On Views On Family By Marx And Engels

Family started out as the only social relationship, but then it became subordinateto social institutions. Marx and Engels hold that there are rules on which familyevolution is based, and the study on the history of family evolution helps betterunderstand human’s direct production and reproduction. Marx and Engels classifyproduction into two types, namely, production and reproduction of material means ofsubsistence and those of population. The latter type functions through family and canbe studied through kinship. The system of kinship lags behind the development offamily forms, so the former can be used to record the latter. Morgan started thismethod of research. Engels holds that Morgan made the study of family a scientificdiscipline, while Marx believes a similar approach is feasible in other fields, such aspolitics, law and philosophy. Starting from Morgan’s and Marx’s theories, Engelscategorizes family form into kinship family, punaluan family, couple family andpolygamous family.The theory of Marx and Engels is grounded in historical materialism, thestandpoint and approach of which are different from those of Hegel’s. Hegel rendersfamily as an ethical entity and his theory is in the realm of historical idealism. Hegel’stheory explains and justifies the materialization in married family under the capitalistsocial conditions. He holds that love has exclusivity and couple family should beupheld. Marx and Engels concur with his historical analysis, but advance the theoryby predicting the trend of family evolution under the communist soc Undercommunist conditions, couple family will be truly realized thanks to the equality ofmen and women’s economic and social status. Love between men and women willbecome the standard to determine morality, not subject to economic limits.The theory of family by Marx and Engels not only helps better understand theevolution of family, but also has significance for contemporary family development,helping to solve family problems. The depictions in the theory of family form and status under communist conditions are conducive to helping people set up correct andpositive family value.