Font Size: a A A

Research On The Purport Of Marxian Philosophy From The Contemporary "Finitude" Perspective

Posted on:2011-05-16Degree:DoctorType:Dissertation
Country:ChinaCandidate:X X NiuFull Text:PDF
GTID:1115360305975289Subject:Marxist philosophy
Abstract/Summary:PDF Full Text Request
By reviewing the contemporary purport of Marxian philosophy, this thesis makes an analysis of the essence and significance of Marxian "finitude" and distinguishes the "finitude" defined in the sense of Marxian philosophy from that in the sense of traditional philosophy. From traditional metaphysics (ontology) crack starting, the existence of Marxian philosophy on the contemporary foundation is explained in the contemporary context of history and reality. Unlike the traditional metaphysics, which is based on the absolute "infinitude", Marxian philosophy of existence is dependent on the reality. A ctual life is dynamic and temporary, thus it is "finite". In this sense, based on the "finitude" of actual life, but not localized in it, Marxian philosophy draws a Idea of relative "infinitude" from the "finitude" of actual life and makes it a new "finitude". Thus, Marxian philosophy is not a simple static non-critical positive science but a realistic expectation and aspiration for the future, which indicates that Marxian Philosophy is out of modern and contemporary "nihilism".In the history of western philosophy, the traditional metaphysics has been seeking for its groundwork of existence from various perspectives. Metaphysics was first born of Parmenides'generalization of "Being", which marks the birth of metaphysical research and its root. As a symbol of infinite "noumenon", "Being" is studied in a rational abstraction and logical argument way. Hereafter, philosophers keep seeking for the constant "noumenon" of "perpetual presence" in various ways. The ancient metaphysics appeals to the still "infinite noumenon" of objects to support the "finite" actual life. The medieval time witnesses the ending of the pursuit of "infinite noumenon" and the presence of divinity. An epistemic metaphysics on the basis of self-evident "I think" steps on the stage. As a self-evident "infinite noumenon", "I think" is different from the objective "noumenon" in that it is a "noumenon" immanent in consciousness and in that it concerns how "I think" in consciousness hits the point of external world, namely, the objectivity of knowledge. Modern philosophers either prescribe the objectivity of knowledge in the perspectives of "corroboration" and "finitude" or rationally bestow the finite area of knowledge, which virtually confirms the "finitude" of knowledge. The confirmation shows that the attention has been shifted from the traditional noumenon infinitude to the self noumenon infinitude and that the "infinitude" Reason required has gradually been weakened while the "finitude" feature emphasized.In fact, both ancient and modern metaphysics take the self evident "infinite noumenon" as their root. While the "infinite" "noumenon"-based metaphysics is born, grows and flourishes, the "finitude" trait of realistic man and his life world are lost. The sublime of "noumenon" serves as a foil to the vulgar actual life. The noble infinite noumenon is contrasted to a humble finite reality. The "permanent" pursuit of "noumenon" spurns the "finitude" anamorphosis of reality. An man in real life keeps breaking away from the disturbance of the "finitude" of reality and even shuffles off this mortal coil to seek for an immortal spirit.The actual presence of "finitude" defined in the philosophical sense originates from Kant's establishment of traditional metaphysics. Laying a foundation for the modern metaphysics, Kant reveals the "finitude" feature of man's cognitive power and demarcates the possibility of knowledge within phenomenon world. Believing that the past philosophers construct a more subjective metaphysics, the task of Kant would construct a scientific metaphysics for the future, namely, the metaphysics of nature and metaphysics of moral. The former is defined by man's "finite" cognition while the latter by "infinite" free will. Since practical reason is at a higher level than pure reason, the moral metaphysics-based "finitude" is higher than the natural metaphysics-based "finitude". Due to the contradiction between the "finitude" presenting the natural restriction of man and the "infinitude" presenting the infinite moral freedom, Kant divides ontology and epistemology in a dualistic way of thinking. In this sense, Kant still rests on the epistemological metaphysics but his philosophical category of man's cognitive "finitude" opens up a new area for the contemporary philosophical research.The "finitude" as a perspective of contemporary philosophy becomes a significant intention, it is in the consistency with the ending of traditional metaphysics and the flourishing of contemporary nihilism. In the new level, Heidegger is the first one to make a profound study of "finitude" on the basis of Kant's critique philosophy. Starting with the "origin philosophy", Heidegger reveals that man's "existence" is the true Being. However, the "Being" has been ignored and even shaded by "existences" in the history of western philosophy. Man's existence indicates that man is a being of "temporality" and that man's outspread in time signifies man's "historical quality". Man's "temporality" and "historical quality" indicates that man is an existence of "finitude". As mortal being, man's finitude is presented at extreme. Man is not restricted by his "finitude" but creates and transcends within his "finitude". Heidegger not only constructs his metaphysics of "Being" on the basis of "finitude", but also "bounds" the metaphysics of transcending, indicating the "boundary" of metaphysics. Since the "finitude" elaborated by Heidegger refers to the one experienced by individuals and constructed on the basis of the "metaphysics of Being", and construct "metaphysics of Being" approach to the "origin of philosophy" by the prelogical way, it is not the "finitude" in actual life, but "finitude" in individual consciousness. However, it is of great significance that Heidegger tries to relate the earthly value of "finitude" to the construction of contemporary Marxian Philosophy.And Kant and Heidegger "finitude" of different provisions of the exposition, Marxian philosophy not only expresses the "finitude"nature of mind but the "finitude" of original characteristic of actual life. It reveals that the "finitude" of thought is a theoretical expression of the "finitude" of actual life. Marx explains the social and historical "finitude" and the "finitude" of man in history and in reality. The subrogation of history signifies the finitude of history, which is determined by the constantly changing reality. An"infinitude" must be drawn from this "finitude" and turned into a "finitude" according to different historical periods and spacial locales. So the "finitude" in the sense of Marxian philosophy doesn't mean the abstract "materialization" or the "nihil reality" of the laissez-faire but on the real life world is the history of the dialectical process of historical explanation generated.According to Marx, the change of social configuration is the objective function outcome of the interacting between a "certain" social and economic base and a "certain" social superstructure. These "Certains" of the sentence indicates that Marx has examined the "finitude" of social life, realizing the basic role of the actual life "finitude" and pointing out that only if we envisage the actual life "finitude" and its basic role, we can find resolution to the social conflict and the change of social and historical reality. Marx believes that man is an individual of flesh and blood in material practice, which determines the "finitude" of man's actual life. Not covering Feuerbach's pure natural man, or Heidegger's "finitude" of immanent "existence" or the "finitude" of "being" or the exterior "finitude" of "mortal", Marxian "finitude" of individual is realistic and guided by history and society. So, in reality among the "finitude" of individual is an ever reborn process.Whether in the real historical conditions on the practice of "finitude" of the realistic interpretation,or the lives of real people "finitude" of the foundation revealed,Both indicate the purport of Marxian philosophy. So,the question we have to answer today is what "the realistic quality" in the sense of Marxian philosophy is. According to Marx, on the true understanding of reality that is always relative to "finitude" description. Angle from the historical facts, a basic fact of the "reality" is one of the physical life of deposit holders, which marks man's material "quality". This quality embodies that as an indispensable part of natural world, man shares the sameness with nature and animal. However, not being contented with his material quality, man tries to transcend and make himself perfect and noble. The essential difference between man and other existence lies in that man forever transcends his "finite" existence to achieve a super state of being. Marx thinks that man's realistic quality, which is a unification of practical activity and pure divine metaphysical thinking, is more transcending than material. What's more, man's activity is a unification of "finitude" and "infinitude". So, Marxian "reality" signifies that "finitude" contains "infinitude".The immanent relation between Marxian "finitude" and "reality" reflects the connection between "finitude" and "dialectic" of history and reality. Being established in the realistic world, Marxian "finitude" perspective breaks the external logic relations between the "finitude" nature and "infinitude" defined in traditional philosophy. Marxian "finitude" contains "infinitude" implication and turns this "infinitude" implication into realistic "finitude" understanding, thus a objective dialectic relation between "finitude" and "infinitude" is constructed. The objective dialectic relation is also reflected in Marxian statement of "discovering a new world in the old". As a "finite" world, the "old world", which is pointed at the capitalist society by Marx, contains its "infinitude". The "new world" refers to "communism" born of capitalist society. Therefore, Marxian historical dialectics makes it possible that realistic finitude generates "infinitude" and that the generated "infinitude" becomes realistic finitude. In a word, while Marxian philosophy breaks the exterior relation between "finitude" and "infinitude" of the traditional philosophy it topples over the existence basis of dialectics. In Marxian philosophy, dialectics doesn't present the natural state of "noumenon" or the self-discipline of pure "reason", but embodies a related world of man.Since the "finitude" of actual life in Marxian philosophy comprises "infinitude" or "metaphysical pursuit", when terminating the "finitude" of old metaphysics, Marxian philosophy turns to the "finitude" of actual life. It doesn't fall into nihilism but critically create Communism, a new world, representing the value of human beings.The purport of Marxian philosophy, which is based on "finitude"and "metaphysical pursuit", indicates the actualization and secularization of Marxian philosophy, which turns to actual life, a human actual life but not a world of "intentionality".The purport opens up a new area to re-comprehend the change of Marxian philosophy,the significance of which doesn't lie in its establishment of "practical ontology" or "existence ontology" but in its achievement in the change of philosophical outlook. The purport opens up as well a new area to construct contemporary metaphysics related to actual life. A contemporary explanation of the concept of "finitude" in Marxian philosophy is of theoretical and practical significance in reflecting on Marxian philosophy teaching and research. It is also of great significance to push forward the research of Marxian historical materialism.
Keywords/Search Tags:Metaphysics, Infinitude, Finitude, Marxian Philosophy
PDF Full Text Request
Related items