The Issue of Intergenerational Equity in the Context of Population Aging: From the Perspective of Confucian Ethics

Abstract

As the aging population continues to grow in China the issue of intergenerational equity in the field of old-age security has become increasingly prominent. Through a comparative study of the liberal theory of intergenerational equity, this paper shows that at least in the contemporary social context of China, filial piety still acts as an important moral foundation and value basis for the intergenerational distribution of old-age support resources. The emphasis on an intergenerational contract based on filial piety not only presents a theoretical perspective transcending liberalism for addressing the issue of intergenerational equity in the context of contemporary China, but also provides significant and irreplaceable institutional resources. Starting from the Confucian family-centered theory of social justice and through the reconstitution of traditional ethical resources, this paper explores a family-centered, multi-level old-age security system to cope with the issue of intergenerational equity against the backdrop of population aging.

Keywords

• old-age security system
• intergenerational equity
• the family
• filial piety
• the confucian theory of justice