On Marx's Human Rights Education Theory

Human rights education is the elementary education, basic education and universal education on human rights. Human rights education cultivates a political and cultural environment where the standards, principles and mechanisms of human rights could function, as well as promotes a kind of social lifestyle and value which is based on the spiritual connotations of human rights. By critically reviewing and assimilating various theories on human rights education in the periods of the Renaissance,the Enlightenment and German Classic Philosophy as well as Hegel's theory of human rights education, Marx developed his own theory of human rights education from the angle of materialist conception of history. My research on Marx's human rights education theory helps to enrich the research in the basic theories of Marxist Philosophy, and contributes to a correct understanding of human rights theories with Chinese socialism characteristics and of the development of socialist harmonious society.The whole thesis is consisted of four parts:Firstly, this thesis investigates the spiritual connotations of human rights and human rights education, and explores the characteristics of Marxist human rights education theory. Human rights are the rights that human beings enjoy or are entitled to, and human rights education is the elementary education, basic education and universal education on human rights; criticism is the main feature of Marx's human rights education theory.What's more, it elaborates on the theoretical origins of Marx's human rights education theory. The theories of human rights education in the Renaissance Period focused on human beings and emphasized the basic rights of human beings. As one representative of the scholars in the Enlightenment Period, Rousseau's human rights education theory opposed the feudal education system, which was against the nature and harmed human nature;but rather, his ideas advocated natural education, which respected the natural development of human beings and reflected the harmonious development of human mind and body. Locke's human rights education theory focused on human beings'comprehensive development. Kant, one representative of the period of German Classic Philosophy, put a lot of emphasis on moral education, and believed that the value of education lay in the fact that only through education,could human beings become ones in the real sense. Hegel's human rights education theory, which had great impacts on Marx, argued that the essence of education lay in the realisation of human freedom and the aim of education was to achieve the integration of subjectivity and objectivity through human rights education.Furthermore, this thesis summarizes the main ideas of Marx's human rights education theory. During the period of Rheinische Zeitung, from the angle of rationalism, Marx criticized German's feudal dictatorial system, which enslaved and oppressed human beings, so as to awaken people's awareness of freedom; In the period of German-French Annals, from the perspective of realism, Marx disenchanted the human rights as advocated by the Enlightenment thinkers, with the purpose of awakening people's proletariat awareness. Afterwards, from the angle of materialist conception of history, Marx fiercely criticized the liberalism human rights and emphasized that the proletariat should not be captivated by the abstract slogan of freedom and equality, but should regard the liberalisation of human kind as their duty.Lastly, my thesis investigates the implications of Marx's human rights education theory. Marx's human rights education theory could help us to form a correct understanding of the human rights theories with Chinese socialistic characteristics. Besides, in order to develop a harmonious socialist society, we must follow the ideas of Marx's human rights education, stick to the people-oriented principles , and solve the contradictions between capital and labour as well as the contradictions between the political nation's public power and citizens'private rights.