On Marx's Doctoral Dissertation

Difference between Democritus and Epicurus'Natural Philosophy was Marx's Doctoral Dissertation.It was the representation of Marx's Young Hegelians period.So the dissertation was the beginning of his Lifetime works,the initial place of his Philosophical outlook,the source of his philosophy.Interpretation of the dissertation had a great significance for us to understand Marx's philosophy system.In his study perid, Marx was still influced by Young Hegelians, he participated in PHD Club,and read all Hegel and his disciple's work. The main content of his dissertation was about Democritus and Epicurus, however, his key point is not about the their Materialism but the abstract "initiative"of Epicurus atoms.Marx tried to change Hegel's absolute idealism with the principle of individual consciousness.Dissertation as " difference of natural philosophy of Democritus and the Epicurean", Marx's plan does not contain only Epicurean philosophy, but including the Epicurean school, Stoic, Skeptics, including the entire philosophy of the late Greek . "The paper must be only seen as a precursor of a larger work, which is link to the Greek speculative to elaborate Epicurean, Stoic and Skeptics, the three mutual relations. " Doctoral dissertation mainly contains text and appendices : a natural philosophy of Democritus and Epicurus, the difference between their natural philosophy and the detail differences of Democritus and Epicurus's nature philosophy. In the end , Marx fully commend Prometheus is "the highest philosophy of the calendar of saints and martyrs " the sage said, "you listened carefully, I will not be their slave: I would rather be tied , than to be a faithful servant of Zeus. "This spirit of resistance is the spirit of Marx praised.In the first part,it discussed that "natural philosophy of Democritus and the Epicurean in general ." Marx said the five main issues ,unfortunately, the last two parts - " difference between the general principles the Natural Philosophy of Democritus and Epicurus, " and "conclusions" are not preserved.The relationship between the existence of two philosophers, is also in the opposite direction. For Democritus and Epicurus, the issue of necessity and contingency is the main point of the dissertation. Compared with the inevitability as Democritus, confused reflections of reality form. Democritus's view which contains ,only the necessity, is the world's existence and generate forms.Selecting Democritus and Epicurus, as the research object, is not because they are materialistic, but because of the dynamic nature of the Epicurean doctrine. Marx distinguished Epicurean, Epicurus praised as"the greatest Greek Thinkers".Marx thought that the Epicurus's atomic deflection theory, not only showed the possibility of combining atoms, but also proved that the relative inherent in the individual human will of freedom. So Marx's determinism is relative to Democritus, Marx paid more attention to the natural philosophy of Epicurus, his theory of atomic, deflection characteristics of the note, the spirit of the atom, and the possibility of freedom.There is the concept of the nature and objective of the conflict, while Democritus only adhere to the material side, made a number of assumptions , the principle itself has not been realized. Marx believed that atom is a natural entity, everything is from atoms, and all things can be broken into atoms.The world is the phenomenon of continued destruction of this movement, and here are results. Also in the formation of a new phenomenon, the atoms are always the foundation. If the atoms of the pure concept of thinking , then the atom is empty space, which is the destruction of the natural.Marx concluded: "As the atom is nothing more than abstract individual natural form of self-awareness, only the emotional nature of objective, empirical, individual self-awareness, which is the emotional self-awareness. So that the specific sensory is the only standard in nature, as the atomic world of abstract rationality as the only criterion. "Marx summed up the core of Epicurean philosophy– the philosophy of self-consciousness. Marx's criticism of religious belief is not personal, but as a social issue. Performance of the complete atheism.During Young Hegelians time,his dissertation reflected his thoughts perfectly,it was a strong academic thesis which discussed the ancient Greek philosophy and relative to the facts of political. In fact,his Academic point of view was also his political point of view.Marx was looking for the outlet for philosophy and our future. Doctoral dissertation content was various, involved the urgent social problem, the development direction of the philosophy. although the time had become the past, but the analysis of his argument was still the vitality.