Study Of Elderly Chinese Ethical Issues

The old-age ethical problem is not only an urgent realistic problem China faces and has to solve nowadays but also an entirely new research topic, and how to deal with this problem plays a decisive role in constructing a harmonious society, so the research of China's old-age ethical problem is essential, important, and urgent. Firstly, this thesis is based on ethical thought of Marxism theoretically, and attempts to discuss this topic from the following aspects: the ethical tenets of determinism of Marxism provide the fundamental principles for this study; the method of the ethical research of Marxism provides the guide of methodology; Marxism's theory of "man" provides the theoretical premise for gaining a correct understanding of the old people. Then, the research of the old-age ethical problem draws on the Cicero's old-age ethical thought theoretically, and at the same time, regards the filial piety in Confucianism as its historical basis, which is part of the spiritual motive for the supporting of the old people of modern family. The filial piety in Confucianism is beneficial to the construction of a harmonious society, that is, to "construct an equal society for all the ages". Furthermore, this thesis discusses in details the content of the research of old-age ethical problem of China, including the old people's values, their views on life and death, generation gap, marriage, recreation and the like. And, this research goes under the basic principles of "reciprocation", "dignity", "subjectivity" and "love". On the foundation of criticizing the puzzlement in the senile ethics such as "senile departmentalism theory" and "useless theory of the senile", this thesis further probes into the basic causes of the old-age ethical problem in China: the particular national state of being "not rich but old first" in China is the basic cause; the impact of the negative values of market economy is the principal cause; the shortage of ethical and moral education is the important cause; and the prevalence of nuclear family, the increasing of the only-child family, the appearance of the empty nest family is the direct cause. Therefore, we hold the view that the solution of the old-age ethical problem in China is not only a complicated social systematic project, but a long and hard process as well. It regards supporting the senile in kindred as its foundation, supporting the senile by themselves as its key, supporting the senile in community as its prop and supporting the senile by policy as its backing. Moreover, the settlement of this problem can only be realized with the joint concern, support and participation of everyone (including the senile themselves), every child, every family, every communityand more importantly, the whole society and nation. It is also a long and arduous course, which proceeds with the formation of the social tendency of "showing filial piety to the senile", the guarantee of fair system of ethics, the establishment of a brand-new view of old-age supporting, the realization of "network family", "spiritual network", "teams of volunteers with sincere willingness to keep the senile company", and the joint efforts in moral education and legal education. These approaches of practical significance are the major concerns of this thesis, which aims at providing some thoughts and attempts to settle the old-age ethical problem in China nowadays.