The founders of Marxism devoted their lives and concentrated their theoryactivities on the interpretations of modern society or modern civilization. After findingthat "capital" is the core element to the constitution of modern society, they began toanalyze and criticize the "capital" profoundly.Viewing from the current documents and materials, Marx and Engels had alreadyhad a profound understanding to the "capital" before the publication of CommunistManifesto. Their research achievements are mainly embodied in Engels’ bookConditions of the Working Classes in England, Marx’s Economic&PhilosophicalManuscripts of1844, and as well as their co-author The German Ideology. However, inCommunist Manifesto, they combined the understandings what they had gained andsystematically revealed and criticized the roles of capital (positive and negative effects),the characteristics of capital (progressive force and metaphysical nature), the historicalboundaries of capital existence ("capital" is the matrix of "Communism" and"Communism" is a self-denial to "capital"). Admittedly, they revealed and critiquedthem one and half-century ago, but from the perspective of philosophical principles andthe whole modern critical theory, these revelations and criticisms still occupy thedominant position.In today’s globalization, the nature of development is the global expansion ofmodern capital. It is a great significance and enlightenment for the understanding ofcontemporary life and China’s modernization practices if we deeply understand andgrasp Marx and Engels’ meanings and thoughts about the criticism of capital whichrevealed in Communist Manifesto. |