The Study On Hu Shi’s Thoughts Of Family Ethics

In the history of Chinese ethical thoughts’ development, the May4th period was a historical changing time that had never appeared before, the May4th New Culture Movement was the first ethical thoughts liberation of modern China. Hu Shi (1891-1962) was one of the most influenced thinkers and scholars in the modern Chinese history, he made pioneering contributions in the May4th New Culture Movement. Advocating thought reform was one of Hu Shi’s three life volunteers, although his thoughts didn’t form as an independent system, it still has important research value. In his theory, the family ethics thought is an important part, its formation has profound social backgrounds, and it has rich theoretical connotations. In contemporary society, China is in the condition of another important transition period, the old and new ideas change alternately, so that the family ethics are experiencing huge changes, family ethics anomie phenomena emerge in an endless stream. Therefore, taking an objective analysis on the family ethics thought of Hu Shi, and mining its era value, has important significance to the construction of new era family ethics.This paper is divided into four parts:introduction, analysis of the theoretical background, theoretical contents and analyses, to research on the family ethics thought of Hu Shi. The first chapter analyzes the formation background, theoretical and method foundation of Hu Shi’s family ethics thought. First carries on the analyses of the political, economic and cultural background, Hu Shi’s personal experience and so on, and then explore its theoretical origin, namely the theoretical foundation of individualism and the methodology of experimentalism. The formation of Hu Shi’s family ethics thought is not only the results of social change, but also the results of absorbing modern western civilization. The second chapter mainly discusses the main contents of Hu Shi’s thoughts of family ethics, it relates to the "beyond perfect wife and mother" females’ cultivation, gender equality of chastity and inheritance, freedom of marriage and love, graceless parents, no offspring, funeral reform as well as paying great attention to the cultivation of children’s character in family education and so on, at the same time, Hu Shi made scathing criticism to the feudal filial piety and feudal funeral rites. The third chapter comments on Hu Shi’s family ethics thought. First of all, the family ethics thought of Hu Shi has historical and theoretical values, it not only enlightened to form a new family ethics, but also enrich and deepen the theory of ethics. Secondly, it has some limitations, such as incomplete and compromise of the thought, and it led to the conflicts between Hu Shi’s thoughts and practices. Finally, summarize and analyze the family ethic status of Chinese social transition period, mining the useful components from the family ethics thought of Hu Shi, reference and inherit, and ultimately promote the construction of family ethics in the new era.