Two - Way Interaction Between Man And Nature

With the continuous progress of the whole human society, ecological issue hasbecome a more and more crucial one which attracts people’s attentions today. In orderto find the paradigm transformation according to the existing way of humans, detailedstudies and intense talks were carried forward towards the more and more seriousglobal ecological problem by experts in environmental ethics from both home andabroad. In short, the ecological problem has raised a heated wave of studying in theacademic world. Experts and scholars in the world also look for the correct answers inthe works of Marx and Engels, especially probe into the conception of nature ofMarxism. Thus, eco-Marxism finally becomes an important academic group in thestudy of contemporary western Marxism.Jonathan Hughes is one of the important representatives in British contemporaryeco-Marxism. In his works Ecology And Historical Materialism, which presents hisidea about eco-Marxism, Hughes explicitly criticizes the ideas which queryeco-ideology of Marxism from the viewpoint of historical materialism, and putsforward the idea that is inclined to be the so called “anthropocentrism” and containsthe eco-dependence, eco-influence which humans have on nature, as well as thehealthy ecological compatibility between these two parts the relationship of thebilateral interaction between man and nature.Understanding the relationship between man and nature is the basis on which allecological civilization theories are founded Hughes’s idea regarding to Marxismecology and historical materialism, especially on the explanation of the relationship ofthe bilateral interaction of man and nature, agrees with the basic connotation of thecontemporary Marxism ecological civilization theory. This gives a full enlightenmentto the study of ecological value, ecological conception of history as well as ecologicalconception of history in Marxism.Furthermore, just like the words "the philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways, and the problem is to change the world" in Theses onFeuerbach, Hughes always adheres to the principle of the combination of theory andpractice, so that Hughes’s viewpoint on man and nature will surely provide thevaluable theoretical foundation for settling China’s ecological issue and performingthe practice of constructing the ecological civilization under China’s current situation.This thesis will make an elaborate statement centered on this basic concept, fromthe viewpoint of the relationship of the relationship of the bilateral interaction of manand nature, and surround a clear main line which contains the dependence of man onnature, the two principles of eco-dependence and eco-influence. This thesis will alsopoint and elaborate the Hughes’s standpoints, which not only enriches many ideas ofeco-Marxism to reestablish the conception of nature in Marxism and its ecologicalsignificance in the contemporary society, but also enlightens the settlement of currentecological cross globally and the ways to realize the Chinese dream featuringecological civilization.The innovative points of this thesis include mainly the following aspects. Firstly,from the viewpoint of study of Marxism ecological thoughts, Jonathan Hughesattempts explaining from the traditional viewpoint of analytic philosophy of itsrelationship of the bilateral interaction between man and nature, especially from thethoughts of man depending on nature, which is relatively rare in the study ofcontemporary British Marxism ecology. Secondly, among all the criticisms of massivewestern ecologists, combined with the current situation of research, JonathanHughes’s study on Marxism ecological thoughts has yet to raise enough attentions.Though there are some works and academic thesis concerning his ideas, they are onlydiscussing his overall ideas in a broad way, instead of involving more his some certainaspects, especially the ideas on the relationship of the bilateral interaction betweenhuman and nature.