On Causal Explanation Mode Of Historical Materialism

Although the meaning of causality, cause and be caused, is basically the same in history and in different areas, but it still have its own characteristics in different areas. When doing historical explanation, we have a relatively free use of space of causality. We can use it in everyday language, or seek motivated causality, or use coverage pattern of causal explanation. Based on this general discussion, by studying classic text, we get some comprehensions of causal explanation mode in historical Materialism as following:1. In the sense of cause and be caused, Marx and Engels affirmed the causality of elements of history. Productivity is the most imperative reason of the elements of history, that is decided by the degree of necessity of the elements. In this sense, productivity is the first necessary condition in human history. Through the metaphor of building, Marx proved that productivity is the dicisive role of all elements, that means the adequacy of productivity as a cause. In this sense, productivity is the decisive force is history. These two points can not be combined simply, because they based on different methodology. We can not conclude that productivity is both necessary and sufficient.2. Historical materialism, as the macro explanation of history, is abstractive and non-quantifiable. According to Marx’s understanding, the material production can be studyed precisely, it means the economic phenomena can be quantitatively researched by using mathematical methods.But the nature of the mode of production, production relations need to adapt to productivity, is a qualitative necessity, not a quantitative necessity. It can be understanded qualitatively, can not be understanded quantitatively.3. On the aspect of people in human history, who make history toghther with the elements, historical materialism’s understanding of human has obviously times and directions, it is not a general theory of human nature. For Marx and Engels, people’s initiative is exaggerated abstractively by Idealism, they emphasized that the real individual is a conditional beings. Contrast the communism, in which people could develop freely in all areas, Marx and Engels emphasized that the real individual is a restrictive beings.4. In a certain sense, Marx and Engels’s explanations of historical events can be Interpretated by coverage pattern of causal explanation. The relationship of historical materialism, surplus value theory and socialism also can be Interpretated by coverage pattern of causal explanation. For example, the basic principle of historical materialism can be regarded as a general rule, the status of the productive forces and production relations of capitalist society can be regarded as the initial conditions, combinate these two conditions, we can explain the socialism.5. The motivated causality also exist in Marx and Engels’s explanations of historical events. Sometimes, they reproduce historical figures’s mental activitises,such as moods, attemptions. Of course, it is not a casual imaginantion. Historical figures is understanded in a particular historical context, their mental activitises are reproduced reasonablely.6. Marx and Engels’s explanations of history can be regaided as a historical research programmes. The basic principle of historical materialism is the core, together with the surplus value theory and socialism, they constitutes the main part. And other related theories form the protection zone. The historical research program is evolving. On the one hand, its core theory is revised and improved; on the other hand, its protection zone is enriched and developed.Based on the above understanding of historical materialism, we can re-evaluate the pros and cons of the Interpretations of historical materialism. The Interpretations of core theory consists of two dimensions. In the elements dimension, we will discuss the mechanical Interpretation, structural interpretation, functional interpretation and natural science interpretation. In the human dimension, we will discuss the interpretations of historical materialism by Plekhanov, Lukacs, Marcuse, Sartre and Habermas. We will demonstrate how to develop the protection zone by Lenin and Mao Zedong’s theoretical work.