Research On Reforming Of The Textbooks Of Philosophical Principle

Philosophy is the theoretic reaction to the need and spirit of times. Moreover, the significance of philosophy also entails an impetus on the liberation of people's thought, and then guidance on the reform and development of society. In this sense, we say philosophy plays a positive role in praxis. With the development of china's society, philosophers find the old textbooks on philosophical principle lose its efficacy more and more. In my paper, I make a research on the aforementioned problem by analyzing the theoretic origin, structure and historical change in the old textbooks and by enumerating several philosophers'work in this aspect.In the first chapter, I pay much attention to the rational elements and limitation in old textbooks. The theoretic system of the old textbooks on philosophical principle is transformed from the blocky structure of Marxist philosophy in the former Soviet Union, which is originated from thought expressed in Engels'Anti-Duhring, Lenin's Materialism and Empirio-criticism, and Stalin's Dialectical and Historical Materialism (Section 2 of Chapter 4 of the Short History of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union). Undoubtedly, the old textbooks played an important role in the past several decades. As a typical methodology on Marxism research, the system of the old textbooks entails most of the concepts, viewpoints, principles and methods and become the main theoretic weapon for Chinese people. And also we can read its correctness from the success of China's revolution and socialist construction.Beginning from the concept of matter, people enfold the content of the old textbooks with four clues. Which are relations of matter and consciousness, law of material motion, reflection on matter and reflection on material motion. Usually, the former three parts belong to content of dialectical materialism, while the last part is interpreted into the application of dialectical materialism in social history, which is also called historical materialism. This is the reason that the old textbooks are about the system of dialectical and historical materialism. In such a structure, arrangement is not clear, logic is not evident, and content is overlapped. Therefore, I conclude that the content of the old textbooks can not express the true meaning of Marxist philosophy. Under the condition of constructing China's socialist enterprise and implementing reform and innovation, we need to improve the research on Marxist philosophy and renew its real essence, which means it is necessary to make a reform in content and system of the old textbooks.In the second chapter, I focus on the real measures that have been taken by Chinese intellectuals. It was Professor Gao Qinghai who began to reform on the old textbooks, examining the old theoretic system and hoping to grasp the essence of Marxism and to achieve the idea-reform in China. With such an endeavor, the development of China's reform and opening-up and market economy is promoted in its conceptual aspect, the thinking mode of Chinese people is emancipated from the dogmas and to begin its independent and creative road. That is to say, such a reform plays a positive role in forming the subjective, independent, liberal and creative spirit of human beings in our times. Follow the way that opened by Professor Gao, Professor Sun Zhengyu examines the paradigm of the old textbooks further. Besides, the new textbook which is names General Theory of Philosophy begins to take the duty to affect China's philosophical education in colleges and universities. The principle of the new textbook is to define philosophy by distinguishing philosophy and science. Hence, the starting point of Professor Sun's viewpoint is the relation of philosophy and science. Science is about the external world, while philosophy is reexamination on science. In short, the difference between the old and the new textbooks consists in the different understanding on the relation of science and philosophy.In summary, the reform on understanding the old textbooks has significant impact on critique of the premise of traditional Marxist philosophy. And it also creates a new research way for Chinese academia.In the third chapter, I explain things happened after the reform on the old textbooks. With the reforming of the old textbooks, China's philosophical research made a great progress and entered in a so-called post-textbook time. The notable mark for such a time is that there is a change from systematic consciousness to problematic consciousness. And also different aspects in philosophical research spring up rapidly.With the problematic consciousness, the theme of Chinese research on Marxist philosophy changes in a great degree. In the 1950s and 1960s, the theme of Marxist philosophy in China is materialism and dialectics, it is epistemology in the 1970s and 1980s, while in the 1990s, the conception of history is concerned much. In terms of the flourish of different aspects of philosophical research, I mean some specific research on special fields, such as natural philosophy, social philosophy, historical philosophy, cultural philosophy, human philosophy, economic philosophy, legal philosophy, moral philosophy, religion philosophy, arts philosophy, management philosophy and life philosophy. Thereupon, we need a deep examination on research of Marxist philosophy and make it suitable to the time in a higher degree.Philosophy is the time in thinking, and it entails the soul of the time. What philosophy should function is to create and introduce the spirit of out time, and to guide human beings to practice better. Philosophy in contemporary time is to discourse with current praxis, and to make self-examination deeply. Thus, the great power of Marxist philosophy can be achieved.