The Research On Marx's Idea Of Freedom In His Doctorai Dissertation

As the first relatively integrated philosophy writing of Marx,his doctoral dissertation,Differenz der demokritischen and epikureischen Naturphilosophie,mainly reflects the young Marx's idea of freedom.In this thesis,Marx illustrated his reflections on the issuses of freedom,by comparing the difference between the Democritean and Epicurean philosophy of nature.These reflections are rooted in certain contexts.The backward economic situation and the reactionary rule of politics and religion in Germany suppressed the spiritual freedom of individual,which made people's denounce and struggle more and more intensely.The immanent conflicts of Hegel's philosophy led to the breakdown of itself,causing a division between the Young Hegelians and the Old Hegelians.And the Young Hegelians attacked the governing politics and religion from the self-consciousness philosophy.The context of reality not only prompted Marx's thoughts on freedom,but also influenced his understanding of freedom.However,as far as the theoretical context is concerned,Hegel's analysis of Late Greek Philosophy and the rediscovery of self-consciousness in the Late Greek philosophy by the Young Hegelians directly played an important role in Marx's choosing the subject for his doctoral dissertation and his illustration of freedom.The "doctoral dissertation" re-explained the atomic motion in Epicurean philosophy of nature,endowing the atom with the symbolic meaning of self-consciousness so that the dialectical movement of atom could become the sally port to work out the issues of freedom.With the dialectical motion of self-consciousness,Marx responded to three crucial issues of freedom:"How could it be possible to be free?";"How to realize the freedom?";"What's the ultimate realization of freedom?".These three issues framed the way that presented Marx's idea of freedom.In Marx's view,the declination of the atom from the straight line which Marx called the Dasein of the atom makes it possible for the atom to negate the materiality of itself and get the mode of being for itself.Meanwhile,the declination means a kind of negation to necessity and a kind of affirmation to chance.The idealized motion of self-consciousness translated the external Dasein into subjective imagination,realizing a kind of abstract freedom in subject.However,this kind of freedom is based on the subjective form,it only represents an abstract possibility of freedom.In order to realize the freedom actually,the abstract,individual self-consciousness must be turned into the objectified,empirical,individual self-consciousness,achieving the unity of form and content of freedom.Such translation occurs in the atomic motion with the aspect of repulsion of atoms.The repulsion of atoms reveals the inner contradictions of self-consciousness.These contradictions demonstrate that it is hard for the abstract,individual self-consciousness to sublate itself to accept the Dasein,which hinders the real realization of freedom.Hence,Marx criticized Epicure and pointed out,the precondition of realizing freedom is overcoming the Dasein.Marx's contention that the final realization of freedom is supposed to base on the unity of self-consciousness and Dasein.The self-consciousness should not only overcome the Dasein,but also use the Dasein to sublate itself.Such unity is represented as "the world becomes philosophical,philosophy becomes worldly",which is also the actual realization of freedom.The great attention to Dasein and the acquaintance of the limitation on self-consciousness make Marx surpass both Hegel and the Young Hegelians in understanding of freedom.It also reveals the independence of Marx's idea of freedom.It is the independence that makes Marx be constantly getting into the Dasein of reality and pursuing the real content of freedom,which builds the base for the latter development of his idea of freedom.