Then we know the subjective route of social security development. The article discusses the limitation of mercy and the surmounting of justice, and pointed out the relation of the two in modern society. Mercy can be more standardization by the form of justice and justice needs the environment of love. The two consist of the whole ethical foundation of social security. While discussing the relationship between mercy and justice in theory, the author discusses how to turn such a theoretical question into a realistic problem. If we regard the social security as a kind of public goods, the mercy and justice are different social security goods. By this way, we can use polycentric means in social security. On the basis of the theory of the social security ethics, the author relates the theory to the development of the social security at present, by mentioning a case, and finds out the meaning of the social security ethics in the specific item.