Model essay on life value: an interpretation of the basic concept of life value
As a special value, life value is the function and significance of people's life practice to society and individuals, and it is the basis for people to consider life problems from the perspective of value. It has both the reality of practical problems and the complexity of theoretical problems. Only by correctly understanding the basic concept of life value can we grasp the value of life as a whole.
Keywords: life value, meaning of life value, characteristics of life value
China Library's Classification Number: G64 1 Document Identification Number: A Document Number:1006-026x (2011)10000-0/.
In philosophy, the general essence of value is that it is a relationship between the needs of realistic people and the attributes of physical objects. As a special value, life value is the function and significance of people's life practice to society and individuals, and it is the basis for people to consider life problems from the perspective of value. It has both the reality of practical problems and the complexity of theoretical problems. Only by correctly understanding the basic concept of life value can we grasp the value of life as a whole.
First, the meaning of life value
The value of life refers to the significance and function of people's practical activities to society and themselves, including the self-value and social value of life. The social value of life is the value of one's life activities to society and others, and the standard to measure the social value of life is one's contribution to society and others. The self-value of life is the value of individual life activities to their own survival and development, which is mainly manifested in the satisfaction of their own material and spiritual needs.
The value of life lies in the fact that humanity, as an object, meets the needs of the subject and is a sign of the existence of the subject. As an object, man is a dynamic person in social practice. He actively explores the potential of himself or the outside world, and constantly transforms the potential value into realistic value to meet the needs of the subject. Turning potential value into real value is the perfect embodiment of the object person actively meeting the needs of the subject person.
The essence of the value of life is the positive role and significance to the all-round development of human beings. If we realize the development of self-design at the expense of social progress, it will inevitably form negative value, which will eventually lead to the incomplete or impossible realization of self-value and self-development On the contrary, the realization of social progress is based on the realization of self-development. The positive value of self-life leads to the positive value of society, and social progress depends on the individual's own development. The value essence of life is the realistic basis of the unity of individual development and social progress.
Second, the characteristics of life value
Because people are active, free and conscious social beings, the value of life is different from the value of ordinary things and has its inherent characteristics:
First of all, the value of life is objective, which is manifested in the unity of various life value forms. The creation of any life value is inseparable from certain social and historical conditions. Marx said: man creates his own history, but not at will, not under the conditions of his own choice, but under the conditions of direct encounter, establishment and inheritance in the past. ? Therefore, judging a person's life value is based on his objective practical activities. If a person wants to realize his own life value, he must make contributions to social development and human progress with his own practical actions. Without this objective standard, it is meaningless and absurd to judge the existence and size of life value only by personal subjectivity, and there is no objective basis.
Secondly, the value of life is social, which reflects the positive relationship between individuals and society. People always live in certain social relations, and human nature is the sum of social relations. The individual is not a static and isolated individual, but an existence associated with other things, that is, a person's personality characteristics, which always show the characteristics of his time and social environment. This is human sociality. Of course, the individual is by no means a simple product of the social environment, nor is it a doll manipulated by the social environment at will.
Third, the value of life is creative, and it is the unity of purpose and means, dedication and demand.
In order to survive, human beings must first solve the problems of food, clothing, housing and transportation, and the material wealth to solve these problems is obtained through human creative labor. Without labor, human survival is difficult to maintain, and it is creative labor that provides rich material and spiritual food for human survival. People begin to create, possess and enjoy value purposefully according to their own needs. So it can be said that man is his own purpose. In Marx's words:? History is only the activity of people who pursue their own goals. ? In the value system of life, self-worth fully embodies this point. On the other hand, people are still the object of value, a means to meet their own needs and social needs, and have the value of serving themselves and society. For individual subjects, self-satisfaction is the purpose, and dedication to society is the means; For social subjects, society itself is the purpose, while individuals are the means to meet social needs. The value of life is constantly promoted and realized in the process of interaction between individuals and social purposes and means. However, the value of the two is not completely equal. Based on the requirements of the supremacy of social value and the maximum value orientation of social development, in the process of life, dedication must be greater than taking, and means must obey the purpose.
Third, the content of life value.
Because man is both the subject and the object of value, the value of life has its own inherent characteristics in the value relationship besides the value characteristics of general things. These characteristics distinguish the value of life from the value of general things, which determines that the content of life value is very rich.
First of all, the value of life is the unity of the free value of life and the self-interest value.
The comfortable value of life is the positive effect of human being as an objective existence on the surrounding world, and it is the crystallization of subjective efforts and objective life practice. Its internal regulations have both congenital factors and acquired factors, which are the organic unity of the two. On the one hand, what are the inherent laws in the value of life itself? Man's self-affirmation of the value of his life. ? The proposal of the value of freedom of life is of great significance to awaken people's awareness of environmental protection and sense of survival crisis and enhance their sense of historical mission in life under the current conditions of chaotic human value orientation and deteriorating living environment. The value of life freedom is the basis and premise of life self-value, which is the externalization and socialization of life freedom value.
Secondly, the value of life is the unity of social value and self-value of life.
The value of life refers to the individual's meaning to society, and it is the degree of personal satisfaction with social needs. Mainly manifested in the individual's contribution to society and others through labor and creation. Marx and Engels once pointed out: Who is man? The most social animal of all? The satisfaction of everyone's interests is inextricably linked with others. Private interests have been determined by society, and can only be realized by means provided by society under the conditions created by society. 4 So? Only in the collective can individuals acquire the means to develop their talents in an all-round way. ? 5 Therefore,? The private interests of individuals must conform to the interests of all mankind. ? six
However, emphasizing personal social value does not mean denying personal self-value. Personal self-worth is reflected in the following aspects: First, personal affirmation of his own life. Nothing can replace human life, and the existence of life is the basis of all values. The development of society can not be separated from individual efforts, but individuals can not be separated from society, and the meaning of individual life must be embodied and realized through his significance to society. Therefore, it is impossible for a person to have only self-worth and no social value.
Third, the value of life is the unity of intrinsic value and extrinsic value of life.
Just as everything has both internal and external aspects, the value of life must also include both internal and external aspects. Intrinsic value refers to the potential creativity and labor ability of individuals before making contributions to society. The external value of life is the individual's contribution to society and others through labor and creation. External value is the expression of internal value and the internal value of realistic and objective life. People's intrinsic value and external value both promote and transform each other. The intrinsic value of life is constantly transformed into external value through practice, and the external value is rich, enriched and improved.
References:
[1] Selected Works of Marx and Engels (Volume 1). Beijing: People's Publishing House. 1979: 585.
[2] The Complete Works of Marx and Engels (Volume 2). Beijing: People's Publishing House.1957:118-119.
[3] Selected Works of Marx and Engels (Volume 3). Beijing: People's Publishing House.
[4] The Complete Works of Marx and Engels (Volume 46). Beijing: People's Publishing House.1957:102-103.
[5] Selected Works of Marx and Engels (Volume/kloc-0). Beijing: People's Publishing House. 1972: 82.
[6] The Complete Works of Marx and Engels (Volume 2). Beijing: People's Publishing House.
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