A Study On Marx’s Concept Of Happiness

As a famous thinker and philosopher, Marx concerned a lot about the sufferings and happiness of common people all his lifetime. Based on historical materialism, he got a profound and realistic understanding of the people’s happiness. The background of the formation of Marx’s concept of happiness is the world development after industrial evolution and complex social environment, as well as his specific family conditions. And his concept of happiness is deeply affected by the figure of Prometheus in the Greek mythology, as well as the concept of happiness of Kant and Feuerbach. In Marx’s concept of happiness, the subject of happiness is the human in reality, and the origin of happiness is the real life. The free and comprehensive development of people is the ideal state of happiness, while the alienation is an important cause of the lack of happiness. At the same time, happiness has obvious features. It is the unity of subjectivity and objectivity, materiality and spirituality, individuality and sociality, as well as diversity and commonality. Marx also thought, in the process of pursuing happiness, the fulfillment of needs is the fundamental driving force with labor and practice as the method, while dedication is the highest level of pursuing happiness. Marx’s concept of happiness has a rich content and important theoretical significance and contemporary value. On one hand, his concept of happiness makes the research of happiness more focus on the nature of human, and provides the theoretical foundation for criticizing the unilateral concept of happiness. On the other hand, it is good for people to deal with the relation of material life and spiritual life correctly, and also for creating a positive and healthy social atmosphere.