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| Moral Duties of the Rich in China |
| Fu Jiajia1, Zhang Guoqing2 |
1.School of Marxism, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
2.School of Philosophy, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China |
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Abstract Gradually realizing common prosperity for all people is both a theoretical and practical problem. By 2020, under the strong leadership of the Communist Party, China has tackled the problem of absolute poverty after more than four decades of reform and opening-up. This has allowed some people and areas to gradually become rich. The rich class has gradually formed and the middle class has grown. China has historically solved the problem of absolute poverty. In human history, it is a great achievement in social development and human rights progress. However, poor classes will continue to exist for a long time, and the gap between the rich and the poor still needs to be narrowed—the task of accurate poverty alleviation is still on the way. Common prosperity is an essential requirement of socialism and a fundamental feature of Chinese-style modernization. In order to promote common prosperity, the rich are expected to fulfill the following moral duties: (1) not to violate the rights of the poor and other social members; (2) to help the poor rise out of poverty; (3) to help others towards affluence and prosperity.Firstly, not infringing on the basic rights and interests of the poor and other members of society is a passive but primary duty of the rich, and is both heterogeneous and coercive. Poverty is the state of lacking necessities, and is not conducive to the protection of basic individual human rights, endangering the right to subsistence and depriving them of their right to development. The poor have the right not to be violated or restricted from achieving their basic interests. The rich first shall not do harm to others, not do harm to the poor. They should neither take advantage of loopholes in laws, policies and institutions, nor seek to maximize their own interests in the light of violation of laws. Secondly, the rich have a positive and proactive duty to help the poor to eliminate poverty. Just as helping others and giving to charity is what the philanthropists themselves want, the duty to help the poor is beneficial for the rich. Such a duty contributes happiness, self-worth and satisfaction, and also an important way for the wealthy to win general respect in society. The rescuer sows part of their material wealth, and harvests spiritual values for themselves and for all. It is motivated from their hearts, not imposed from the outside world, it is another form of mutual benefit and reciprocity. The fulfillment of such a duty is both an act of legitimacy and dedication, as well as the realization of self-values. Of course, the duty of any individual to help others is not unconditional and mandatory, but conditional and non-mandatory. Since they help others, they are voluntary and active. The help provided can vary from person to person. Such help depends on the ability and subjective will of the helper, and can be at different levels. Thirdly, to discuss the relationship between the rich and the poor in the context of Chinese society, we must remind ourselves that China is a socialist country under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, where the rich and the poor all belong to the people and are the masters of the country. The gradual realization of common prosperity is a socialist cause in which all the people participate, and those who become rich first are important forces in this cause, and thus the third moral duty that they must fulfill to help others toward affluence, conforming to the fundamental interests of the common people under socialist system. In the new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the rich must not only help the poor to eliminate poverty, but also actively participate with all members of society to embark on the road to common prosperity. They do not need to appear to be particularly morally upright because they have fulfilled such a duty. Instead, this is their natural duty. On the contrary, if they oppose doing so, they may deviate from the direction and the purpose of the cause of socialism in China.That the rich are obliged to help others to become rich too is in line with the principle of reciprocity and will promote the common good for all social members. In social cooperation, the rich, the poor and other members of society have different advantages and contributions; and bear different social responsibilities and moral duties. A socialist regime can establish a mutually beneficial form of social cooperation and cultivate a social climate that advocates charity. This society is a cooperative system composed of different social classes and needs to fairly consider the interests of all collaborators. Since everyone’s well-being depends upon a scheme of cooperation without which no one could lead a satisfactory life, the division of advantages should be such as to draw forth the willing cooperation of every participant, including the disadvantaged. It is a fundamental principle of reciprocity to establish social cooperation between the better-off and the disadvantaged. This allows everybody to pursue his or her rational life plan. The Chinese socialist system aims to better realize the principle of difference and achieve win-win cooperation between the rich and the poor. That the rich help the poor accords with this principle of difference and the implementation of this principle does not harm the interests of the rich.In order to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor and achieve common prosperity, a rational adjustment in the light of social policies is surely important, but it is inseparable from the active participation of the wealthy class. On the one hand, the rich must not only create more wealth, help the poor get rid of poverty, help other members get rich, and contribute to the realization of common prosperity, but also actively participate in supporting the public undertakings to increase their social contribution, such as education, medical care, health, elderly care, in science, art and culture, and through institutions such as schools, universities, libraries, hospitals and museums. On the other hand, the whole community should nurture a kind of social atmosphere to respect the rich class. They are important practitioners for common prosperity. Under socialist conditions, the relationship between the rich and the poor is not a zero-sum game relationship, but a mutually beneficial and reciprocal one. For the rich, to help the poor and other people to become rich, and to achieve common prosperity for all the people, is a necessity of social development, and it is beneficial to all parties.
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Received: 01 March 2022
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2022, Vol. 52 
