美国人价值观及其成因_英文_

[收稿日期]2007..09..30[作者简介]郭贇(1986..),女,内蒙古师范大学外国语学院在读本科生。..2007年11月内蒙古师范大学学报..(哲学社会科学版)Nov.,2007..第36卷..第6期JournalofInnerMongoliaNormalUniversity(Philosophy&SocialScience)Vo.l36..No.6美国人价值观及其成因郭贇(内蒙古师范大学外国语学院,内蒙古呼和浩特010022)....[Abstract]..美国是一个移民国家,在其历史上共有两次持续时间较长的移民运动,来自欧洲、亚洲、非洲和美洲的移民不仅带来他们的技术,而且也将其文化带入美国社会,这对美国人价值观和世界观的形成起了很大的影响作用。追求平等自由独立和自我是美国人价值观的核心组成部分,这些价值观的渊源既可上溯到清教文化,同时,独立战争中发表的美国..独立宣言对其形成也产生了深远的影响。[KeyWords]..美国;移民;核心价值观;..独立宣言[中图分类号]D09....[文献标识码]A....[文章编号]1001..7623(2007)S1..0404..03!..AmericanValuesAmericahasbeenplayinganimportantroleinourworldsinceWorldWarII.Althoughitshistoryisonlyaboutthreehundredyearslong,itstillhasgreateffectsonmanyaspectsonothercountries.Unlikemostotherpeople,Americaisprimarilyanationofimmigrants.Theirancestorsemigratedfrommanypartsoftheglobe.ThisgreatlyinfluencedtheideasandvaluesonwhichAmericanarebased.1..DevelopmentofAmericanValues.Asanimmi..gratedcountry,Americanvaluesaredifferentfromoth..ercountries.Variousethnicities,differentreligionsandsomeotherpeculiaritiesleadtodifferentvalues.What.smore,thevaluesalsochangeindifferenttimeperiods.Soaccordingtothetimeline,therearethreemainstreamvaluesinAmericansociety,whichareTra..ditionalvalue,Modernvalue,andPost-modernval..ue.#.TraditionalValue.Thetimeframeoftradition..alvalueisupto1700s.Priestsarethemostinfluentialpeopleforthosewhoholdthisbelie.fTheybelievethathumanbeingisGod.screationinGod.simage-bear..er.Sotheyareinclinedtopreservethepastandobeytheauthorities.Theyalsothinkthathumanbeingsarecreatedgood,butgraduallyhasfallenandpeoplehavebeenseparatedfromGodbysin.Soinordertorecon..ciletoGodbyJesus,theyemphasizemoreonmoralityandhaveverystrictself-disciplines.TheysincerelybelievethatGodandhiswordsintheBiblehavede..finedtheirmorality.Generallyspeaking,Traditionalvalueismoreconservativeandhierarchica.l..ModernValue.Modernvaluestartedfrom1875andnowisverycommoninAmerican.Theybe..lieveinscienceandtreatscientistsasthemostinfluen..tialpeople.ComparingtoTraditionalvalue,theythinkthathumanbeingsarejustrandomchancebeings,in..steadofbeingcreatedbyGod.Sotheywanttoimprovethepastbytheirownthinking.Ontheotherhand,theyalsodaretoquestiontheauthority.Becauseintheiropinions,knowledgeisfromwhatpeoplediscoverbutnotwhatGodsays.Asforthem,chaosishumans.basicproblem,andinordertosolvethis,theywanttoprolongtheirlifeandseizeeveryday.Astomorality,theyacknowledgeitasahumanconstruc,tthereforepeoplecanhavetheirownmoralities.%.Post-modernValue.Post-modernvaluebe..ginsin1960.ItisalsocalledPopculture,becausesomerockstarsleadthefashionandinfluencepeoplequitealo.tForthesepeople,theyareinclinedtoig..norethepastandtheydon.tcountonauthorityforob..tainingknowledge.Theyjustwanttoknoweverything&404&fromtheirownexperiences.Intheiropinions,every..bodyisequa,lnomatterforapresidentorahomelessperson.Theytreatthemselvesastheirownauthorities,sotheydonotneedtoobeyothers.orders.Howevertheyaresometimepessimisticbecausetheycannotknoweverythingabsolutely.Astothem,thebasicproblemistheydonothaveenoughtolerancebecausetheycaretoomuchaboutpersonalstoriesandthinkthatcertaincommunitiescandefinemorals.2..CoreValues.Americansocietyisbasicallyfoun..dedontheprinciplesofequality,liberty,pursuitofhappinessandpioneeringspiri.tAmericanpeoplere..gardthesevaluesveryhighlyandcherishthemastheirnationalspirits.#.Equality.EqualityisthebasicbeliefinAmer..icanvalues,justastheDeclarationofIndependencesaid,.Allmenarecreatedequa,lthattheyareen..dowedbytheirCreatorwithcertaininalienablerights(.Sointheireyesallpeopleareequalandhavetheirownvalues,andnooneisbornsuperiortoanyoneelse.Onceababyisborn,hebeginstohavevalue.Godcreateshim,soheisuniqueinthisworld.Evenforahomelessperson,heisstillinthesamelevelaspeoplewithhighstatus.Godloveseveryperson.Hewillnotlookdownuponsomebodyonlybecauseofhisstatus.Theyhavetheirownunderstandingsofthingsthatseeminequality:.Ourwealthisunequaled,butJesustaughtthatourfaithshouldmakewealthmeaningless(.InA..mericanhistory,therearemanysocialmovementswhoseaimistogetequality,suchasthewomen.smovemen.tItwasstartedbythreegroupsofwomen,whothoughtwomenwerediscriminatedinthesocietyandwantedtofightfortheirequalrights.Thewomen.smovementgainsmanyrightsandopportunitiesforwomen.Howeverinthemid-1990s,thenumberofwomeninleadershipingovernmentandbusinesscorpo..rationsisstillverylow.Butwecanstillseethatwomen.spositionhasbeenimprovedalotsincethen.MostAmericansdaretospeakoutalltheirideasdirect..lyandneednotconsideraboutothers.opinions.Eve..ryoneisequa,lsoeveryonecandowhatevertheywanttodo,sowecansaythatequalityisoneofthecorevaluesinAmericanculture...Liberty.ThesecondcorevalueofAmericaisliberty,whichisalsothebasicpointintheDeclarationofIndependenceandAmericanhistory.SinceChristo..pherColumbusdiscoveredthenewlandin1492,A..mericanpeoplehavebeensufferingalotfromcolonialrulefornearly300years,howevertheyneverstoppedtheirstruggleforlibertyduringthisperiodoftime.Af..terAmericagainedindependencefromcolonialrule,libertyisstillanationalpursuitforAmericanpeople.TheCivilRightsMovementandFreeSpeechMovementbothdemonstratethispoin