A Study Of Marx 's Theory Of Value

Marxism is a practice-based theoretical system which integrates scientific and revolutionary traits. It not only provides us with a scientific world outlook and methodology, but also reveals the innate character and the historical trend of capitalist society and specifies the reality road to the future society. Especially, it illuminates a scientific values. Marx’s value theory forms an important part of Marxism.This dissertation makes a systematic research on Marx’s value theory. Therefore, this paper traces the historical evolution of western value theory, combs the forming process of Marx’s value theory, and illustrates that Marx’s value theory is the great revolution of human values. On this base, this paper tries to elucidate the basic content and essence of Marx’s value theory. Contacting practice of contemporary construction of socialism with Chinese characteristic, this paper tries to reveal its practical significance in the construction of Chinese socialist core value system.The western value theory took shape through three phases:the ancient, the modern and the contemporary stages. The ancient Greek thoughts of value experienced an evolution from universalism to humanism, rationalism to sensibilitism, holism to individualism, absolutism and relativism. The value theory of Hellenistic period experienced an evolution from according to nature to overstepping nature, the respect of nature and society to the stress of character, personal freedom and happiness, the stress of the group to the respect of individual. The value theory of medieval times was theological theory of value; the modern rationalist value theory diverged:one was British empirical utilitarianism, the other was continental rationalist ethicism. These are two different value theory. The value theory of contemporary irrationalism differentiated into scientism and humanism. The former only researched facts but rejected values; the latter shifted from ethics to the existentialism. On the basis of sublating predecessors, Marx was the only one who solved the conflicts between science and value. And on the basis of historical practice, Marx realized the unification of both and the historical reformation of human values. The Marx’s value theory came into being through two stages:the shift of value standing and the formation of value theory. In high school, Marx hugged the ideal of sacrificing for human happiness. In the running of Rheinische Zeitung, encountering difficulties of material benefits led his eyes to the laboring people; during the period of Yearbook of German-French, Marx determined to stand at the back of proletariat and argued the liberation of proletariat and humanity in Paris Manuscript for the first time. However, during the above-mentioned period, Marx did not overstep the limitation of humanistic materialism and philosophy communism, whose value theory still had a nature of abstract humanism. The Theses on Feuerbach signifies the maturity of Marxism and for which it supplied a philosophical basis and a core theory. German Ideology, the theory basis, elucidated the basis and the subject of value and realized the unification of values and historical view. Communist Manifesto established not only an ideal for the free development and communism, but also an approach for social revolution and elimination of private ownership. Human development and human value are based on science and practice. The Manifesto was Marx’s outline of value theory and led this theory shift from specification to reality.The connotation of Marx’s value theory can be summarized into four aspects:the first, historical materialism is the theoretical basis of Marx’s value theory. Historical practice is the realistic basis of Marx’s value theory; the second, the free development of humanity and communism is the value target; the third, proletariat is the practice subject; the fourth, social revolution is the guiding principle. Marx’s value theory, which has a distinct class nature and practicality, integrated the content and form, the development of society and humanity, the conformity of aim and law. The mentioned features can be demonstrated in several levels:on the philosophical level, showed as the unity of object and subject, individual value and social value; on the economic level, expressed as efficiency, social fair and universal access; on the political level, demonstrated as people’s democracy, true freedom, and real equality; on ecological level, displayed as the harmony between humanity and nature.Marx’s value theory is of great practical significance to the construction of Chinese socialistic core value system. How to extract the widely recognized socialistic core values has long being the biggest difference among the scholars. With the guideline of Marx’s value theory, this paper demonstrates and proves the concept---the contemporary Chinese socialistic core values--- "development priorities, people-oriented, ecologically friendly ". And this is the barely contribution of this paper to the mentioned epoch-making research.