中文摘要：

美国后现代作家E. L.多克特罗的创作具有浓重的伦理意识.在《供水系统》中,作 者对“美国梦”下的社会问题进行了伦理反思,认为在文化和价值取向中占有主导地位的理性主 义,是诱发一系列道德难题的症结所在.在灵知主义的启示下,多克特罗探究灵知主义与后现代 伦理观的思想契合之处,以“灵知”作为一种道德知识来建构后现代伦理观.作者希冀借助灵知主义,将后现代伦理打造成为普适道德观,以探寻道德真理存在的可能性.

英文摘要：

The works of postmodern writer E . L. Doctorow are of strong ethic awareness. In The Waterworks , the author makes an ethic reflection upon the social issues of American Dream and takes rationalism which occupies the dominant position in culture and value orientation as a crucial reason for a series of moral problems. Under the revelation of Gnost icism, Doctorow explores the ideological similarities between Gnosticism and postmodern ethics and uses ^gnosis” as moral knowledge to construct postmodern ethics. Ultimately ,the author expects to use Gnosticism to define postmodern ethics as a universal morality so as to explore the possibility of the existence of moral t ru th .