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1、ThefollowingexcerptsarefromthefamousBritishphilosopherBertrandRussell’sMarriageandMorals(1929).1.Introduction“Incharacterizingasociety,whetherancientormodern,therearetwoelements,rathercloselyconnected,whichareofprimeimportance:oneistheeconomicsystem,t
2、heotherthefamilysystem”(1).Russellcontinuesbyarguingthatprivatepropertyexistsbecauseofthefamily.Hethinksthatifchildrenwereraisedbythestate(likeinPlato’srepublic)therewouldbenoneedforprivatesavingsorprivatecapitalism.Henotesthatmanycommunistsbelievetha
3、tinatruecommunistsystemthefamily(asweknowittoday)willnotsurvive.Heemphasizesthecloserelationshipbetweenthefamilystructureandthesocialandeconomicstructure.“Amonghumanbeingstheco-operationofthefatherisagreatbiologicaladvantagetotheoffspring,especiallyin
4、unsettledtimesandamongturbulentpopulations,butwiththegrowthofmoderncivilizationtheroleofthefatherisbeingincreasinglytakenoverbythestate,andthereisreasontothinkthatafathermayceasebeforelongtobebiologicallyadvantageous,atanyrateinthewageearningclass.Ift
5、hisshouldoccur,wemustexpectacompletebreakdownoftraditionalmorality,(*)sincetherewillnolongerbeanyreasonwhyamothershouldwishthepaternityofherchildtobeindubitable”(4-5).ThepurposetheRussellsetsoutforthisbookistocriticizethecurrentethicssurroundingthisis
6、sueofmarriageandmorals.Hebelievesthatinordertodothisitisnecessarytoidentifythe“superstitions”thatgovernmorals,aswellastoaddresstheuniquecircumstancesofthemodernage.2.MatriarchalSystemsInthischapterRussellemphasizesthatverylittle(ifany)ofhumanbehaviori
7、sbasedoninstinct.Insocietiesinwhichthebiologicalunderstandingofreproductionisnotunderstood,familiestendtobematrilineal(basedonthemother,notthefather)andtheroleofthefatherisdividedbetweenthemother’sbrotherandthemother’shusband.Insocietiesofthissort,the
8、notionofbiologicalfatherhooddoesnotexist,yetamanwillstillshowthesameaffectionforhiswife’schildren,whileofficiallyplayingtheroleoffathertohissister’schildren.Russellbelievesthattheemotionsassociatedwithparentsfortheirchildrenarenotinstinctual,b
