The Study Of Chen Duxiu's Philosophical Thoughts During The May Fourth Movement

Chen Duxiu was a prominent figure in China's modern history.He was the "commander-in-chief of the May Fourth Movement",the most influential Marxist at that time,the principal founder of the communist party of China,and the supreme leader in the early days of the party.Chen Duxiu led the May Fourth Movement,and also made by it.During the May Fourth New Culture Movement,his philosophy thought profoundly affected the whole era,changed the Chinese social development trend,and triggered the people's consciousness,especially the youth's.His philosophy is the permanent and vital cornerstone of the modern history of China,the history of Chinese ideology and culture,and the history of the development of Chinese Marxism.Under the lens of the Marxist perspective,this paper analyzes Chen Duxiu's philosophical views in the May Fourth Movement by unfolding its main content,social influence,significance,and historical limitations.Furthermore,this paper explores the May Fourth Movement spirit with distinct characteristics of the times and universal significance beyond time and space through Chen Duxiu's philosophical thoughts.This paper is divided into five parts.The introduction mainly expounds the significance of the topic,definitions of the concepts,the research status quo,innovative points and critical points of this paper,and the limitations.The first chapter is a thorough reflection of Chen Duxiu's brilliant and intricate life.At the transitional times from the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China,a period of significant changes and turbulence,China was confronted with "the unprecedented changes in the past three thousand years",associating with sharp and complex social contradictions and severe internal and external worries.Meanwhile,Chen Duxiu stepped onto the historical stage in this historical social background.In his entire life,Chen Duxiu has experienced several identity changes,from a scholar to a traitor,from the chief editor of New Youth to the flag-bearer of May Fourth Movement,from the early leader of the communist party of China to the Trotsky leader in the party.Despite the continuous transformations of his status and roles,Chen Duxiu always had a strong patriotic enthusiasm throughout his whole life.How to change the desperate situation of poverty,inferiority and backwardness of old China was the core issue to him.He had always maintained an independent attitude ofthinking.Especially in May Fourth era,Chen Duxiu challenged the traditions and norms,reacted initiatively to the demands of the progress which was in line with the pace of the Times,and fearlessly took the risk to threw himself into the Chinese Revolution.Moreover,he proclaimed and employed a series of changes in China which influenced and nurtured young generation(s),fundamentally,motivated the development of China's history.The second chapter discusses Chen Duxiu's philosophical thought in the early period of the May Fourth Movement.At this stage,Chen Duxiu's philosophical thought belongs to the category of radical democracy,which is the product of the integration of western modern philosophical ideas and traditional Chinese philosophy in the given historical environment of modern China.Chen Duxiu interpreted and expounded a series of viewpoints and values on materialism,development,history,culture and life.In his opinion,metabolism was the fundamental law of the development of the universe.He thought that if China wants to survive from the present situation and successfully develop afterwards,it must adapt to the tendency of social evolution and development,by advocating new culture,new literature,new ethics and a new morality,and attacking the conservativism and restoration view of reestablishing empire at the same time.Chen Duxiu pointed out that unfolding the realization of the “ethical consciousness”,carrying out the ideological and cultural revolution nationally was indispensable for preventing China from being eliminated and isolated by world.He regarded the old and new culture and the eastern and western culture as determinedly opposed to each other and refused the reconciliation theory.He believed that it was necessary to advocate individual independency,freedom of thought,and individual liberation alongside with emphasizing the critique of the traditional Chinese culture represented by the principle of feudal moral conduct(san gang wu chang)underlaid by Confucianism,in order to disseminate and develop the understanding of democracy and science in China.In criticizing Buddhist culture,Chen Duxiu stated his understanding of the world's materiality,that the world is endless if the atomic nature is not destroyed.Chen Duxiu also had a belief in youth.He believed that the young generation holds the future of China,and the fundamental development of society relied on the them.Therefore,he appealed that the youth must set up a new value of life,achieve the internal growth of personality,and make the external contribution to the collective good.He advocated "radicalpatriotism"(targeting to the root of the problem and rendering solutions regarding to it)and stressed that the reactionary character of the northern warlord government under Yuan Shih-kai should not be neglected because of patriotism.The third chapter argues Chen Duxiu's philosophical thoughts in the later period of the May Fourth Movement.At this stage,Chen Duxiu completed his transformation from a radical democrat to a Marxist under the influences of the international tensions change,personal experience,and the prevalent social thoughts.Chen Duxiu's talk politics,published in September 1920,was a remark of his transformation into a Marxist.Since then,Chen Duxiu devoted himself to advocating and interpreting Marxist theories,such as historical materialism,class struggle and labor dictatorship,and refuted non-Marxist views,through articles and speeches.During this time,Chen Duxiu began the exploration of establishing the early CPC organization in Shanghai.After the founding of the communist party of China,Chen Duxiu used historical materialism to guide the Chinese revolution.During the time of the second CPC national congress,Chen Duxiu initially formed his understanding of the "semi-colonial and semi-feudal" nature of Chinese society and came up with the party's highest and lowest program.Chen Duxiu actively participated in the discussion of socialism,the debate with Anarchist,the debate of science and value of life,criticized the opinions from Dai Jitao and Nationalism,clarified a series of understandings of historical materialism and class struggle,and spread Marxism in the debate.Chen Duxiu's understanding of Marxism in the later period of the May Fourth Movement emphasized the "spirit of practical research" and "spirit of practical activities",and carried out the ideological exploration of sinicization of Marxism by exploratively and effectively combining Marxism with the Chinese social realities.The conclusion discusses Chen Duxiu's philosophical thought and May Fourth spirit.Chen Duxiu's philosophy in the May Fourth period absorbed the most worldwidely advanced scientific and philosophical trend of view at that time.As a product of the development of modern Chinese history,Chen Duxiu's philosophical thought was a powerful response to social demands,which also influenced Chinese society dramatically and profoundly.Moreover,through its pioneering characteristic and innovativeness,it became a crutial representative of the May Fourth spirit.Honestly,Chen Duxiu's philosophical thoughts during the May Fourth Movement were neither mature nor complete.However,the value of patriotism,democracy,science,creation and fight contained in his thoughts was beyond The Times.