20th Century Western Ethics Classics (IV): Ethics Frontier: Morality and Society

Author: Wan Junren
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: As stated in the Preface to the Editor, the primary purpose of compiling this book is to continue the work of Mr. Zhou Fucheng, a renowned Chinese ethicist and historian of Western ethics, who edited and published "Selected Readings in Western Ethics" (Volume 1, Commercial Press, 1964, reprinted in 1987; Volume 2, Commercial Press, 1987). The aim is to present a comprehensive picture of Western ethics from ancient times to the present. Mr. Zhou Fucheng's "Selected Readings in Western Ethics" covered the knowledge of Western ethics from ancient Greece to the late 19th century. This book, however, focuses on the development of Western ethics in the 20th century, selecting the main representative works of the most theoretically significant ethical schools or thinkers of that period. Hence, it is titled "Classics of 20th Century Western Ethics."
Following the developmental trends and theoretical types of Western ethics in the 20th century, this book is divided into four volumes, each with a subtitle: "Foundations of Ethics: Principles and Logic," "Themes of Ethics: Values and Life," "Limits of Ethics: Morality and Religion," and "Frontiers of Ethics: Morality and Society." The purpose of editing this book in this way is primarily to (1) better present the authentic image and intellectual landscape of the evolution of Western ethics in the 20th century; (2) facilitate readers' freedom in reading and purchasing, as much as possible respecting their reading preferences and intellectual choices, avoiding the market-oriented tendency of forced purchases often associated with multi-volume books; and (3) appropriately express the compilers' personal understanding of the texts of Western ethics in the 20th century, even our preliminary conceptual framework of Western ethics in the 20th century, to solicit academic criticism and exchange, thereby advancing theoretical research on contemporary Western ethics in China. It must be stated that the categorization in this book is certainly incomplete and imprecise, and it is inevitable that the compilers' own intellectual understanding has limitations, even "knowledge biases." Readers need not be confined to our conceptual framework when seeking guidance. Translation and editing are processes of learning, and the compilers' learning cannot replace readers' own learning and understanding. In the realm of humanities, texts are always open intellectual resources. This is what we must first clarify.
"Classics of 20th Century Western Ethics" consists of four volumes, each themed around "Foundations of Logic: Principles and Ethics," "Themes of Ethics: Values and Life," "Limits of Ethics: Morality and Religion," and "Frontiers of Ethics: Morality and Society," selecting classic texts by prominent Western logicians on these themes. The selection and curation of the texts in this book were aided and guided by some renowned logicians from Europe, America, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. It comprehensively presents the developmental trends, intellectual landscape, and ethical frontiers of Western logic in the 20th century, providing readers with a relatively complete, accurate, and clear intellectual map and theoretical lineage to understand the knowledge of Western ethics during this extraordinary period.
This book is the fourth volume of "Classics of 20th Century Western Ethics," focusing on the latest texts by prominent Western logical schools from the late 20th century to the beginning of the 21st century. These include the new liberal ethical school represented by John Rawls, the communitarian logical school represented by Alasdair MacIntyre, Habermas's discourse ethics, and the postmodernist logic of figures like Zygmunt Bauman. The texts clearly and comprehensively reveal the contemporary transformation and theoretical frontiers of Western logic, with fresh and rich arguments that address the era's central themes in logic today.