On Social Stratification

It has been more than one hundred and fifty years since Marxism was proposed,during which the whole situations have changed greatly: the rapid and vastdevelopments of science and technologies, of profound socialization of productionand social organization, of multiplicity of social resources and their organization, ofcomprehensive adjustment of political and social systems in developed capitalistcountries……All these have rendered obvious changes to social class structures indeveloped countries. Even though classes exist, the distinctions between them havebecome obscure and social stratification has been stable, on which social peace hasbeen established. Classes have perished and all social members have devoted tosocialist constructions in China. However, in the process of reform and especially ofconstruction of socialist market system, rapid social stratification has occurred, andsome social vulnerable groups have become the focus of vast social concerns. Insuch a social background, historical materialism should develop with times andrealize its theoretical innovations basing on its fundamental principles andmethodologies, providing reasonable explanations to new social phenomena, andnew theoretical guide to solve problems in reality. In fact, researches on socialstratification have been carried out abroad for decades, and become one of the mostheated academic topics in the background of astonishing social stratification in China.Therefore, it is necessary for historical materialism to take research in the socialphenomenon, and probably one of the most important phenomena, so that it canrealize its theoretical innovation and provide reasonable guide to construction ofsocialist harmonious society.Historical materialism elaborates social and historical definitions of humanbeings in reality that proves to be its theoretical starting point, and the definitionpresents that human beings are in use of productivity forces, in definite socialrelationships and also produce definite social ideologies on the foundations ofhistorical inheritance. The dissertation, takes deliberate research into the materialsand ideas of Marx and Engels on humanity definitions of human beings, andproposes that human individual presents himself as a definite agent with individualabilities, individual needs and individual mentalities. Humanity definition is closelyrelated to social and historical definitions, in process of 'sensuous human activity' indefinite situations in history. These constitute logical staring point, from which thisdissertation carries out exploration of the forming of social stratification, of itshistorical development, relationships between social stratification and institutionaldesigns, and at last of construction of social justice and social harmony. Because ofimmature consideration and theme limits of dissertation, the relationship betweensocial stratification and social cultural constitution is left to further exploration.Even though he has not given a definition of class, his researches on andexplanations of classes, especially his comment on peasants of France clearlydemonstrates his ideas of classes. One of the most prominent characteristics ofhistorical materialism is that it explores social stratification, putting human beingsinto their social relationships, especially in their productive relationships. However,historical materialism on social stratification is not uni-dimensional as generallyregarded, because Karl Marx and Engels put high stress on ownership of productivematerials when they explore social stratification of classes, but it is considered as notthe only criterion, but a decisive and fundamental criterion. Karl Marx also considersdifferent consumption situations and levels between different classes and theirdifferent ideologies. Further more, he proposes the definition of life style, eventhough he fails to further explore it, and leaves few materials on its role in socialstratification. The most important is that he leaves us his ideas of humanity definitionof human beings, with which considered more of his ideas on classes and socialstratification would be discovered. The dissertation makes an analysis of why andhow social stratification is historically possible from the humanity definition and thesocial and historical definition of human beings, by butting them into definite socialsituations, particularly market system. The dissertation presents that human beingsare in a new social circumstances with such as equal social positions and rights offreedoms and supported by ideologies of freedoms and equalities in market system,and that market system begins another kind of social stratification, which is calledorganic social stratification, different from mechanical social stratification in history.Exactly speaking, because of competition and socialization of productivity, andbecause knowledge, techniques and information become new social resources whichundermined the monopoly of capital, middle positions are prepared for productiveand social organization, and it is inevitable for new middle classes or strata to comeinto being. However, history will not cease at market system, and social stratificationwill not stop at organic social stratification. With further development ofsocialization of productivity and with socially arranged and controlled productivity, itis unavoidable for human societies to develop to freely united communities of humanbeings, with every one developing fully and freely.Exploration of the forms of social stratification in history constitutes the thirdsection of the dissertation. It is a historical fact that the productivity forces developsin periodical phases, and thus that the forms of social organization and socialideologies also develop in periodical phases. Therefore, social stratification developswith its different forms in history. In slavery and feudal society, all social membersare divided into different estates by political institutions, and these estates belong todifferent classes in its essential sense, i.e. exploitative and exploited classes. Socialstratification of estates represents that sensuous human activities are constrained bylocal boundary and further political institution design. In modern period of freemarket system, bourgeois revolution destroyed feudal dictatorship and politicalprivileges, and established nevertheless economic privileges on the foundation ofcapital ownership, which results in social stratification of two classes in antagonismand conflict, bourgeois and proletariats. On the other hand, market system sets up theprinciples of competition, equality and freedom, and therefore all social memberswould obtain social resources and thus change their economical and social positionswith their effort. This results in that in the process of social stratification into twoclasses in conflict, middle classes and strata take their being. The development ofsocial stratification from estates to classes represents that natural and politicalconstraints on sensuous human activities are overthrown and the power of creativitiesand individualities in them manifests itself, even though it is somehow ex parte. Andin the period of post-free-market-system, even though classes exist, stratumstratification takes its form mainly in strata, and sensuous human activities representfurther more of human creativities and individualities, with performances of humanabilities, satisfactions of human need and activities of social contacts presentingfurther more of creativities and individualities of human beings that historicallyconstitute social status of social members, because of further development of socialdivision, multiplicity of social resources and varicosity of their organization forms,and fundamental social insurances provided by welfare institutions. It can beconcluded the social stratification develops from mechanical multiple stratification toorganic multiple stratification, and fades away unavoidably with overall developmentof human beings and the realization of free social individual association.Relationships of social stratification and political institutions are elaborated to ahigh degree by historical materialism, which holds that economically dominantclasses are always in power and consolidate their economic reign with it.Composition of social stratification, i.e. social strata in a nation, presents itself associal fundament of institutional designs, because they are different social forces andtheir requirements in conflict would be reflected directly or indirectly in aninstitutional design. Those classes or strata that occupy dominant social resources,are in broad social contact, and have developed explicit class or stratum ideology,participate directly in social institutional design;and those without such advantagesinflict their influences to the design indirectly by their social existence, and thisleaves them in somehow a state of natural existence. Reform of social institutionaldesign is based on and will occur according to changes in social stratificationbecause new social classes and strata would be produced in the development ofproductivities and socialization. They would propose their requirements and reformthe social institutional design from their economic and social positions when theydevelop mature. Without such new social classes and strata, only can strugglesbetween classes and strata destroy and continue an existent institutional design, withno possibilities to reform it. Justification of historical materialism lies not only in thatit presents the dominant factor of social stratification, which is economy inundeveloped period of material productivity, but also in that it proposes a possibleand feasible path to institutional design reform, especially when new social classes orstrata have developed and are refused to participate institutional design.A social state of justice and harmony proves to be a persistent pursuit of humanbeings, and explorations of it constitute a continuous theme in the history of humanthoughts. In occident culture, the traditions of rationality, natural laws andcontractualism leave most of occident thinkers and scholars out of social reality, andespecially out of social stratification. Individuals in reality and their sensuousactivities are taken as the starting point of historical materialism, and this makes itpossible to research into social material production realm and the structure of socialstratification, and basing on such research social justice and harmony has beenprimarily and scientifically explored. As far as social stratification is concerned,social justice is not an unsolvable puzzle, but property of institutional design thatconcerns and meets the requirements of each class or stratum in a society in differentdegrees, and social harmony is a state of social state in which all social classes andstrata exist and develop in interdependence. Social justice is historical, depending onthe development of social productivity forces and on structure of social stratification;but it is also united, constituting institutional and moral situations for humandevelopment. Social harmony is also historical, established by interdependence andmutual development of all social classes or strata, and it is also united, constituting ahistory of peaceful human development.