Moral Criticism Of Marx’s Historical Materialism

Historical materialism is the core content of Marx’s philosophy theory, but also the theoretical basis for us to understand and solve social problems. However, whether Marx’s historical materialism discusses moral or not, and whether the historical materialism has the function of moral criticism, which is a debate in the academic world all the time.The author uses the method of text interpretation, especially the detailed interpretation of the text after the creation of historical materialism, showing Marx does not eliminate moral criticism after the establishment of historical materialism, on the contrary, the moral criticism of capitalism runs through the whole of Marx’s thought. The ultimate goal of Marx’s philosophy is to pursue the all-round and free development of human beings and the liberation of all mankind, which is the ultimate pursuit of moral values.Marx’s thought of moral criticism is not formed after the establishment of historical materialism, contrarily, Marx in the youth has a strong moral condemnation of the anti-humanity of the capitalist system that he witnesses and experiences, because during that period, Marx is deeply influenced by the theory of pure moral criticism of English and French Utopian socialism as well as the humanism of Feuerbach, a German classical philosopher. Marx’s historical materialism moral criticism is the pure moral condemnation that critically inherits the English and French utopian socialism’s dissatisfaction with the social reality. It critically inherits the Kant’s "good will" and Hegel’s view of religion; besides, it is more to the sublation of Feuerbach’s humanistic moral values.After Marx found historical materialism founded, the focus of his critical philosophy turns into level of political economy from the moral level. However, in the transformation of the critical perspective, historical materialism actually does not eliminate the moral criticism, but bases on historical criticism and critical economic. After the founding of Marx’s historical materialism, the relationships between historical criticism and moral criticism, economic criticism and moral criticism are inner unified.The moral criticism of Marx’s historical materialism has great significance to the construction of contemporary Chinese social morality. Contemporary Chinese moral criticism should adhere to the internal unity of moral criticism and economic criticism。The socialist market economy should embody the unity of moral criticism and historical criticism, and the construction of the socialist market economy should reflect the unification of "historical necessity" and "moral rationality".