Modern Construction of Political Theory: A Prelude to the Series on Political Theory

Author: Peng Dingguang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: Political ethics is a theoretical system composed of political moral concepts, moral of political institutions, moral of political subjects, and moral of political activities. Its core lies in exploring the moral rationality of politics. The moral rationality of political life is not determined by a morality external to politics, but rather by the inherent moral nature of politics itself. This moral nature serves as the intrinsic basis for moral evaluation of the political domain and moral demands on political subjects. A reasonable political moral system should be situated in the political public sphere, at the intersection of individual rights and public interests, and at the unity of purpose and morality. It requires establishing a political moral concept composed of development, order, human rights, freedom, and equality to provide guidance and measure the reasonable moral standards of political life. It also requires morally positioning political goals to design reasonable political relationships and institutions, providing driving forces for the continuous development of politics and ensuring the rationality of political life. To achieve the moral rationality of good politics, the government should proactively assume moral responsibility, understand the moral limits of its functions, and adhere to moral norms in its actions; public officials should use morality to clarify their "public person" identity, optimize their evaluation standards, and consciously regulate their exercise of power; citizens should take rights and obligations as the dual value dimensions of their behavior, forming the primary motivation and political virtue for actively participating in politics.