A Study Of Marx’s Theory Of Free Labor And Its Contemporary Implications

With the development of economic globalization and the further expansion of capital logic in the world,money has become the standard for measuring all social values.Labor remains a means for people to earn a living,and contradictions and conflicts arise in the relationship between man and nature,man and society,and man and himself.Taking Marx’s view of free labor as a guide,it can provide some constructive opinions for resolving the separation of man from nature,society and himself in the current Chinese society,better pursuing a free and good life,and truly overcoming the materialistic dilemma of life for people.Marx’s theory of free labor is based on the essence of his predecessors’ ideas.He believes that freedom exists in labor,and only in labor can human beings realize freedom,that is,labor is the means and way for human beings to realize freedom.Free labor constitutes the essence of human beings,in which the essential power of human beings is truly confirmed and realized.In the process of labor,human talents and natural endowments can be fully developed,and human subjectivity can be fully reflected,thus confirming one’s essence and talents.It is only when people have fun in labor that labor is happy.Marx’s theory of free labor implies the harmonious unity of man’s relationship with nature,society and himself.Firstly,sorting out the sources of Marx’s theory of free labor.Marx’s theory of free labor is mainly derived from the labor ideas of ancient Greek philosophy,the labor ideas of classical political economy,the labor ideas of classical German philosophy,and the labor ideas of ideal socialism.Most of the ancient Greek thinkers regarded labor only as a tool to sustain human existence,classical political economists analyzed labor from the economic level,German classical philosophers emphasized rational labor activities,and idealistic socialists realized that labor is the essence of human beings and labor liberates human beings.Marx formed his own unique perspective and approach to labor theory based on the critical inheritance of his predecessors’ labor theories,based on real life and linking man with nature,man with society and man with himself to explore the way to realize free labor.Secondly,the specific connotation of Marx’s theory of free labor.Marx’s theory of free labor contains three dimensions of man and nature,man and society and man and himself.First,nature is the basis of human existence and development,humanized nature is the product of human labor practice,and the relationship between man and nature is a dialectical unity relationship with mutual influence.In the alienated labor of capitalist private ownership,the relationship between man and nature is opposed.Marx believed that only in a communist society that eliminates private property and renounces self-alienation can alienated labor return to the labor that reflects the essence of human life,and man and nature will truly be in a state of harmony.Second,while people are engaged in material production and transformation of nature,they form,transform and create their own social ties and social relations.Marx pointed out that on the basis of labor practice,only when capitalist private ownership and division of labor are completely eliminated,private property is abandoned,and the means of social production are returned to the common possession of all members of society,can man and society achieve harmony and unity.Thirdly,free labor constitutes the essence of human beings,in which the essential power of human beings is truly confirmed and realized.However,in the state of alienated labor,free labor,as an individual’s life activity,becomes monotonous and tedious "wage labor" to earn a living,thus making labor a force that negates human personality.Marx believed that only in the process of free labor in the "community of free men" can one truly realize the possession of one’s own essence and possess "free individuality".Finally,the application of Marx’s theory of free labor is an important practical guide for solving the problem of unfreedom of labor that exists in the process of contemporary Chinese social development..First,since China is at the primary stage of socialist development,the level of social productivity is not yet high enough.As a result,labor is still a means of livelihood,and the relationship between man and nature,man and society,and man and himself has not yet reached a harmonious unity.Secondly,China’s socialist market economy system is not perfect,and there is the problem of conflict between labor and capital,and labor is under great pressure,leading to the overall society’s aversion and avoidance of labor.Once again,influenced by the negative social trend of the West,the status and value of labor are not valued,and the phenomenon of contempt and disdain for labor appears.In response to this,first,we should develop the green dimension of free labor to promote the symbiotic development of human beings and nature;second,we should build the institutional environment of free labor to promote the harmonious development of human beings and society;third,we should promote the autonomous and conscious character of free labor to promote the all-round development of human beings.