InternationalJournalofPhilosophyStudy(IJPS)Volume1Issue1,April2013www.seipub.

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ATentativeStudyontheViewofMarxist PhilosophyofHumanNature
XieXiaorui
TheBasicTenetsofMarxismMajor,IdeologicalandPoliticalTheoryTeachingandResearchDepartment, ChongqingJiaotongUniversity,China ChongqingJiaotongUniversityGraduateDepartment,No.66UniversitiesAvenue,NananDistrict,Chongqing, China400074 rui992281431@126.com
Abstract The subject of human nature has been explored by philosophers of all ages. Unlike other philosophers, Marx combinedpracticetoinspecthumannatureandscientifically drew a conclusion that human nature whose core is life activity from ones own initiative is the sum of all social relations; and the final purpose as well as the fundamental driving force to study it is to meet the ominidirectional needs of human.The human characteristics are summarized as the totality, hierarchy, practicalness. Marxs theory of humannatureplaysanimportantroleinlearningthehistory of the primary stage of socialism in the right way, understanding the market economy in China and bringing inspirationtotheconstructionofharmonioussociety. Keywords Karl Marx; Views on Humanity; Content; Characteristic; Modern Inspiration

Interpretation of Marx's View of Human Nature Marx explained the specific content about human nature from three levels in his three important works. In Economic & Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, it said: all of one kind, class attributes of the species on the nature of life, and the class attribute is the free conscious activity. Karl,H.M. 2000 In Theses On Feuerbach it said: Feuerbach attributed the essence of religion to human essence. However, inherent in humannatureisnotasinglepersonofabstract,infact, itisthesumofallsocialrelations.Karl,H.M.2006 In TheGermanIdeology it said: What they need is their nature. Karl,H.M. & Frederick, E. 2003 Actually, the three aspects of Marxism on human nature is organic unified as a whole. It can be simply summarized as follows: the core of human nature is the free vital movement and the fundamental motivationandultimatepurposeismeetingtheentire requirement of human. The manifestation of human nature is the unify of social attribute and natural attribute. Following is the explaination which covers threeaspects: Freedom of Conscious life Activity is Fundamental to HumanAttribute In previous investigations of human nature, many people took the free expression on primitive desire of people,orasinglepersonalwayastheultimategoalof human nature. This is a misunderstanding of human nature. Philosophic Foundation of the studies of Marxs human nature comes from the description of labor. He explained the fundamental attribute of humannaturebycomparinghumanwithanimallabor. In his view, human production is free, conscious,

Introduction What is human nature? At all times and in all countries the thinkers and philosophers who having been trying to reach a consensus on the question they have debated for thousands of years. However, the seniors, failing to be aware of the importance of practice, studied human nature out of social practice, whichleedstobeinglostintheabstractunderstanding of human nature. As a tutor of the proletariat, Marx have worked all his life for the emancipation of mankind aswellas explored human nature.However, unlike other philosophers, Marx combined the study withpractice.Accordingtotheprinciplethathistroyis created by practice, at the same time it is improved by changing, he explored the subject of human nature correctly,scientificallyandfully.

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intelligent, comprehensive, and free conscious life activity is the fundamental attribute of human nature, as well as fundamental characteristics to distinguish humans from animals, which contrary to this fundamental attribute is humane. Here Marx has said that freedom is not our general understanding of individual freedom with society, but human freedom showing beyond all other animals, is the production out of the immediate needs of the flesh and of the human species to multiply the need for truly free production. Once labour has lost freedom, there is no creativityanditisforcedandpainfullabor. Meeting the Omnidirectional Needs of People is the Final Purpose of Human Nature and the FundamentalDrivingForce What do we live for? This issue was often brought up without a satisfactory solution. In fact, it can be frankly claimed that we live to meet demand which is a very important idea of Marxism. The reason for naturespeciessexistenceistomeetdemand.However, therearefundamentaldifferencesbetweenhumanand animals. First ofall,animal productionisunconscious. They just have a physiological satisfaction when obtainning their foods. People are conscious, humans should not only obtain material needs, but also the spirit satisfaction. Human production is the activity of creating new lives. Secondly, animal production is onesided, narrow, and only happened when required by the renewal of life and species. Human production is a kind of comprehensive activity . The purpose is create a new world through social work to meet human requirement. Human requirements are various and accelerated because human life activities are comprehensiv. It can be said that meeting the omni directional needs of people is the final purpose of humannatureandthefundamentaldrivingforce. Unify Nature and Social Attribute ManifestationsofHumanNature is the

aggregation of each individual. Labour makes a person become society people. Peoples labor is reflected not only in their own physical strength, but in their human nature. Human labor is social no matterincontentorexistingmethodanditisakindof socialactivity.Marxsaid:insociety,natureisthelink among people; and only in society, nature is the foundation of human existence. Therefore, human is the unity of society and nature. Karl,H.M. 1995 It can be seen that the unify of the nature and sociaty is themanifestationsofhumannature. Analysis of the Characteristics of Marx's View of Human Nature For the study of human nature, most western philosophers hold the opinion innatism (also known aspredestinationorfatalism)onhumannature.Marx believes that human nature is the nature of itself. It is the unity of natural attribute, social attribute and spiritual attribute. Therefore, human nature cannot be attributed to nature. The method which puts human nature on social relationship ends the traditional way for abstract understanding on human nature. It makes humanity realistic and comprehensible to achieve a revolution on the view of human nature. Specifically, Marxs view of human nature has the following characteristics: Generalizability Plato believes that different people has different nature and the development for everyone is the complement of each kind of human nature. Partly absorbed the Platonic view, Marx puts forward that the essence of human nature is the sum of social relationships and it actually contains two important points: one, human nature is an overarching concept; second, human nature can be realized only through society. Marxs theory of total person is actually the person who is fully socialized. The socialized human nature is the sum of all personality. And when personal needs amount to all requirements of mankind, human nature is fully realized. So the labor which said by Marx is also like this. When each individual can have labor skills and enjoy the development fruits freely, and without the restriction of other natural social conditions, human labor is the realfreeconsciousactivity.

Marx believes that people have a natural attribute and social attribute. The natural attribute of human beings is the ability to change the nature. He considered labour as medium between human and nature.He believed that people changing nature as well as themselves through labour. At the same time, people alsohavetheirsocialattribute.Peoplecantexistinthe world as an individual. Every person has the common nature of human being. And human beings are the

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Hierarchy In Marxs view, human nature has two levels: one is general human nature, the second is the specific human nature which showed in different historical periods . We must firstly study the general nature of someonebeforeweknowhim.Generallyspeaking,the needsishumannature.Butwhatarethespecificneeds and ways to meet these specific needs is determined by peoples social and historical conditions. From the second level of human nature, there is no sense if we only know general human nature and dont know the specific human nature. What is the people of every generation like? It only can be found from the society which he lived in. Only in society can human nature berevealed.Inreality,humannatureisalwaysspecific and human cant live without social relations. Marx always talks about human nature from the social relationsanddailylifecycle. Practicalness Practicalness,thathumannatureisdevelopedwiththe development of social practice. What Marx studied is realistic person, so the human nature what he said is also the human nature of reality. People are in various social activities. The changes of production mode and relations will inevitably lead to the changes of human nature. Theres no changeless human nature which applies to all ages. In this case, Marx always talks about human nature from practice. He believes that thedifferentlevelsofdevelopmentmakesthedifferent human nature. Thus there are different characteristics and nature. In the development of a certain period of history, manifestations of human nature are different. For example, the relationship between egoism and altruism, in primitive society and the future communist society, altruistic is much more obvious but the egoism is not obvious. So do the reason and desire. In modern society, due to the unprecedented development of the productive forces, it is often manifested that desire overcomes the reason in many cases. Man is the master of dsire but gradually enslaved by desire. In this case, the crisis of modern society is human crisis, and it is the selfdestruction crisis result from human nature unlimited desires expansion. Only in practice and the human nature can be coordinated with all aspects , can the crisis of modernityberesolved.

The Enlightment of the Marx Humane View Enlightenment of Marx Theory of Human Nature in theEarlyStageofChineseSocialistConstruction Socialist society fundamentally changes the relationship of peoples attachment,sopeople become the masters of themselves. Under the condition of socialism, human dignity does not rely on the money, background or rights,but the highest value of the person and rely on the contribution he made for the society. Therefore, the socialist society respects persons dignity first and treats all people as people, even if some are lawbreakers who need to be saved, taught and makes him restore the human nature and have the confidence of being a new good man. As Comrade Mao Zedong said: To any criminal, we should abolish the corporal punishment firmly, put attention on evidence and not give credence to confessions. We should not insult them, take away their personal effects or try to treat them sincerely and kindly. Mao Zedong. 2010However, in the early years of New nation, we also passed through some tortuous paths. Some national leaders gradually deviated from the revolutionary humanitarian ideas, which led to a onesidedness in the advertisement of humanitarian , and the few evils do some bad things. Afterward, everything which refers to humanitarianism was treated as the bourgeois theory ofhumannature.Historyindicatedthatonlywhenits member fully enjoys the basic right and duty in this society, can this society be full of vitality and creativity. Marx Theory of Human Nature in the Revelation of ChinasSocialistMarketEconomy The socialist reform is a new topic in the international communist movement. We need to apply to the basic principles of Marxism and start from the reality of China to make exploration and creation. The establishment of a socialist marketing economic systemisChinassocialandeconomicinfrastructureas well as a operating mechanism of recycling currently. People are the main body of the socialist market economic system. Peoples quality directly affect the status of the construction of socialist market economy anditisdirectlyrelatedtothemodernizationgoals.In order to achieve the goal of socialist modernization, we must study the Marxs theory of human nature deeply, and correctly affirmed in the dominant

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position on the basis of the modernization drive, and create a new generation who could meet the demand ofthesocialistmodernization. Marx Humanity Revelation of the Theory of Building aHarmoniousSociety In the practice of building a harmonious society, Marxs theory of human nature inspire us deeply and profoundly. The following points have the practical guidance significance: Firstly, labor is the essence of human being, only through labor can the life value be proved and realized, can the contribution for the construction harmonious society be provided. Then, anyone who likes ease and dislikes work is a crime against humanity perfection and development.It even will not only lead to the atrophy and loss of human nature but also add factors of disharmony for society and themselves. Secondly, the nature of human reality is the sum of all social relations. Practical relationship determines the nature of the people. Going deep into the social practice of the masses and learning are practicing and promoting the nature of human. It is the only way to get the perfection of personality, personal success and happiness. And it is also the direct practice of building a harmonious society. Finally, since the richness of persons need is the proof of humane progress development, people must be a little energetic,and pursue a high leveland lofty, keep the body and mind harmonious. At present, the important manifestation of peoples physical and mental disharmony is psychotic disorders which in the unprecedented increase. So far, depression is becoming the worlds biggest killer, and the main cause is peoples material expansion desires. In the consumption society, the human nature theory of Marxhelpsusdevelopahealthyconsumptionconcept, andavoidbecomingtheslavesofdesire,leadingtothe alienation of human nature. In brief, Marxs theory of human nature reveals the mystery of human nature.It has revealed the mystery of human nature and be the guide of scientific development of the human nature theory. Marxs view of human nature and its development have directive significance for the constructionofharmonioussocietydirectly.

Generallyspeaking,Marxrespectsthevalueofperson. He advocates human freedom and comprehensive development and realization of human liberation. He foundedtheMarxistscientifictheoryofhumannature. Marxs theory of human nature associated with the development of a country closely, and it is not only has theoretical significance, but also be of great importancetopracticalsignificance. REFERENCES
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