Abstract: The research and construction of social honesty and trustworthiness is the emphasis of present ethics research and moral construction. And many scholars regard the construction of credit as primary approach and breach. Whether they have seized the key to the question or not still needs to be thought carefully. By comparing and reflecting these two concepts, we can find that honesty and trustworthiness has more conception and credit has its intrinsic moral limits. First, the main body of credit is a pure person while that of honesty and trustworthiness is a real-life person. Secondly, credit is to realize extrinsic benefits while honesty and trustworthiness is based on a man's intrinsic value. Thirdly, credit represents a utility sense while honesty and trustworthiness represents a practical wisdom. By these differences, we can confirm the character, range and degree when credit operates and we can be cognizant of its importance and limits. Then the status of credit in the construction of social honesty and trustworthiness can be put exactly.

Key words: Honesty and Trustworthiness; Credit; Moral Limits

摘要： 社会诚信的研究和建设是当前伦理学研究和道德建设的重点,且很多学者都把信用制度的建设作为主要途径和突破口,但这是否抓出了问题的要害,却是需要慎思的。我们通过对这两个概念的反思和比较,发现诚信比信用有更高的立意和更丰富的内涵,而信用有其内在的道德限度,表现为:信用主体是抽象的人,诚信主体是现实的人;信用要实现的是外在利益,诚信则立足于人的内在价值;信用体现的是工具理性,诚信体现一种实践智慧。通过两者的比较,我们就能合理地确定信用制度起作用的性质、范围和程度,认识到它的必要性和局限性,从而摆正它在社会诚信建设中的地位。

关键词: 诚信, 信用, 道德限度