Research On The Spread And Influence Of Western Utilitarianism In China In The First Half Of The 20th Century

In the first half of the 20th century,under the background of the special historical period and the spread of Western learning to the East,Chinese intellectuals continuously explored China’s development path,at the same time,Western academic ideas began to spread in China in an all-round way,as an important theory,the utilitarianism came into people’s view,in that era of saving the nation from extinction and calling for change,in order to face the interests,the Western utilitarianism,famous for its attention to reality,undoubtedly attracted the attention of the advanced intellectuals of the time,and provided theoretical support for their theories of social progress,national prosperity and strength,and other related conceptions.From the sporadic spread of early western missionaries to the wide spread of advanced intellectuals such as Liang Qichao,Yan Fu,and Kang Youwei in the later period,the Western utilitarianism had a great impact on the academic circles of modern China through translation,periodicals and other major means of communication.It not only reinterpreted the theories of "benefit","selfish desire" and "morality" in Chinese traditional culture,on the ideological level,the Western utilitarianism initiated a reflection on the traditional "debate of reason and desire" and admitted that "human desire" was in accordance with human nature,instead of restraining it,he should accept the affirmation of the nature of human nature to seek pleasure and avoid suffering.The introduction of Western utilitarianism made the model of controlling individual consciousness imposed by the Ruling class in the traditional feudal ethical code disappear,under the theme of National Salvation in modern times,the concept of "state" began to be accepted by the world,and gradually replaced the original concept of "the world";The Western utilitarianism emphasizes to guide the masses to understand the relationship between interests and moral principles,and to obtain more interests for themselves under the precondition of protecting the group interests,encouraging everyone in Chinese society to strive for their legitimate and reasonable needs and enlightening the value of individual existence promoted the emergence of"power view" and the rise of "liberalism" in modern China.Politically,the utilitarianism inspired advanced intellectuals to advocate for a political change,which eventually led to the implementation and climax of the Hundred Days’Reform;through criticism of the Utilitarianism,the spirit of ignoring personal utility and sacrificing life and death,which was carried forward,greatly inspired the fighting spirit and courage of the "Bourgeois Revolutionary Group" and set up a grand revolutionary ideal,it influenced the process of the modern revolution.In this paper,the historical context of the spread of Western utilitarianism in China in the first half of the 20th century is systematically elucidated and its impact on the ideological and political evolution of Chinese society is analyzed.