試析西方倫理學中的孝養義務

Filial Obligation in the West

Abstract

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in Chinese; abstract also in English.

在西方倫理學中，孝養義務是指（成年）子女對父母尤其是對年邁父母所具有的提供保障、照料、陪伴及滿足其他合理需求的道德責任。與之相關的理論有感恩理論、友誼理論和特殊善理論。對於親子關係的模式、孝養義務的來源、孝養義務的具體要求、以及孝養義務何時能夠結束等問題，三種理論給出了各不相同的回答。本文嘗試探討這三種理論，並對其各自存在的問題給出批評和可能的回應。

In the Western tradition, filial obligation dictates that adult children have a moral duty to provide financial and psychological support to their aging parents. In addition, children are required to meet their parents' “reasonable demands” under given circumstances. There are three accounts of filial obligations that provide specific answers to questions concerning parent-child relationships, such as on what grounds and when filial obligation is encouraged and required. In this paper, the author explores the idea of filial obligation in the West and offers a critical response to the issues involved.