A Research On Marx's Concept Of Nature

The thesis unfolds its discussion about the important issue on Marx's concept of nature. Marxism has continuously been undergoing examinations of all kinds of ideological orientations since it appeared. These examinations often took the appearance of all kinds of era problems as the cause and context. The ecological crisis the world today is facing is causing various ideological orientations to respond theoretically. At the same time, the crisis also became the unique opportunity of examining the correctness of Marxist theory. Among these theoretical responses, we can see that some theories tried to display their own theoretical ambitions when criticizing Marx. Of course, there also appeared the so-called ecological Marxism which regarded Marx's thoughts as important theoretical sources. But all these examinations or citations have the problems in common. While the appearance of this kind of problem all resulted from not recognizing the profundity of Marx's Concept of Nature, therefore there appeared various deviations in the aspect of theoretical reflections of responding the ecological crisis.The thesis pointed out that the major challenge for the re-understanding of Marx's Concept of Nature came from modern the natural concept of"object-based thought"and the natural concept of contemporary ecologism; from the double pressure of"anthropocentrism"and"nature-centralism". The ecologism as holism ideas came from the profound self-criticizing for the"ecological insufficiency"of human rationality extremely encouraged since modern industrial civilization. The natural concept of ecologism modified modern natural concept and re-established the perceptional approval and conscious awareness toward mankind as the whole members status of the natural world gradually lost during the course of mankind civilization. But ecologists simply classified Marxism as legacy of modernity and their analysis toward ecological and environmental problems were restricted to the level of conflict relation between mankind and nature. The ecologists tried to start from the good desires like absolute truths, abstract rations and eternal righteousness etc to solve ecological crisis without touching the reforms of social systems as the premise so that the argument about the ecological problems sank into the illusion of ideology eventually. Therefore, we must go back to Marx in order to get rid of this kind of"green utopia", really solve ecological crisis and classify the basic premise needed by realizing ecological problems anew.Marx's Concept of Nature was the one transcending the narrow and simply scientific naturalism prevailing in the natural philosophy and science at the time, especially the one of modern mechanism because it had the intrinsic ecological implications. Also because Marx's Concept of Nature implied the practical and critical meanings of politics originally, it was superior to the contemporary natural concept of ecologism. Marx's Concept of Nature was based on production and work practices; therefore it was the concept of historical materialism and the concept of the practical existentialism meaning. It seemed to Marx that mankind's survival and action can not do without nature on the one hand. Nature is both the shelter of people and"the primitive work database". Without the protection for the nature, people will lose the foothold and the place of survival. On the other hand,"the realistic natural world"can not do without people and people's practice. Without the reformation for the nature, there will not the much wider development space of people. Obviously this dialectical unity viewpoint of depending on and protecting the nature as well as utilizing and reforming the nature has the intrinsic implication of ecology that protecting ecological balance and promoting social development are equally important; includes the basic principles of ecology and the most thorough methodology of solving ecological problems. Marx's Concept of Nature showed its superiority for having the intrinsically ecological implications dimension. But the philosophy of Marx did not take the research for this balance as the tenet. Marx's Concept of Nature was further practical and critical; it thoroughly implemented the intrinsic"productive labor theory dimension","social historical dimension"and"practical existentialism dimension"of Marxist ideology; thus it possessed the profundity and comprehensiveness that the natural concept of other schools could not compare with.The thesis emphasizes that people can not understand Marx's Concept of Nature and the theoretical potential in solving the environmental and ecological problems profoundly and comprehensively if they do not learn about the relationship between Marx's Concept of Nature and his historical view of materialism as well as practical existentialism ideas; also if they do not understand Marx's Concept of Nature on the basis of his historical view of materialism and practical existentialism ideas. Marx's Concept of Nature had always been facing the actual living world of mankind, and Marx understood the"nature"of people and nature from the angle of"living activities"but not the angle of"existing being". That is to say, what Marx's Concept of Nature implied was the structure of existentialism i.e. he natural concept of Marx was the natural concept of practical existentialism. Marx emphasized the intermediary role of practical activity of history towards nature; he related nature and all consciousness about nature with the life process of society. The relationship between mankind and nature was restricted by the social relationship between persons. The form of practical existence of nature became objective existence of the object activity of people. This made it possible to comprehend and grasp the natural and concrete mode of existence in the form of work and practice; that is to make the existing relation and the existing regulation between nature and human society in methodology possible. Marx's Concept of Nature was not abstract or"the absolute"existing beyond people. His"humanized nature"was the breakthrough for the thinking mode of metaphysics. Marx emphasized the subjective transcendence, perceptual reality and social historicity of the practical activity of people; emphasized the unity of existentialism of mankind and nature generated and created through the practical activity of history of people themselves.The working goal of Marx was not to argue the rationality of the existing society, but to criticize the non- rationality and"non-must"of the realistic society. Marx did not talk about the abstract identity or opposition between mankind and nature departing from the realistic social and historical relationship. He realized profoundly the plundering of capital toward mankind and nature; advocated transforming and changing the purely"utilizing"relationship between mankind and nature through the practice toward modern capitalist social relationship. That is to say Marx's Concept of Nature implied that we should transform the unreasonable social system and reform production relations in order to solve the natural environment problems. Started from this, the harmony of Marx's relation between mankind and nature was a kind of practical and generated realistic activity. Only through the practices of"changing the world"combined with the social reforms can the thorough emancipation of mankind and nature can realized to really realize"comprehensive revival of nature"consequently i.e. to really realize the harmony of relation between mankind and nature. Only on the direction of this kind of historical materialism can we disclose effectively the true roots of the ecological problems today.It seemed to Marx that the reasonable relation between mankind and nature could only be realized in the free and conscious activities of communism. Marx pointed that thorough naturalism or humanism is not only different from idealism but different from materialism and the truth combining the two at the same time. He emphasized that only the naturalism of this meaning could understand the action of world history. This is also the relation between mankind and nature. Marx identified thorough naturalism with humanism; that is naturalism should be understood from humanized nature while humanism should be understood from the natural nature. From the angle of humanism, it referred to the need that fitted humanity and satisfied people's life activities. These are not people's creation but the premise of people developing themselves. People's development always contains part of existence belonging to the natural world which People always belong to eventually. But there should be people's behavior of world history if they want to live up to mankind nature and realize the nature of people in the natural world. From the angle of thorough naturalism, the thoroughness does not mean requiring people to return to nature; but refers to returning to the nature of people and starts from this kind of nature but not starts far from the nature of people. Therefore, it seemed to Marx that the unity of humanized nature and natural nature was just"the solution of historical mystery".In a word, the deep connotation of Marx's Concept of Nature showed us that: In order to the natural environment problem, we can only reform the unreasonable social system and transform the production relation. According to the ideas of Marx, the future will realize the essential unity and be the true revival. This judgment of his was established on the basis of the deep criticism towards capitalist society, requiring realizing the emancipation of nature in the emancipation of people through developing, discarding and transforming capitalist society. Marx's Concept of Nature was a kind of scientific category of science, reflection, criticism, revolution, opening-up and synchronization with mankind's emancipation theory. It seemed to Marx that the fundamental cause of ecological problems lied in the alienation of humanized nature. Only through the combination of developing, discarding and alienation as well as the practical generation activities of social transformation, can the real harmonious relationship between persons as well as people and nature be restored. People's existence should be integrated into the co-existing inter-dependant relationships of people and nature."The comprehensive revival of nature"pursued by Marx's Concept of Nature was people's realized naturalism and the natural world's realized humanism. It was the thorough emancipation of mankind and nature.