The Criticism And Transcendence Of Value Nihilism

Value nihilism is a fundamental crisis, which people encounter in the modernsociety. How to deal with the crisis to find an "Archimedes point" of value andovercome value nihilism is the core topic of modern philosophy. Many contemporarythinkers try responding to this topic, and they actively seek ways to overcome modernvalue crisis and reconstruct the order of value in different perspectives. As thecontemporary people and experience of modernity, Nietzsche, Heidegger and Marxdeeply criticize and analyze value nihilism. Re-combing and re-explaining thesethinkers’ theories, not only help us understand the origin and essence of nihilism, butalso provide effective guidance for us to really get rid of value nihilism which troublespeople.The focuses of this paper are that how Marx’ philosophy interprets this moderncrisis from its unique theory angle and provides a unique and transcend solution to thecrisis, when it faces the challenge of the modern value nihilism. The writer first examsthe achievements of Nietzsche and Heidegger’s value nihilism study from theperspective of thought history, and points out their common theoretical dilemmas.Under the background of the thought, the paper gets into the focus of this paper thathow Marx treats modern value nihilism and rebuilds the modern value. Then the paperreveals the uniqueness and revolutionary that Marx’s philosophy solves the problem ofmodern value nihilism.Nietzsche is the philosopher who earlier insights and grasps human’s valuenihilism in modern society. The value nihilism means that the loss of the highesthuman value after the death of The God. In Nietzsche’ opinion, the deeper reason of value nihilism is the repression and negation of the whole western metaphysicaltradition which is from Plato on people’s life and real value. So Nietzsche believes thatif we want to solve nihilism, we must target metaphysics. The insight of Nietzschedraws Heidegger’s attentions. Heidegger treats nihilism as the essence of memetaphysics, and then grapes the history of western philosophy as a constantlyexpanding and deepening history of nihilism.Nietzsche and Heidegger’s theoretical contributions on studies of value nihilismproblems in modern society are significant. They see the oppression and deny of thetraditional metaphysics of reality people, and put the problem of people’ value into thefields of modern philosophy. They reveal the ideological root which causes valuenihilism in modern society. This is the place where Nietzsche and Heidegger’sphilosophy is deeper. But their biggest weakness is that they just treat value nihilism asa kind of theoretical consequence of metaphysics, without further to seeking realisticfoundation of the existence of metaphysics. So the road to overcome value nihilism istrapped in the theory field. They can’t really break through the bondage of metaphysicsto find the realistic and effective way which can help us solve human value nihilism inmodern society.On the basis of examining Nietzsche and Heidegger’s research on value nihilismproblems, this paper gets into the focus, and go into further studies that How Marx todeal with modern value nihilism in his unique philosophical perspective and to solvethe dilemma of value in modern human society. Different from Nietzsche, Heideggerand other thinkers, Marx thoughts about value nihilism problem not only stay in themetaphysical filed, but go deeply into the social and historical reality, and this is theunique of Marx’ philosophy. In Marx’s opinion, any existence of ideology likemetaphysical.moral and so on, abstracts and reflects of certain social and historicalreality. If metaphysics is the root of value nihilism, the root of metaphysics is hidden inthe social and historical reality. Therefore in order to solve value nihilism problem, wemust not only carry on the theory criticism of metaphysical, but also carry on the socialand historical critique of metaphysical. Otherwise we can only revolute in the theory filed, and can not make any material effect on the solution of value nihilism problem.Marx creatively links the study of value nihilism with the criticism of social andhistorical reality of capitalist. So Marx finds two reasons which bring up modern valuenihilism. The theory reason that the presence of the rational metaphysics and the morebasal reality reason that capital abstractly rules people.In Marx’ opinion, if we want to solve the problem of value nihilism, we mustcarry on no longer a way of pure criticism of metaphysics, but also a unique way ofcritique perspective of social and historical critique of metaphysical. The social andhistorical critique of metaphysical asks to criticize and reveal the reality operationenvironment of metaphysical, namely to criticize and reveal the abstract rule of capitallogic and abstract rule which is caused by the capitalist private ownership. Marx’ studyof modern value is beyond the pure philosophy critical of Nietzsche and Heidegger,but turns to the double criticisms that the philosophy criticism and the political andeconomics criticism. And from the criticism of the social and historical reality ofcapitalist, Marx finds the realistic way to clear up the abstract rule of capital logic andovercome value nihilism. Then Marx’s philosophy achieves the changes of modernvalue. The realistic subject of value is no longer an abstract existence, but real people.And the essence basis of value is not an ultra perceptual existence, but is formed underpeople’s creative practice. The subject of value is no longer any abstract, but areal individual. So the pursuit of human value rationality is not a value that abstractentity, but really wants to realize people’s free individuality. In Marx’ opinion, ideal ofcommunism is the true value.