A Research On Method In Ethical Thought Of Marx And Engels

Ethics is to think about moral problems, method is one revelation about existence,and method in ethical thought is one revelation about the existence of human being. Since the 20th century, the number of theoretical schools "Back to Marx" again and again in a variety of transition and change in human praxis.This "return" is not only a return to the text but to use the resources of the founders of Marxism thought to express the deep concern for the co-existence fate of human being in the deep sense. This is academic background of this study.Marxism multidisciplinary research should be allowed to intervene, innovation in path should be allowed in Marxism ethics. It is traditional research path to interpret moral problems and analyze the moral status by Marxism as the guiding ideology.It is another path to study the text of Marx and Engels as the research object from the perspective of ethics, which contains the analysis of the moral stance,moral values and ethical elements, etc. Which domestic and foreign scholars carves out in recent years. This study combines those two research paths which at the insistence of the basic Marxist standpoint, important ideas and fundamental methods,tries to achieve the collusion between the text of Marx and Engels with the category of common ethical thought. On the one hand, this dissertation notes some differences in the text of Marx and Engels, and highlights Marx himself beyond the old ethical thinking and realizes the profound implication of the change.On the other hand,this dissertation does not stick to the clarification of the text of Marx and Engels to pieces, and fully aware of the two are mutually complementary, interrelated and improved to the overall configuration. Thus, the study adds "yeast" of the ethical thought into Marx and Engels, makes the blood interlinked dough in new text, and therefore the moral significance issued. Follow such path, this research justifies that Marx and Engels concerned about the problems of existence,the ethical thought of Marx and Engels makes the expression of ought to be about human existence,and its thought exists in the public, historical context of our times.In a nutshell,the ethical thought of Marx and Engels reveals the character of human being,and expresses hopes for a better life, reflects the deep concern for the fate of mankind which need to be comprehended systematically from the multiple dimensions.This study expands in combing the basis of the relevant literature. Scholars have different views about what the ethical thought of Marx and Engels is attributed. On Western academia, a number of researchers attributes it to utilitarianism,deontology, contract theory or virtue ethics. However, they opposes or ignores the dialectical materialism and historical materialism or the concept of praxis.On the domestic circles concerned, they attributes it from some certain sides, or focuses on the use of Marxism to criticize other ethical thought. So although more historical materialism and dialectical materialism insisted, but less common method of ethical thought make systematic interpretation of the text of Marx and Engels used. To use common categories of ethical thought and to apply them in the study of ethical thought of Marx and Engels,this dissertation starts systematic study of ethical thought of Marx and Engels. And through the interaction between the text reading and categories deduction,this dissertation extracts the dialectical categories organized by rationalism and irrationalism, deontology and utilitarianism, contract theory and virtue ethics, individualism and communitarianism, etc.And then uses the dialectical categories to interpret the method in ethical thought of Marx and Engels.With the expanding of the paper, the text interpretation is expressed systematically and theoretically. In short, there are highly principled criticism and method construction in ethical thought of Marx and Engels. In detail, there are "big" and "small" method in ethical thought of Marx and Engels.The so-called "big method" includes that dialectical materialism is "living soul",historical materialism as a fundamental way,and praxis is the core concept of the consistent text. So various methods of ethical thought is integrated through dialectical materialism, historical materialism and the concept of praxis,and thus the "big method" of ethical thought of Marx and Engels revealed. The "big method" described as "Trinity", such as life continuum relationship between "ring", "roots" and "trunk". This "big method" echoes each other and permeates the ethical thought of Marx and Engels.Because ethics is reason between "person" and "reason", "real people" is engaged in practical activities in a particular historical relationship.And "living people "in the process of creating and changing perceptual relations,thus inherently abandon the sites divided by various rational thought.Furthermore, ethics is a dialectical development in the course of history, there are not only recognition but critic in ethical thought of Marx and Engels and ultimately refers to the praxis which is inner transcendence and need to be interpreted co-operation by "small method"."Small method" is constructed though common ethical thought coupled with Marx and Engels’.This dissertation analyzes a rational method of irrational methods,thus irrationalism becomes the foundation of rationalism.On this basis, this dissertation reveals the fusion of rationalism and irrationalism.Then this dissertation analyzes the critical inheritance of deontology and utilitarianism, thus opens the possible space for the complex of deontology and utilitarianism.And then,this dissertation extracts the reasonable absorption of contract theory and virtue ethics, which complementarily contains the spirit of the contract and the elements of the virtues.At last, this dissertation reviews the discussion of the individual and the community,and shows that it goes beyond the polar opposites of individualism and communitarianism, thus tries to connect individual and community on the method level.It must be noted that the "small method" above is the specification of "big method",and those two methods cross-reference, complement each other, and mutual interpretation and interaction. "Big method" just as the sources of rivers, rationalism and irrationalism methods just as the convergence of two tributaries in upstream, and deontology and utilitarianism in the middle.At last,individualism and communitarianism finally flows to the sea,that is real community,that is communist society revealing its style with time in human history.In short, this dissertation is completed through an approach of comprehensive interpretation.The author "embeds" a variety of ethical thought in Marx and Engels’ text,reconstructs the original text into the meaning of the text through symbols mobile, thus a new space of theory is borned from cross-text flowing. In this sense, the innovation of this dissertation is not in the original material, but in the the way of text interpretation.This interpretation not only helps us to escape from the polar opposites of either-or way of thinking, but also helps us to understand the characteristic of dialectical way of thinking of Marx and Engels.And contributes to constuct awareness to improve the fate of mankind,the consciousness of’human destiny community’ in general.In summary, the innovation of this dissertation is not in the original material, but in the research method, organization and structure, and the way of interpretation.