On the Environmental Ethics in China

Since the implement of reform-and-open policy in 1978, the thirty years has witnessed the development of Chinese scholar’s widespread discussion and deep research on such problems as whether human and nature have ethics relations, anthropocentrism and its value, the intrinsic value and right of nature. They have formed the particular theory viewpoint, discipline model and question consciousness of the Chinese environmental ethics. China has made significant progress in theoretical studies of environmental Ethics. It has played a positive role in promoting the development of its environmental ethics. However, China’s environmental ethics is still in the primary stage of exploration, and mature environmental ethics with characteristics of Chinese culture has not yet been developed. In its future development, China’s environmental ethics needs to be improved in the following aspects. Firstly, remarkable achievements have been made on introducing and clarifying western ethics thoughts, but efforts made are insufficient on obtaining our own unique decision-making right system, theoretical framework and the construction of environmental ethics with characters of Chinese culture. Secondly, China’s environmental ethics has placed great emphasis on theoretic research of environmental ethics out of interest, showing broad and lasting doctrinal disputes, but it has show little concern for the social reality in China. Thirdly, China’senvironmental ethics has been lack of enthusiasm for environmental education which disseminates environmental ethics. Thirty years is far from enough for the development of a new discipline. However, the existence of these issues promises infinite vitality. Moreover, after the reform and open policy, the government has paid great attention to environmental problems, and its extended effect has become the driving force for the harmonious development of the environment ethics theory.