Ludwig feuerbach and the End of German Classical Philosophy (page 3 1 1-353, volume 2 1) is an important work by Engels on the "guiding ideology" of Marx's theory. (hereinafter referred to as "the end").
As we all know, the philosophers of the former Soviet Union constructed the "basic problem" of Marxist philosophy named after Marx on the basis of a sentence at the beginning of the second section of this book. However, we now reread the last four chapters. In fact, "the basic problem of all philosophy, especially modern philosophy, is the relationship between thinking and existence" is the object of Engels' criticism and the theoretical premise of "re-materialism" as the key to expose Hegel's later philosophical form. This is also explaining to the world the true thoughts of the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth chapters of the holy family.
Therefore, in order to protect the author's original ideas from being tampered with for a long time, it is of practical and historical significance to re-examine the real ideas in the final chapters, so as to clarify the important theoretical issues of re-establishing the cognitive premise of Ma and En, who were misunderstood in the last century, not only to restore the authenticity of the original ideas, but also to find the theoretical premise for the founders to solve the problem of transforming the world with Marxism in China. Let's re-examine it according to the order of the chapters in The End:
The first section is Engels' exposition of "German philosophical thought system".
We see Engels' restatement in the preface of his book The End (1888): "Marx said in the preface of Critique of Political Economy (1published in Berlin in 859), 1845 in Brussels, the two of us decided to study our views together". This wish was realized in the form of criticizing Hegel's later philosophy. "
However, from Marx's exposition on "* * * delving into our opinions together", there are three viewpoints that make readers ponder:
First, Marx's historical materialism is "opposite to the ideological view of German philosophy";
Secondly, Marx and Engels said: "In fact, it is to liquidate our previous philosophical beliefs";
Third, "this wish was realized in the form of criticizing Hegel's later philosophy."
These three ideas are the premise of our research: "Historical materialism was mainly formulated by Marx". So, is historical materialism the essence of philosophical system?
On the other hand, are the objects of possession and sublation, affirmation and negation of historical materialism also established from the standpoint of philosophy?
In other words, is the standpoint of historical materialism (cognitive premise) in the "philosophical standpoint" or in the reality of the real world?
However, if historical materialism is based on the reality of the real world, what are the basic problems? What is its location? This is a theoretical problem that we should consider when studying the principles of Marx's historical materialism according to these three thoughts.
In fact, Marx said that "the manuscript with a thickness of two volumes and an octagon has already been sent to the publishing house in Westphalia, and later we were informed that it could not be printed due to changes in the situation", referring to the book "German Ideology".
However, we can now see that Engels' views in this book The End have actually been comprehensively discussed in the book German Ideology. If there is no German Ideology, then what he said in the preface of this book: "I feel more and more necessary to make a brief and systematic explanation of our relationship with Hegel's philosophy, that is, how to start from this philosophy and how to get rid of it." It is impossible to fully understand the truth of the inversion of Marx's world outlook and Hegel's philosophy.
Thus, the actual function of termination is to replace the viewpoints discussed in German Ideology. (However, regarding the relationship between Marx and Hegel and Feuerbach, ending cannot replace German ideology. I will elaborate on this point later. ) Let's interpret the first paragraph of "Doomsday" on the spot:
The main task of the first section at the end is to establish Marx's worldview position by criticizing and exposing Hegel's philosophical system. Engels said: "According to all the rules of Hegel's way of thinking, the proposition that everything that is realistic is reasonable becomes another proposition: everything that exists should perish." In order to understand the idea of this article, which page and which volume have been deleted, because this article is interpreted in the order of the full text of this book. )
Please pay attention to Engels' position when establishing Marx's world view, historical view and dialectics: "Everything that exists will perish". So, why should the "existing" things be defined as "all should perish"? Engels expounded that because things "in the process of development, all previous realistic things will become unrealistic, and they will lose their right to exist and their rationality;" A new and vital reality will rise and replace the declining reality-if the old things resist this inevitability, they will be replaced by violence. "
It is true that no matter whether our views on Engels' exposition are correct or not, we have seen the fact that "everything that was realistic before will become unrealistic and lose the right to exist" in the course of the development of human history from the last century to this century.
At the same time, from this exposition, we can see how Marx reversed Hegel's dialectics: Hegel's dialectics was used in the philosophical system, while Marx's dialectics was provided to "realistic people" in reality; Hegel's philosophy affirms and denies the object in the form of a philosophical system, while Marx's historical materialism affirms and denies the object in reality and in the process of historical development. It can be seen that the affirmative object of the former is established in the philosophical system, while the affirmative object of the latter is established in reality and in the process of historical development.
Therefore, Engels is explaining that the object denied by Marx's dialectics is "existing", while the object denied by Hegel's dialectics is the object occupied in the system of difference and philosophy. This is the relationship between "inversion" and "inversion" discussed by Marx. Engels expounded Hegel's philosophical essence:
"Because he must establish a system, and according to the traditional requirements, the philosophical system must be completed with some absolute truth."
This shows that the end will not rebuild the philosophical system. Because the historical materialism formulated by Marx is "opposite to the viewpoint of German philosophical system"; Because Marx's historical materialism was born from the re-creation of "actually liquidating our previous philosophical beliefs"; Because it is "realized in the form of criticizing the philosophy after Hegel", what is the form of "philosophy after Hegel"?
But Engels has pointed out this problem in this section: it is Strauss and Powell that "the argument between them is carried out under the philosophical guise of the dispute between' self-consciousness' and' entity'."
But it also reveals: "-this question has actually expanded into such a question: Is the decisive force in world history' entity' or' self-awareness'?"
This shows that the relationship between entity and self-consciousness is really: the philosophical form after Hegel. It can be seen that this problem is the "first big problem" that Marxists ignored when reading The End in the last century.
The neglected "second big problem" is that the historical materialism formulated by Marx does not return to the "philosophical standpoint" (this point has been explained at the beginning of the fourth section). Because Engels clarified or defined: "Philosophy ends in Hegel"; Because Engels has proved in the first section from the reality of the real world and the process of historical development: "To put forward a task for philosophy in this way is nothing more than asking a philosopher to accomplish something that only all mankind can accomplish in its forward development, then all the philosophies previously understood will come to an end." Then, Engels will also base himself on the form of entity and self-consciousness to establish whether thinking determines existence or existence determines thinking. Then, will Engels establish "what can only be accomplished by all mankind in its forward development" and define "matter is an objective reality"?
It is true that according to Article 11 of Thesis on Feuerbach: "Philosophers only explain the world in different ways, and the problem lies in changing the world", philosophy still has its role of "explaining the world".
Therefore, regarding the role of philosophy, Marx does not deny the role of "philosophers explain the world in different ways" in the process of realistic and historical development. In other words, Marx and Engels are inconsistent on the qualitative issue that "philosophers only explain the world in different ways". -We should be clear about this issue.
However, the guiding ideology of Marx's theory, that is, historical materialism, is not philosophy, nor is it based on "the basic problem of philosophy", that is, "the foundation of philosophy", nor is it based on the cognitive premise or principle of establishing the positive and negative objects of dialectics on "the foundation of philosophy". Engels' exposition is consistent with Marx's.
However, what Engels pointed out at the end of the first section of The End should attract readers' attention: "Strauss and Powell each seized an aspect of Hegel's philosophy and attacked each other in the debate." This shows that the debate about "entity" and "self-consciousness" is actually a dialectical form of Marx's world outlook and historical outlook, and it is "to be critically eliminated". And Engels also clarified in the first section:
"The same is true of the excessive worship of love. Although this worship cannot be defended, it is excusable, because it is against the tyranny of "pure thinking" that has become intolerable. But let's not forget that "real socialism" spread like a plague among "educated" people in Germany from 65438 to 0844 is based on these two weaknesses of Feuerbach. It uses the words of American literature instead of scientific understanding, and advocates liberating mankind with' love' instead of liberating the proletariat with economic reform of production. In short, it indulges in disgusting American literature and empty talk of fraternity. "
It can be seen that the cognitive premise of Marx and Engels' "Socialism from Utopia to Scientific Development" is "advocating the liberation of the proletariat through economic transformation of production", which is the true thought of Marxist philosophy. Then, the rationality of "excessive worship of love" and "real socialism spreading among educated people in Germany like a plague" is "utopian socialism"
Summarize the first section at the end and clarify the point of view:
1, Engels repeated the viewpoint of Marx's early works: this form of "self-awareness" to "entity" is still based on the form of Hegel's philosophy, but only in the form of "philosophical cover". Starting from the reality of the real world and the truth of the historical development process, it is playing with "philosophical deception" and solidifying existing things;
2. The difference between Marx's dialectics and Hegel's dialectics is clarified: the former is applied to reality; The latter is applied to the philosophical system;
3. Explain to the world what is an absolute concept and what is an absolute concept: "The end point is an absolute concept-it is absolute just because he can't say anything about it";
4. It is established that the object of change of Marx's historical materialism is: the existing unreasonable and unrealistic things;
5. Explain the understanding of Marx's theory. "Truth is included in the process of understanding itself and in the long-term historical development of science. Science has risen from the low stage of understanding to the advanced stage, rising higher and higher, but it can never be achieved by discovering the so-called absolute truth. At this point, it can no longer take a step forward, and there is no other way but to stand by and stare at the truth that has been obtained in amazement. " Therefore, the guiding ideology of Marx's theoretical study will not be a view of truth based on "philosophical foundation";
6. Explain that the scientific nature of Marx's theory of socialism is that it is scientific to advocate the liberation of the proletariat through economic production reform, and the premise of "excessively worshiping love" and "replacing scientific understanding with the words of American literature" is the cognitive premise of utopian socialism.