What is the definition of honesty?

Honesty is a moral category, the second "identity card" of citizens, and the general name of honesty in daily behavior and credit in formal communication. Generally refers to sincerity, honesty, trustworthiness, keeping promises, etc. But generally it mainly refers to two aspects: first, it refers to treating people sincerely and honestly, respecting facts and seeking truth from facts; The second is to keep promises.

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I. Relevant allusions

Zeng Shen, a famous thinker and Confucian in Lu at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, was one of the 72 sages under Confucius. He is knowledgeable and versatile, and attaches great importance to cultivation and moral integrity.

Once, my wife went to the market on a business trip, and the young children clamored to go. Zeng Shen's wife didn't want to take care of the children, so she said to him, "You have fun at home. When mom comes back, she will kill cook the meat's pig and give it to you. " Hearing this, the child was very happy and stopped clamoring to go to the market. This was originally a joke for the children, but after that, Zeng Shen's wife forgot.

Unexpectedly, Zeng Shen really killed a pig at home. Seeing that Zeng Shen had killed the pig, his wife said, "I came back from the market and said I would kill the pig and cook it for him." How can you take it seriously? " Zeng Shen said: "Children can't be deceived.

Children are too young to understand the world, so they should learn from others, especially their parents. Today you cheat a child and defile his mind, tomorrow the child will cheat you and others; If you break your word in front of the children today, the children will no longer trust you tomorrow. See how harmful this is. "

Second, integrity ethics.

China's honesty is mainly an "identity" ethics, while westerners' honesty is a "contract" ethics.

In China's ancient natural economy and society, honesty was mainly emphasized in narrow areas such as families, tribes and villages, and it was a patriarchal family ethics in the identity network.

The main requirements are the loyalty of subjects to the monarch, the obedience of children to their parents, and the loyalty of wives to their husbands. This is completely a personal attachment relationship, not based on the complete equality of each other's personalities. If subjects, children and wives try to get rid of this attachment, they will be severely punished by the family and the state, and even die.

The way of honesty in the west is a mutually beneficial contract ethics with the development of commodity economy and monetary economy. Western social contract theorists regard honesty as the moral law of human commitment and performance, and combine morality with rule of law. Grotius, a western scholar, pointed out that it is human nature to abide by contracts. When people conclude contracts, civil law comes into being.

He believes that "the agreement must be observed" and "guilty must be punished". Thomas Hobbes, a British political philosopher, started from the selfish theory of human nature, thinking that people are selfish by nature and only protect their own interests. Human beings must conclude a social contract, and the state will guide people's behavior through laws to seek common interests.

In order to ensure the realization of interests, the contracts already concluded must be fulfilled. He further believes that keeping the contract is the source of justice, there is no justice without the contract, and it is also unjust to keep the contract and not abide by it.

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