Ethical Order in a Rule of Law Society

Author: Li Jianhua
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-06-01
Features: In terms of decisive factors, the major difference between modern deontology and traditional deontology lies in the market economy and the rule of law. The formation of a rule-of-law society based on the market economy holds more direct significance for the transformation of China's social structure than the market economy itself. For this reason, studying the ethical order of modern Chinese society should pay more attention to the rule of law. The rule of law is one of the fundamental markers of modern society, and the formation of a rule-of-law society has led to a change in the model of social governance, shifting from deontology-led to rule-of-law-led governance. Therefore, only on the basis of the rule of law can the modern transformation of traditional morality be accelerated to establish a rational and truly beneficial-to-the-people ethical order. Moral rights are the ethical foundation of a rule-of-law society, and the realization of moral rights itself is a process full of moral risks. A rule-of-law society must abandon idealistic ethics and pursue situational ethics. At the same time, the rule of law highlights political ethics, and the establishment of political ethical order, particularly the development of party ethics, is key to the entire social ethical order. The highest goal of the ethical order in a rule-of-law society is to achieve social justice.