Morality, class and the Hong Kong way of life

A survey of some recent studies of Hong Kong society reveals a convergent tendency to pose the question of the nature of the moral outlook of the Hong Kong people and its relationship to the development experience and the way of life of the society. This paper attempts a sketch of the morality on the basis of survey findings on the perceptions and value orientations of the Hong Kong people with a view to stimulating future efforts in conceptual formulation of the problem and in the construction of specific hypotheses for empirical testing. The argument of the paper is in two parts. First, the mobility opportunities in the post-war development of the society have instilled an openness ideology which is individualistic, economistic and capitalistic in nature. Moral concerns are prima facie indifferently treated, as practical results and success are competitively pursued. But at the same time, there is some indication that the quest for an open and free society is not reducible to purely economic, profit-related interests. Secondly, the Hong Kong people are realistic in their evaluation of their personal career opportunities; they believe that there are inequalities and conflicts between the rich and poor; in particular, they have a low sense of political efficacy. Pragmatic, even fatalistic, acceptance characterizes their social and political mores. They are hardly concerned with the moral implications of their individual action or the outcome of such behaviour. The paper ends with a few comments on the societal reasons for such amorality and the conditions for its change.
本文旨在提出在現階段的香港研究裹，實有必要將香港人的道德概念作一整體及結構性的剖析。近年幾項有關港人的心態、意向及價值取向的研究都不約而同揭露了一般學者對香港人的道德精神面貌，及其與香港獨有的生活方式的關係，缺乏一深入的瞭解。本文檢視了近年研究的量化資料，認識到以此類資料去探討道德價值這問題的不足及限制。但同時也嘗試在此不足的基礎上去描繪香港道德形態的梗概，希望對將來較深邃的概念分析及實證研究能起一點剌激作用。
文中的論述可分兩方面。一方面，香港戰後的發展製造了不少晉昇的機會，社會的開放及流動經驗使港人視香港為一充滿機會的地方。此種樂觀情緒變成一種對機會及成功的可即性的信念，也構成「香港經驗」在意識層面上的一重要特徵。這種意識成為香港人資本主義價值觀的一部份。對成功的追求、機會的把握、競爭的自然性，香港人表現了一種極個人化，甚至自私、貪婪、純效益考慮的現實取向。社會的自由或平等的重要性決定於它們是否有助於實現「香港夢」；這些理想的道德涵義及對個人意識與行為的相關性、規範性變得次要。但當被問及是否願意生活在一個安定繁榮，但沒有言論自由及貧富懸殊的社會時，大部份人都表示不願意。這或顯示了港人是重視一個全面開放及有一定程度公義的社會；純粹現實或經濟的考慮固然重要，但一個能容許個人自由及自決地在各方面抉擇及發揮所長的「理想社會」同樣重要。在功利個人主義後，隱約呈現對自由與社會公義的一種道德憧憬。
另外一方面，香港的發展經驗也有其黑暗的一面。雖然社會上成功例子不少，但也有失敗的事例。要成功也要付出代價。大部份對於個人事業發展的評估變得審慎，甚至悲觀。社會流動過程中的不平等是一因素。在對流動機會充滿希望的情況下，其實存在階級的矛盾與衝突。在個人的層次上，這表現成一種對社會及政治的無奈感。有機會就要掌握，香港人無暇理會他人的成功或失敗，更遑論去思考個人行為的社會或道德後果。如果沒有機會，那明天或許會更好。這種看透世情，但不厭世而玩世的世俗心態理念，與香港獨特的生活方式渾然一體，相通而不隔。但香港人的精神資源亦未必囿於這種「無道德」形態。對一個全面性開放，容許人人「效其能、盡其性」的社會也有一定的信念支持，而人心的變調，則更有其道德的基礎。 Copyright © 1993 Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.