On Marx’s Concept Of Body

The concept of body is a new view point to comprehend the philosophical revolutionpromoted by Marx. The proposition of this research approach benefits from the ExistentialTurn of contemporary study of Marxist philosophy. Based upon the concept of body, thispaper aims at revealing the existential foundation of those important concepts such asperceptual, alienation, practice, productivity, and then further points out that “body” is alogical basic point for Marx to construct his philosophical system. The significance of thisstudy lies in a deep understanding of the modernity of Marxist philosophy and a newcomprehension of its criticism, which, in philosophy, is the critique of the "unembodiedreason" of metaphysics, and, in practice, of the alienated labor in capitalist society thatdestroys the workers’ sensibility life. Specifically, the paper composes of four parts:First, based on an investigation of history of body theory in Western philosophy, thepaper presents that the background of Marx’s revolution in philosophy is entiremetaphysics, and that what his body concept tried to criticize and exceed is theessentialism hominology which characterized by soaring mind but repressing body andwhich dominated the intellectual history for long. This view inspired the human spirit,infinity and transcendence, but suppressed the richness, specific and reality of humans’perceptual life, which shadowed the possibility of body could understand the world.Second, the paper analyzes the starting point, formation and basic implications ofMarx’s body concept, sets forth at the base of critiquing and transforming Feuerbach’s"perceptual existence" how he came up with "perceptual activity" as the basic point of hisrevolution in Philosophy, the body thought, and further "working body" as the basis of hishistoricalmaterialism.Third，the position of the concept of body in Marx’s revolution in philosophy discussedin four aspects: The “body” is a) the first step to oppose the ontological thinking, b) thestarting point to build the world view and c) the first premise of historical materialism, andits liberation is the essential connotation of scientific communism goals. Thus, we canconclude that body concept is the main component of Marx’s philosophy system and the logic basis of Marx’s revolution in philosophy. Marx’s concern about the body issueembodies his caring for reality survival of human beings.In the last, the paper explores the historical significance of Marx’s concept of body. Itstates that body concept opened the body transition of western philosophy, and fiercelycriticized the capitalism that caused bodily alienation, which is still significant for thecritique of contemporary capitalist society. However, one-sidedness of the concept of bodyinevitably buries the hidden trouble in his theory, be nihilism, to a certain extent.The concept of body is a new view point to comprehend the philosophical revolutionpromoted by Marx. The proposition of this research approach benefits from the ExistentialTurn of contemporary study of Marxist philosophy. Based upon the concept of body, thispaper aims at revealing the existential foundation of those important concepts such asperceptual, alienation, practice, productivity, and then further points out that “body” is alogical basic point for Marx to construct his philosophical system. The significance of thisstudy lies in a deep understanding of the modernity of Marxist philosophy and a newcomprehension of its criticism, which, in philosophy, is the critique of the "unembodiedreason" of metaphysics, and, in practice, of the alienated labor in capitalist society thatdestroys the workers’ sensibility life. Specifically, the paper composes of four parts:First, based on an investigation of history of body theory in Western philosophy, thepaper presents that the background of Marx’s revolution in philosophy is entiremetaphysics, and that what his body concept tried to criticize and exceed is theessentialism hominology which characterized by soaring mind but repressing body andwhich dominated the intellectual history for long. This view inspired the human spirit,infinity and transcendence, but suppressed the richness, specific and reality of humans’perceptual life, which shadowed the possibility of body could understand the world.Second, the paper analyzes the starting point, formation and basic implications ofMarx’s body concept, sets forth at the base of critiquing and transforming Feuerbach’s"perceptual existence" how he came up with "perceptual activity" as the basic point of his historicalmaterialism.Third，the position of the concept of body in Marx’s revolution in philosophy discussedin four aspects: The “body” is a) the first step to oppose the ontological thinking, b) thestarting point to build the world view and c) the first premise of historical materialism, andits liberation is the essential connotation of scientific communism goals. Thus, we canconclude that body concept is the main component of Marx’s philosophy system and thelogic basis of Marx’s revolution in philosophy. Marx’s concern about the body issueembodies his caring for reality survival of human beings.In the last, the paper explores the historical significance of Marx’s concept of body. Itstates that body concept opened the body transition of western philosophy, and fiercelycriticized the capitalism that caused bodily alienation, which is still significant for thecritique of contemporary capitalist society. However, one-sidedness of the concept of bodyinevitably buries the hidden trouble in his theory, be nihilism, to a certain extent.