On Marx's "universal History"

In what sense we can talk about the history as a universal category? Can we obtain the knowledge of history in human language and cogitative presentation as a universal science? Can the universal science of history be sure of practical and moral justification? These problems have been excited modern historical philosophies to investigate the possibility, essential foundation or universal rules of the history as the empirical, scientific and philosophic object. Unfortunately, these efforts have been relegate to marginal spheres in historicism context. However, historical existence, as human universal natural world, could it be as a universal concept in human knowledge and scientific presentation? Could it be reasonable to talk about the truth and ideality of history? These theoretic-historical issues are not only related to the epistemological or theoretical mission of human self-cognition, also related to the moral or practical mission of human self-perfection. The universality of history and its possibility as a universal science is by nature a original ethical theme related to human existence and destiny, not only a pure knowledge issue about objectivity of history-in-itself.To construct a universal science of history is the ideal of Vico's New Science, is also the theoretical mission of Marx's Historical Science. This article is to investigate the subjects on universality of history and its universal science from Marx's concept of history, to excavate the possible solutions to these problems in Marx's thought, to quest their manifestation in Western Marxist context.The dissertation is consisted of four chapters. The content of each chapter is as follows:In chapterâ… of the article, it is to elaborate the two branches in modern philosophies of history:philosophy of history in critical or analytical way and in speculative or metaphysic way. From their thought progress, these two philosophical branches are the replay of Kantian critique on experience, science and metaphysics in history field. In critical context, history as the empirical and knowledge object is to be researched through human sensuous and understanding forms. In speculative context, as the metaphysical object, history is to be discussed through human rationality. Consequently, the theoretical destination of critical philosophy is Kantian transcendental ego; the starting point of speculative philosophy is Kantian transcendental freedom. In critical thought, history is lost into the division and contradiction between phenomenon and noumenon, subject and object, idea and reality. In speculative thought, the metaphysical history is separated from the empirical and real history, transformed into a-history. From Marx's point of view, the true history is by nature the creation by human-in-itself, not only the sensuous and intellectual object.Now come to chapterâ…¡, this part is to investigate the certain forms of history from Marx's concept of Society. Universal certainty of history is society in Marx's context. History, through the category of society, its structure, process and conformity to law which is the hypothesis of history as intellectual science is appeared. In this part, the article is to analyze Marx's concept of society from three ways. The first way is to view Marx's concept of society as sensuous or esthetical category, as the objectification of human creative activity, as sensuous reality of human freedom and existence, in which history has become to reveal its property of human creature. The second way is to view Marx's concept of society as understanding or intellectual category, in which history has become to reveal its objective structure, process and lawfulness, and its theoretical and practical manifestation in individuals or groups subjective life. The third way is to view Marx's concept of society as rational concept, as a freedom concept, as the historical externalization of human internal freedom and essence, in which history has become to reveal its property of purposiveness, ideality and humanity.In chapterâ…¢, the article is to investigate the truthfulness of history through Marx's concept of species-being. The foundation and truth Universal history is human itself as a universal or species-being. As a category, human nature or humanity is the reflexive concept come into being in human self-cognition, is the concept view human itself as a species-being. If human being is a universal or species-being, human history has to be the universal history, has to be the manifestation of human universal creative activity, in which the truthfulness of history has found its essential basis. In this point of view, the objective structure of social-historical process is the objectification of human universal creative activity. In this part, the article is to elaborate theories on human universality or humanity from Marx, Heidegger to Western Marxism, to reveal the anthropological basis of universal history.The last part is chapterâ…£. This part is to investigate the ideality of history through Marx's ideal of history. The ideality of history is related to the issues about the justifications or vindications of the practical reason or moral rationality of history. As universal or total category, does history inherit meaning, value or purposiveness in-itself? Could it be the object of practical reason? In its metaphysic representations, Could history win its justifications in such forms as theodicy or teleology, and to satisfy existential and humanitarian motion to realize human self-perfection and self-cognition? In the sight of ideality, the universal science has been viewed as a practical or moral science which is related to human existence and destiny. By ontological view, the ideality of history is identical to its truthfulness. Humanity as universal category is the supreme theme which hided in philosophy and theology context and manifest in the forms such as human nature, ontological principle, metaphysical idea or divine deity, etc. Ideality and truthfulness are unified to human-in-itself as the universal free and creative being in its practical activity. In this part, the article is to elaborate the theories from Marx to Bloch and Benjamin in Western Marxist context.