Atheism Is the Crystallization of Human Social Civilization and Thought

Atheism is the crystallization of human social civilization and thought. In the West, it specifically refers to the negation of a single god (such as God) and its theology; in China, it refers to the negation of the objective existence of all superstitious beliefs in ghosts and gods and supernatural forces. It is both naively embodied in the secular life of productive labor, scientific experiment, and the daily necessities of food, clothing, and human relations, and theoretically reflected in various materialist or non-religious currents of thought that resist and negate theism.

无神论是人类社会文明和思考的结晶。在西方，特指对唯一神（如上帝）及其神学的否定，在中国，则指以否定一切鬼神迷信和超自然力量的客观存在。它既朴素地体现在生产劳动、科学实验和衣食男女等世俗生活中，也理论地反映在抗拒和否定有神论的各种唯物主义或非宗教的思潮中。

The emergence and development of atheism are closely linked to the historical process of human society. In class society, the ruling class often uses religious forces to maintain its rule; therefore, social forces demanding changes to the social system frequently wage ideological struggles that critique religious theology. Consequently, the debate between atheism and theism often carries considerable political overtones. However, the theoretical explanation of supernatural phenomena—such as whether ghosts and gods exist, or whether God exists—is a philosophical question and is closely related to the natural sciences. The natural sciences are an important cornerstone of atheism. The development of the natural sciences drives the development of atheism.

无神论的产生和发展与人类社会的历史进程紧密相连。在阶级社会中，统治阶级往往利用宗教势力来维护自己的统治，因此，要求变革社会制度的社会力量常常进行批判宗教神学的思想斗争。因此，无神论与有神论的论争常常具有相当的政治色彩。然而，从理论上对超自然主义现象的说明，比如：有无鬼神，上帝是否存在等等，却是哲学问题，而且与自然科学密切相关。自然科学是无神论的重要基石。自然科学的发展推动着无神论的发展。

Beyond social factors, theism and atheism also involve the realm of human spiritual life, encompassing many complex factors such as cognition and psychology. Both theism and atheism will persist in human society for a long time. From a philosophical category perspective, atheism and theism are a contradictory unity, dependent on each other for existence. In 1884, Engels wrote in a letter to Bernstein: “Atheism, as the mere negation of religion, always has to do with religion; without religion, it itself does not exist.” [1]1 Engels’s letter to Eduard Bernstein, 1884. I believe that, from the perspective of philosophical logic, the philosophical mission of atheism is to critique the illusions of religious theology, establish a scientific outlook on life and values, and promote the development of human society. As an abstract philosophical category, it will withdraw from the stage of history with the disappearance of religion.

除了社会因素外，有神和无神，还涉及人类精神生活领域，有认识的、心理的等许多复杂因素，有神论和无神论都将会在人类社会长期存在。从哲学范畴上讲，无神论和有神论是矛盾的共同体，相依而存。1884年，恩格斯在给伯恩施坦的信中写道：“无神论单只是作为宗教的否定，它始终要谈到宗教，没有宗教，它本身也不存在了。”① 我认为，从哲学的逻辑性来看，无神论的哲学使命是批判宗教神学的虚幻、树立科学的人生观和价值观、推动人类社会的发展。作为抽象的哲学范畴，它将随着宗教的消亡退出历史舞台。

With the progress of human history, the waxing and waning of social forces, and the continuous development of the natural and social sciences, the theoretical forms of atheism, both ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign, present a complex and ever-changing situation.

随着人类历史的进程，社会力量的彼此消长，自然科学和社会科学的不断发展，中外古今无神论的理论形态呈现出复杂多变的态势。

I. Atheism in the History of Chinese Philosophy

一、中国哲学史上的无神论

The culture of the Chinese nation has always exhibited a style of pluralistic inclusiveness, namely: rich humanist ideas and supernatural mystical thought, “harmony in diversity”; polytheism coexists with atheist thought. Guanzi proposed: “Take the people as the foundation; when the foundation is well-governed, the state is secure; when the foundation is chaotic, the state is in danger.” [2]2 Guanzi, attributed to Guan Zhong (c. 720–645 BCE), a Chinese philosopher and statesman. Mencius advocated: “The people are the most important; the altars of the gods of land and grain come next; the ruler is the least important.” [3]3 Mencius, a Confucian philosopher (c. 372–289 BCE), from his work *Mencius*. “The people are the foundation of the state; when the foundation is secure, the state is tranquil” [4]4 A traditional Chinese political maxim, often traced to the *Book of Documents* (*Shangshu*). is a traditional concept that has run through thousands of years. Regarding Confucian culture, which has long held a dominant position, I agree with the thesis that it possesses a “practical spirit of active engagement in the world” and a humanistic orientation of “keeping gods at a distance while drawing close to humanity.” [5]5 A characterization of Confucianism by modern scholars, emphasizing its worldly focus. Most figures in ancient China with atheist tendencies were Confucian scholars.

中华民族的文化一直呈现出多元兼容风格，即：丰富的人文主义理念和超自然的神秘主义思想，“和而不同”；多神主义与无神论思想并存。管子提出：“以人为本，本治则国固，本乱则国危”。② 孟子主张“民为贵，社稷次之，君为轻”③。“民惟邦本，本固邦宁”④ 是贯穿数千年的传统理念。关于长期处于统治地位的儒家文化，我赞同这样的论点，它有“积极入世的实践精神”和“远神近人”的人本取向。⑤ 中国古代具有无神论思想倾向的人物，多数是儒家学者。

The history of ancient Chinese philosophy has produced many outstanding atheists. In the pre-Qin period, there were Xunzi, Han Fei, and others. Xunzi criticized the worship of Heaven and the theology of the Mandate of Heaven, transforming the personified “Heaven” into a natural Heaven and proposing the idea of “conquering Heaven” by “mastering the Mandate of Heaven and using it.” [6]6 Xunzi (c. 310–235 BCE), a Confucian philosopher; the phrase “制天命而用之” is from his work *Xunzi*. Han Fei, on the basis of denying the existence of ghosts and gods, further opposed “establishing teachings through the way of spirits.” During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Wang Chong, on the basis of a materialist view of nature, criticized the “interaction between Heaven and humanity” theology of *chenwei* [7]7 *Chenwei*: a Han-dynasty divination and prophecy tradition that blended Confucian texts with mystical cosmology. and, on the basis of a materialist view of form and spirit, denied the superstitious belief that humans become ghosts after death. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Fan Zhen deeply argued for the materialist theory of the extinction of the spirit, holding that form and spirit are united and that form is the substance and spirit its function, thereby criticizing the Buddhist theory of the indestructibility of the spirit. Thinkers of the Sui and Tang dynasties, such as Liu Zongyuan and Liu Yuxi; of the Song Dynasty, Zhang Zai; of the Ming Dynasty, Wang Tingxiang; and of the Qing Dynasty, Wang Fuzhi and Huang Zongxi, all critiqued religious superstitious ideas, enriching ancient China’s naive atheist thought.

中国古代哲学史上涌现出许多杰出的无神论者。先秦时期，有荀子、韩非等。荀子批判天神崇拜和天命神学，将人格化的“天”改造为自然的天，并提出“制天命而用之”的“勘天”思想。⑥ 韩非在否定鬼神存在的基础上，进一步反对“神道设教”。东汉时期，王充在唯物主义自然观的基础上，批判“天人感应”的谶纬神学，在唯物主义形神观的基础上，否定人死为鬼的迷信观念。南北朝时期，范缜深入论证了形神相即、形质神用的唯物主义神灭论，批判佛教的神不灭论。隋唐时期的柳宗元，刘禹锡，宋代的张载，明代的王廷相，清代的王夫之、黄宗羲等思想家，都批判宗教迷信观念，丰富了中国古代朴素的无神论思想。

The spirit of “Science and Democracy” advocated by the May Fourth Movement in modern China included opposing superstition in ghosts and gods and promoting atheism. The May Fourth spirit, including scientific atheism, became one of the ideological markers of China’s entry into the modern era.

近代中国五四运动倡导的“科学与民主”精神，包括反对迷信鬼神，宣传无神论。五四精神，包括科学无神论，成为中国进入近现代的思想标志之一。

In modern Chinese academia, the first to use the concept of atheism was the renowned scholar Zhang Taiyan. His critique was directly aimed at monotheism such as Christianity. Against the historical backdrop of modern China’s struggle for national salvation and cultural enlightenment, important thinkers of the May Fourth Movement period, such as Chen Duxiu and Hu Shi, used Western atheist thought to critique spiritualism, break the ideological shackles of feudal superstition, and critique the theism of monotheistic religions like Christianity, launching the “anti-Christian movement” to resist imperialist cultural aggression.

在近代中国的学术界，首先使用无神论概念的是著名学者章太炎。其锋芒直指基督教等一神论。在近代中国救亡图存、文化启蒙的历史背景下，五四运动时期的陈独秀、胡适等重要思想家，用西方无神论的思想批判灵学，破除封建迷信等思想枷锁；批判基督教等一神论的有神论，开展抵制帝国主义文化侵略的“非基督教运动”。

The spread of scientific atheism in China was an important ideological prerequisite for the birth of the Communist Party of China. Early leaders of the CPC, such as Li Dazhao, while spreading Marxism, also made spreading scientific atheism their important mission. Li Dazhao pointed out: “Religion cannot seek truth” and is “a huge obstacle to human progress.” [8]8 Li Dazhao (1889–1927), a co-founder of the Communist Party of China. Only by critiquing the religious view of ghosts and gods can a scientific Marxist worldview be established.

科学无神论在中国的传播，是中国共产党诞生的重要思想前提。早期的中国共产党领袖李大钊等人，在传播马克思主义的同时，也将传播科学无神论作为自己重要的使命。李大钊指出：“宗教不能探求真理”，“是人类进步的巨大障碍。” ⑦ 只有批判宗教鬼神观，才能树立科学的马克思主义世界观。

II. Atheism in the History of Western Philosophy

二、西方哲学史上的无神论

In the *Encyclopædia Britannica*, contemporary Western philosophers consider atheism to be “a philosophy that takes the denial of God as its first principle.” [9]9 *Encyclopædia Britannica*, entry on atheism.

在《不列颠百科全书》中，当代西方哲学家认为：无神论是“以否定上帝为第一原则的一种哲学。”⑧

Western atheist thought originated in ancient Greece. The Enlightenment thinkers of ancient Greece opposed traditional religion and proposed a materialist worldview and Enlightenment atheism. They reduced the generation and extinction of all things in nature to the combination and separation of material origins. They explained nature from nature itself and replaced the will of the gods with human reason. This natural philosophy with Enlightenment significance inspired people to explore new paths for understanding nature and comprehending human life. Many thinkers broke free from superstition in traditional religion and engaged in rational inquiry into the essence of gods and the origin and function of religion. From ancient Greece to ancient Rome, atheist thinkers such as Democritus, Epicurus, Lucretius, and Lucian emerged. Epicurus is considered the “father of atheism” in the West. Engels pointed out: “The final form of classical Greek philosophy (especially the Epicurean school) developed into atheist materialism.” [10]10 Friedrich Engels, *Ludwig Feuerbach and the End of Classical German Philosophy*.

西方无神论的思想起源于古希腊。古希腊的启蒙思想家们反对传统宗教，提出了唯物主义世界观和启蒙的无神论。他们把自然界万事万物的生灭还原为物质本原的分合。从自然本身说明自然，用人的理智代替神的意志。这种具有启蒙意义的自然哲学启发人们去探索认识自然、理解人生的新路。不少思想家摆脱了对传统宗教的迷信，对神灵的本质、宗教的起源和作用进行理性的探讨。从古代希腊到古代罗马，出现了德谟克利特、伊壁鸠鲁、卢克莱修、琉善等无神论思想家。伊壁鸠鲁被认为是西方“无神论之父”。恩格斯指出：“希腊古典哲学的最终形式（尤其是伊壁鸠鲁学派）发展为无神论的唯物主义。”⑨

During the Middle Ages, Christianity held absolute dominance in the superstructure, and atheism could hardly exist openly. The Christian theological system determined that “monotheism” was the defining characteristic of “religion.” Under this religious cultural background, currents of thought that denied or opposed “monotheism” were called atheism. Some pantheistic ideas that opposed orthodox theology occasionally flashed with sparks of atheist thought and were consequently condemned as heresy by the church. In the Middle Ages, atheism was designated as “evil” and was the primary target for burning at the stake. In 1619, the Italian “Inquisition” sentenced the philosopher Vanini to be burned at the stake on the charge of “propagating atheism.” The association of atheism with “evil” persists to this day.

中世纪，基督教在上层建筑领域居于绝对统治的地位，无神论几乎不可能公开存在。基督教神学体系认定，“一神教”就是“宗教”的特征。在这种宗教文化背景下，否认或反对“一神教”的思潮就被称为无神论。一些反对正统神学的泛神论，不时闪耀着无神论的思想火花，因而被教会判为异端。无神论在中世纪被定为“邪恶”，是火刑的首选。1619年，意大利的“宗教裁判所”以“宣传无神论”的罪名，判处哲学家瓦尼尼火刑。无神论即“邪恶”，这种影响至今未息。

With the development of modern social sciences and productive forces, a group of emerging bourgeois thinkers in modern Western Europe opposed feudal autocracy and its spiritual pillar—Christian theology—and moved toward atheism through various forms. Modern Western currents of thought such as skepticism, pantheism, mechanical materialist atheism, deism, militant atheism, and humanist atheism surged one after another.

随着近代社会科学和生产力的发展，近代西欧涌现出一批新兴资产阶级思想家，反对封建专制主义及其精神支柱——基督教神学，通过各种形式走向无神论。近代西方怀疑论、泛神论、机械唯物主义无神论、自然神论、战斗的无神论、人本主义无神论等思潮风起云涌。

During the Renaissance, humanism emphasized human value, devalued the status of gods, opposed religious asceticism, and regarded the pursuit of material interests as conforming to human nature. These ideas with Enlightenment significance helped people break free from the confinement of medieval Christian theology.

文艺复兴时期，人文主义强调人的价值，贬低神的地位，反对宗教禁欲主义，把追求物质利益视为合乎人性。这些具有启蒙意义的思想，有助于人们走出中世纪基督教神学的禁锢。

From the 16th to the 17th century, pantheism had a widespread influence in Europe. This was a current of thought that served as a transition from theism to atheism. Spinoza used logical deduction to argue that God is nature and that the Mandate of Heaven is natural law, fundamentally denying the existence of a supernatural God who rules the world. He used the methods of historical and linguistic textual criticism to study and critique the Bible.

16世纪至17世纪，泛神论在欧洲有广泛的影响。这是一种从有神论向无神论过渡的思潮。斯宾诺莎用逻辑推理论证神就是自然，天命就是自然律，从根本上否定作为主宰世界的超自然上帝。他用历史学、语言学的考证方法，对《圣经》进行研究批判。

In the 17th century, experimental science centered on mechanics, combined with atomic materialism, developed into mechanical materialist philosophy and atheism. It explained all things in nature through the mechanical combination of material particles, excluding the role of God from nature. Hobbes developed this worldview into a clear atheism. He denied non-material spiritual substances, insisting that only one kind of material substance, whose essence is extension, exists, thereby denying the existence of gods, souls, and the like.

17世纪，以机械力学为中心的实验科学与原子唯物论相结合，发展为机械唯物主义的哲学和无神论。它用物质微粒的机械组合说明自然界的一切事物，把上帝的作用排除于自然之外。霍布斯把这种世界观发展为明确的无神论。他否定非物质的精神实体，坚持只有一种以广延性为本质的物质实体，这就否定了神和灵魂之类的存在。

From the 17th to the 18th century, deism arose in Britain, and this philosophical trend exerted a broad influence on Europe and America. Representative figures include Voltaire and Rousseau of France. Deists opposed basing religion on mysterious “divine revelation” and “miracles,” arguing that humanity’s innate reason, rather than these, should be the foundation of religion, and they sought to replace traditional revealed religion with a rational religion. They generally acknowledged the existence of God and the doctrine of creation, but held that after creating the world, God allowed it to operate according to rational natural laws. Marx said that deism was “a convenient and easy way to get rid of religion.”{11}

17世纪至18世纪，自然神论在英国兴起，这种哲学思潮对欧美产生了广泛的影响。代表人物有法国的伏尔泰、卢梭等。自然神论者反对把宗教建立在神秘的“天启”和“神迹”之上，主张人类天赋的理性才是宗教的基础，企图用理性宗教去取代传统的天启宗教。他们一般也承认上帝存在和上帝创世说，但主张上帝创世之后就让世界按照合乎理性的自然规律运转。马克思说，自然神论是“摆脱宗教的一种简便易行的方法”。⑩

The 18th-century French Enlightenment was an era of atheism’s triumphant advance. The growing strength of the French bourgeoisie enabled its thinkers to openly resist traditional religion and ecclesiastical rule. New achievements in the natural sciences and the development of materialist philosophy provided the conditions for overcoming the incompleteness of pantheism and deism, transforming them into militant atheism. The atheism of this period emphasized the dignity of reason, opposed the spiritual enslavement of fideism, and mercilessly criticized religious dogma and theological worldviews. It openly and thoroughly denied the existence of God and the immortality of the soul, critically examined the essence, origin, and social role of religion, and profoundly exposed the corruption of the church and the hypocrisy of the clergy, thereby preparing public opinion for the French Revolution. The main representatives of French atheism include Diderot, Helvétius, and Holbach. Holbach’s *System of Nature* was hailed as the “Bible of materialism.” He believed that “only by dispelling the smoke and phantoms of religion can we discover the source of truth, reason, and morality.”{12}

18世纪的法国启蒙运动是无神论胜利进军的时代。法国资产阶级力量的壮大，使其思想家敢于对传统宗教和教会统治进行公开的反抗。自然科学新成果和唯物主义哲学的发展，提供了克服泛神论和自然神论不彻底性的条件，使其发展成为战斗的无神论。这一时期的无神论强调理性的尊严，反对信仰主义的精神奴役，对宗教教义和神学世界观进行无情的批判。它公开而彻底地否定神的存在和灵魂不朽，批判性考察宗教的本质、起源和社会作用，深刻地揭露教会的腐朽和僧侣的伪善，为法国大革命作了舆论准备。法国无神论的主要代表有狄德罗、爱尔维修、霍尔巴赫等。霍尔巴赫的《自然体系》一书被誉为“唯物主义的圣经”。他认为，“只有驱散宗教的烟雾和怪影，我们才会发现真理、理性和道德的泉源。”{11}

19th-century German classical philosophy, in turn, exalted the spirit of rationalism. Although Kant and Hegel were not atheists, the German classical philosophy they represented, through its rational examination of religious theology, indirectly expressed a political critique of the feudal system and possessed the character of rational enlightenment. Kant, with his agnosticism, expressed doubt about the basic tenets of religious theology—such as the existence of God, the immortality of the soul, and freedom of the will—thereby shaking the theoretical foundation of religious theology. Hegel, with his rationalist “Absolute Idea,” replaced the God of traditional religion, attempting to place religion under the dominance of rational philosophy. Feuerbach restored the authority of materialism in Germany and proposed humanist atheism. He argued that all attributes and essences of God in religion are an alienation of human nature; it is not God who creates man, but man who creates God in his own image. This thoroughly denied the existence of God and the sacred origin of religion, reducing it to a secular basis. Feuerbach’s humanist atheism provided intellectual resources for Marxist scientific atheism.

19世纪的德国古典哲学则是高扬理性主义精神。康德和黑格尔虽不是无神论者，但他们所代表的德国古典哲学通过对宗教神学的理性考察，曲折地表达了对封建制度的政治批判，具有理性启蒙主义的性质。康德以不可知论，表示了对上帝存在、灵魂不死、意志自由等宗教神学基本信条的怀疑，动摇了宗教神学的理论基础。黑格尔则以唯理主义的“绝对理念”代替传统宗教的神，企图把宗教置于唯理哲学的支配之下。费尔巴哈在德国恢复了唯物主义的权威，提出了人本主义无神论。他认为，宗教中关于上帝的一切属性和本质都是人性的异化，不是上帝创造人，而是人按照自己的形象创造了上帝。这就彻底否定了上帝存在和宗教的神圣来源，把它还原为世俗基础。费尔巴哈的人本主义无神论为马克思主义的科学无神论提供了思想资源。

Because of its distinct character of opposing the feudal system and criticizing theological politics, modern Western atheism has been called “militant atheism.” During the period of establishing Western capitalist state systems, it played a tremendous role in liberating thought and served as the foundation for democratic constitutionalism and individual freedom. Because it absorbed the achievements of modern natural science and used the spirit and methods of science as its weapons, promoting the development of science, it has also been called “scientific atheism.”

近代西方的无神论思潮，由于它具有鲜明的反封建主义制度和批判神学政治的性质，被称为“战斗无神论”。它在创建西方资本主义国家制度时期，起着巨大的解放思想作用，是民主宪政和个人自由的基点；因为它吸取近现代自然科学的成果，以科学的精神和科学的方法为武器，对科学发展起着推动作用，所以又被称为“科学无神论”。

New achievements in the natural sciences, especially the powerful and enduring impact of Darwin’s theory of evolution on religious theology, became a driving force for various currents of atheism. Various specific sciences introduced the concept of natural evolution into scientific research, denying divine creation and its intervention in natural processes. The critique of religion by the natural sciences often developed into philosophical atheism. The British philosopher Bertrand Russell believed that only the natural sciences can provide legitimate and effective knowledge, and that they offer no basis for beliefs such as God or the immortality of the soul. “The most important origin of religion lies in the sense of fear,” and humanity should continuously develop the natural and social sciences to liberate itself from all fear.{13}

自然科学的新成就，特别是达尔文进化论对宗教神学的强烈而持久的冲击，成为各种无神论思潮的推动力。各种具体科学把自然进化概念引入科学研究中，否定上帝创世及其对自然进程的干预。自然科学对宗教的批判，常常发展为哲学上的无神论。英国哲学家罗素认为，只有自然科学才能提供正当有效的知识，它不向上帝、灵魂不死之类的信仰提供任何基础。“宗教最重要的起源在于恐惧感”，人类应当不断发展自然科学和社会科学，从一切恐惧中解放出来。{12}

The main form of atheism in the 20th century was “humanism.” This trend was reflected in various philosophical and intellectual schools, such as psychoanalysis, pragmatism, logical positivism, existentialism, and secular humanism. According to the theory of the founder of psychoanalysis, Freud, religion is entirely the result of frustrated nerves. Logical positivism also vehemently denied God. They argued that God is a meaningless, unknowable concept.

20世纪无神论的主要形式是“人本主义”。其思潮反映在各种哲学和思想派别中，如：心理分析学派、实用主义、逻辑实证主义、存在主义和世俗人文主义等。根据心理分析学的创始人弗洛伊德的理论，宗教完全是神经受挫的结果。逻辑实证主义也激烈地否定上帝。他们认为，上帝是一个没有意义的、不可知的概念。

Many modern Western atheist thinkers advocated replacing the divine way with the human way. The American pragmatist philosopher Dewey believed that the natural world is the foundation of all things and denied the existence of God. In 1933, Dewey and others published the *Humanist Manifesto*, defining humanism as “faith in the supreme value and self-perfectibility of the human person.” The most radical representative of humanist atheism was the French philosopher Sartre. Sartre said, “Man is a whole: completely free and completely responsible.”{14} Human freedom is the source and foundation of morality. If God existed, God would cancel human freedom. He stated that existentialism “is nothing else but an attempt to draw all the consequences from a consistently atheistic position.”{15} Among modern Western currents of atheism, Sartre’s humanist atheism is quite representative.

现代西方的许多无神论思想家都主张用人道来取代神道。美国实用主义哲学家杜威认为，自然世界是万物的基础，否定神的存在。1933年，杜威等发表《人道主义宣言》，把人道主义定义为“信仰人的最高价值及自我完善性”。人道主义无神论最激进的代表是法国哲学家萨特。萨特说，“人是完整的：完全自由又完全承担责任。”{13} 人的自由是道德的源泉和基础。如果上帝存在，上帝就会取消人的自由。他表示，存在主义“不过是从彻底的无神论立场得出一切结论的一种尝试”。{14} 在现代西方的无神论思潮中，萨特的人道主义无神论颇有代表性。

At the beginning of this century, in the face of the revival of global religious fundamentalism and neo-fundamentalism, increased interference of religion in politics and education, and the growing weight of religious factors in social conflicts around the world, contemporary Western new atheism and secular humanist thought surged once again. This fresh intellectual force made the public aware that criticizing religion with scientific and rational methods helps to dispel the haze created by religious conservative forces in recent years.

本世纪初，面对全球宗教原教旨主义、新基要主义的复兴，宗教对政治和教育的干涉增强，世界各地社会冲突中宗教因素加重，激发了当代西方新无神论和世俗人文主义思潮再次兴起。这股新鲜的知识力量使公众意识到，以科学理性的方法批评宗教，有助于驱散近些年来宗教保守势力制造的阴霾。

In 2006, *The God Delusion* by Richard Dawkins, a professor at Oxford University in the UK, was published and remained on the *New York Times* nonfiction bestseller list for a full year. The English edition of this atheist work has sold over 1.5 million copies and has been translated into 32 languages. The author, primarily from a biologist’s perspective, argues that God is a delusion and quotes the contemporary American philosopher R. Pirsig’s famous saying: “When one person suffers from a delusion, it is called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion, it is called religion.”{16}

2006年，英国牛津大学教授理查德•道金斯编写的《上帝的迷思》出版后，曾占据《纽约时报》非小说类畅销书排行榜长达一年。这部无神论著作的英文版已经发行了150多万册，已被译成32种文字。作者主要从生物学家的视角，论证上帝是一种幻觉（delusion），并引用当代美国哲学家R．Pirsig的名言：“当一个人遭受delusion的痛苦时，叫做精神错乱；当许多人遭受delusion的痛苦时，叫做宗教。”{15}

III. Marxist Scientific Atheism

三、马克思主义的科学无神论

Marxist atheism is a higher form of scientific atheism and a magnificent sunrise in the history of human thought. It inherited the outstanding achievements of human thought, including 17th- and 18th-century British and French materialism and 19th-century German Feuerbachian humanism, and was revealed through the discovery of the materialist conception of history and the theory of surplus value. As the starting point and cornerstone of the Marxist worldview, scientific atheism moved from the realm of ideology and culture into the practice of the scientific socialist movement.

马克思主义无神论是科学无神论的高级形态，是人类思想史上的壮丽日出。它继承了17—18世纪英国和法国唯物主义、19世纪德国费尔巴哈人本主义等人类优秀思想的成果，通过唯物主义历史观和剩余价值论的发现而展示出来。科学无神论作为马克思主义世界观的出发点和基石，由思想文化领域，进入科学社会主义运动的实践。

Starting from Feuerbach’s view that man alienates the religious world, Marx and Engels further explored the social basis of the emergence of religion. They discovered that religion, as an inverted worldview, has its root in an inverted world—a society where man exploits man and man oppresses man. They pointed out that merely criticizing religion cannot overcome religious alienation; only by further abolishing the social system and social conditions that produce religious alienation can it be possible to overcome it. Thus, Marx and Engels turned from the critique of religion to the critique of politics, law, and society, and developed from rationalist enlightenment atheism into the scientific atheism of dialectical materialism and historical materialism.

马克思、恩格斯从费尔巴哈关于人异化出宗教世界的观点出发，进一步探索宗教产生的社会基础。他们发现，宗教作为颠倒的世界观，其产生的根源是有一个颠倒的世界，即人剥削人、人压迫人的社会。他们指出，单纯批判宗教不能克服宗教异化，只有进一步消灭产生宗教异化的社会制度和社会条件，才有可能克服宗教异化。于是，马克思、恩格斯从对宗教的批判，转向对政治、法和社会的批判，从理性主义的启蒙无神论，发展为辩证唯物主义和历史唯物主义的科学无神论。

Marx and Engels jointly wrote *The German Ideology*, founding the historical materialist conception of history. In terms of the methodology of social science, the creation of historical materialism was a transformation of epoch-making significance. Marx extended Feuerbach’s critique of religion—namely, that “religion is the alienation of man’s essence”—into the result of two forms of alienation. One is the self-alienation of man’s essence into an external “sacred image,” that is, illusory concepts such as God, heaven, and salvation; the other is the self-alienation of man’s essence into a “non-sacred image,” that is, the material and social environment in which man lives, which, concretely speaking, is an unjust system of exploitation. Feuerbach’s Enlightenment thought only revealed the first form of alienation, whereas Marx not only elucidated the content of both forms of alienation but also argued that the second form of alienation is the foundation of the first. To eliminate the alienation of man’s essence by religion, it is necessary to transform the social system and economic base on which it relies.

马克思和恩格斯联合撰写的《德意志意识形态》，创立了历史唯物主义的历史观。就社会科学的方法论而言，唯物史观的创立是具有划时代意义的变革。马克思将费尔巴哈的宗教批判思想，即“宗教是人的本质的异化”，扩展两种“异化”的结果。一种是人的本质的自我异化为外在的“神圣形象”，即上帝、天国和救赎等虚幻的观念；另一种是人的本质的自我异化为“非神圣形象”，即人所生活的物质和社会环境，这种环境具体地讲就是不合理的剥削制度。费尔巴哈的启蒙思想只揭示了第一种异化，而马克思不仅阐明两种异化的内涵，并论述了第二种异化是第一种异化的基础。要消除宗教对人本质的异化，必须变革其依托的社会制度和经济基础。

In the cause of founding the Soviet socialist state, Lenin inherited and developed Marxist atheism. In practice, this atheism served as an ideological weapon for criticizing Russian theocracy and as an important measure for preventing and purging the erosion of the workers’ party by religion. In theory, Lenin, especially from a philosophical foundation—that is, from the epistemology of materialism and dialectics—criticized the fallacies of religious modes of thinking. His attack was directed at Plato and Aristotle, whom Christian theology regarded as its philosophical basis, and at Neo-Kantian philosophy, which was widely used by modern and contemporary theology. He revealed the epistemological roots of religious theology and made an important contribution to exploring materialist-dialectical methods of thinking.

在创立苏维埃社会主义国家的事业中，列宁继承和发展了马克思主义无神论。在实践上，这种无神论是对俄罗斯神权政治进行批判的思想武器，也是防范和肃清宗教对工人政党侵蚀的重要举措。在理论上，列宁特别从哲学基础上，即从唯物主义和辩证法认识论上，批判宗教思维方法的谬误，其锋芒指向被基督教神学奉为哲学依据的柏拉图、亚里士多德和被近现代神学广泛利用的新康德主义哲学，揭示了宗教神学产生的认识论根源，为探索唯物辩证的思维方法做出了重要贡献。

China’s social foundation determines the practical direction of the Sinicization of Marxist atheism. Unlike the cultural traditions of Western society, the Chinese nation, over thousands of years of history, has been rich in humanist currents of thought and diverse and tolerant in religious belief. Secular political power has always dominated religious authority; religion could only submit to the rule of secular political power, never becoming an independent social and political force, and mainly existed in society as a cultural mode. Therefore, in China’s New Democratic Revolution and socialist construction, the religious question has never been a principal social question. The Chinese Communists, confronting China’s concrete reality, incorporated the religious question into the category of the united front and properly resolved the religious question in the revolutionary cause.

中国的社会基础决定着马克思主义无神论中国化的实践方向。与西方社会的文化传统不同，中华民族在数千年的历史长河中，人文主义思潮丰富，宗教信仰多元兼容。世俗政权始终支配教权，宗教只能服从世俗政权的统治，没有成为独立的社会政治力量，主要作为文化方式存在于社会中。因此，在中国的新民主主义革命和社会主义建设中，宗教问题一直不是社会的主要问题。中国共产党人，面对中国的具体实际，将宗教问题纳入统一战线的范畴，妥善地解决了革命事业中的宗教问题。

Accordingly, the Sinicization of Marxist atheism has formed two basic principles: First, guarantee complete freedom of belief at the level of faith. At the social and political and economic levels, religion must adapt to the overall interests of the Chinese people and to the historical process of social development; it is not permitted to use religion to threaten national security and ethnic unity, nor to use religion to subvert the socialist system. Thus, the question of belief is strictly distinguished from the question of politics. Second, the concept of religious theism is erroneous and opposed to science and materialism, but it belongs to the question of worldview and thought; it cannot be resolved by administrative means, only by persuasion and education, and primarily through the actual transformation of society, with believers deciding for themselves. “Draw the bow but do not release the arrow; it leaps into view” [17]17 A classical allusion from *Mencius • Jinxin, Part I*, meaning to demonstrate by example rather than command, letting the people follow of their own accord. — this is said to the masses; in the realm of ideology, culture, and education, with regard to the “cultural theology” that contends for cultural positions and the youth, it is necessary to distinguish right from wrong and engage in theoretical criticism, that is, the so-called “study religion, criticize theology.” [18]18 A slogan from the Chinese Marxist study of religion, emphasizing critical analysis of theology as an academic discipline.

据此，马克思主义无神论的中国化形成两条基本原则：第一，保障宗教在信仰层面完全自由。在社会政治和经济层面，宗教必须适应中国人民的总体利益，适应社会发展的历史进程，不允许利用宗教威胁国家安全与民族团结，不允许利用宗教颠覆社会主义制度。从而把信仰问题与政治问题严格区分开来。第二，宗教有神论的观念是错误的，与科学和唯物论相对立的，但它属于世界观思想问题，不能动用行政手段解决，只能采取说服教育，而且主要通过社会的实际变革，由信仰者自觉决定。“引而不发，跃如也”，{16} 这是对人民群众讲的；在思想文化和教育领域，与争夺文化阵地和青少年的“文化神学”而言，就需要分辨是非，理论批判，即所谓“研究宗教，批判神学”。{17}

I believe that, in contemporary China, the important value of Marxist atheism lies in the following three points:

我认为，在当代中国，马克思主义无神论重要的价值有以下三点：

First, Marxist atheism is the starting point and cornerstone of the worldview of the core socialist values. Strengthening the research and propaganda-education of scientific atheism means strengthening the starting point and cornerstone of socialist ideology. Atheism is the source and premise of Marxist materialism; to dissolve atheism from Marxism is to castrate Marxism. Marxist materialism (dialectical and historical) has raised atheism to an entirely new philosophical foundation and brought it into the practice of the scientific socialist movement, thereby distinguishing its atheism from and elevating it above other atheisms. The atheist, materialist worldview is the most fundamental basis for the words and actions of Communists. Only on this basis can one grasp the higher-level theories within the Marxist theoretical system. Similarly, it is also the philosophical foundation of the core socialist value system. The core socialist values believe that the masses of the people are the creators of history, not creationism. “People-centered” is the governing philosophy of the Communists, and it is essentially atheist.

第一，马克思主义无神论是社会主义核心价值观的世界观起点和基石。加强科学无神论的研究和宣传教育，就是增强社会主义意识形态的起点和基石。无神论是马克思主义唯物论的来源和前提，从马克思主义那里消释无神论，就是对马克思主义的阉割。马克思主义唯物论（辩证的和历史的）把无神论提高到一个全新的哲学基础上，并进入科学社会主义运动的实践中，从而使它的无神论区别于并高于其他的无神论。无神论、唯物主义的世界观，是共产党人言论和行为的最基本根据。只有在这个基础上，才能掌握马克思主义理论体系中更高层次的理论。同样，它也是社会主义核心价值体系的哲学基础。社会主义核心价值观相信人民群众是历史的创造者，而不是神创论。“以人为本”是共产党人的执政理念，其本质上是无神论的。

In the core socialist value system, the atheist materialist worldview and positive outlook on life occupy an important position. The Party Central Committee has repeatedly pointed out: to consolidate the guiding position of Marxism, to enhance the appeal and cohesion of socialist ideology, the role of scientific atheism cannot be ignored. For some time, there has been a kind of public opinion that tries to expel atheism from the Marxist view of religion and socialist ideology; this is dangerous, as it neither conforms to the secularization trend of human history and the contemporary era nor aligns with China’s humanist tradition.

在社会主义核心价值体系中，无神论的唯物世界观和积极人生观，占有重要地位。党中央一再指出：要巩固马克思主义的指导地位，要增强社会主义意识形态的吸引力和凝聚力，科学无神论的作用不容忽视。一个时间以来，有种舆论，力图把无神论从马克思主义宗教观和社会主义意识形态中剔除出去，这是危险的，既不符合人类历史和当代的世俗化潮流，也与中国的人本主义传统相悖。

Second, scientific atheism is a happy way of life and an important pathway for building a harmonious society.

第二，科学无神论是一种幸福的生活方式，是构建和谐社会的重要途径。

Theistic thinking is a fallacy; why such fallacies arise in human cognition and how to avoid them, and how to establish correct modes of thinking—these are proper concerns in the study of scientific atheism. Theistic organizations have an inherent tension with secular society; their certain exclusivity and closedness easily produce social interpersonal isolation and discord. Their communication and interaction with the divine affect the normal psychology and life of human nature. Contemporary atheism advocates a positive secular way of life, establishing a society with spiritual health, optimism in life, and interpersonal harmony on the basis of labor and production, self-reliance, self-strengthening, and self-respect. Promoting this positive social way of life is an important pathway for contemporary scientific atheism to participate in building a harmonious society.

有神论思维是一种谬误；人的认识为什么产生这类谬误以及如何避免，正确的思维方式应该如何确立，这是科学无神论研究中的应有之义。有神论组织与世俗社会之间具有内在的张力，其某种排他性和封闭性，容易产生社会人际的隔离与不和。它与神沟通和交往，使人性的正常心理和生活受到影响。当代无神论倡导一种积极的世俗生活方式，在劳动生产、自立自强自尊基础上，建立精神健康、人生乐观、人际和谐的社会。推动这种积极的社会生活方式，是当代科学无神论参与构建和谐社会的重要途径。

Third, as long as scientific atheism is thoroughgoing, it will inevitably lead to a rational social system. The education and propaganda of scientific atheism must formulate corresponding programs and strategies and incorporate them into the cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics.

第三，科学无神论只要彻底，必然导向合理的社会制度。科学无神论的教育和宣传要制定相应的纲领和策略，纳入建设中国特色的社会主义事业中。

Compared with previous atheist thought, Marxist atheism is manifested not only in the depth of ideological theory but mainly in its necessary connection with the practice of the scientific socialist movement and the communist ideal. According to the Marxist view, the main reason organized religion exists is the existence of an unjust social system. Although the education and propaganda of atheism are certainly necessary and cannot be weakened, the fundamental way to eliminate the social phenomenon of religious theism is to eliminate the actual social conditions in which such phenomena exist. Actual society is composed of many factors, including the economy, society (in the narrow sense of the term, referring to social security, urbanization, etc.), politics, and culture. In contrast to the “culturalism” of “simply overthrowing religion,” Marxist atheism requires Communists to unite people of all strata, including atheists and theists, to work together with one heart and one mind to eradicate the social roots of religion and strive to create an ideal communist society. In this rather long historical stage, depending on the degree of development of different countries and societies, Communists must formulate corresponding programs and strategies and incorporate the education and propaganda of scientific atheism into the cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics.

与以往的无神论思想相比，马克思主义无神论不仅表现在思想理论的深度上，而且主要反映在科学社会主义运动的实践和与共产主义理想的必然联系上。按照马克思主义的观点，组织化的宗教之所以存在，主要原因是存在不合理的社会制度。虽然，无神论的教育和宣传固然是必要的，不可削弱的，但是，要消除宗教有神论的社会现象，根本的途径是消除这类现象存在的现实社会条件。现实社会是由经济、社会（狭义的社会概念，指社会保障、城市化等等）政治、文化等等诸多因素构成的。马克思主义无神论与“简单打倒宗教”的文化主义相反，共产党人要团结各阶层民众，包括无神论者和有神论者，齐心合力地为铲除宗教的社会根源，创造理想的共产主义社会而努力奋斗。在这个相当长的历史阶段中，根据不同的国度和社会发展程度，共产党人要制定相应的纲领和策略，将科学无神论的教育和宣传，纳入建设中国特色的社会主义事业中。

Notes:

注释：

① *Complete Works of Marx and Engels*, Vol. 36, People’s Publishing House, 1972, p. 187.

①《马克思思格斯全集》第36卷，人民出版社1972年版，第187页。

② *Guanzi • Hegemony, Chapter 23*.

②《管子•霸言第二十三》。

③ *Mencius • Jinxin, Part II*.

③《孟子•尽心下》。

④ *Book of Documents • Songs of the Five Sons*.

④《书•五子之歌》。

⑤ Tang Yijie: “Confucius and Confucian Thought—A Precious Heritage of Chinese Culture,” in International Confucian Association, ed., *Confucianism and Contemporary Civilization*, Vol. 1, Beijing: Jiuzhou Press, 2005, p. 13.

⑤ 汤一介：《孔子儒家思想——中华文化的宝贵遗产》，国际儒学联合会编：《儒学与当代文明》卷一，北京：九州出版社，2005年，第13页。

⑥ *Xunzi • Discourse on Heaven*.

⑥《荀子．天论》。

⑦ *Collected Works of Li Dazhao* (Vol. 2), Beijing: People’s Publishing House, 1984, pp. 555-556.

⑦《李大钊文集》（下），北京：人民出版社1984年，第555-556页。

⑧ *Encyclopaedia Britannica International Chinese Edition*, Vol. 2, Beijing: Encyclopedia of China Publishing House, 1999, p. 18.

⑧《不列颠百科全书国际中文版》第2卷，北京：中国大百科全书出版社1999年版，第18页。

⑨ *Complete Works of Marx and Engels*, Vol. 19, p. 329.

⑨《马克思恩格斯全集》第19卷，第329页。

⑩ Marx, *The Holy Family*, *Complete Works of Marx and Engels*, Vol. 2, People’s Publishing House, 1st ed., p. 165.

⑩ 马克思：《神圣家族》，《马克思恩格斯全集》第2卷，人民出版社第1版，第165页。

{11} Holbach, *Good Sense*, Commercial Press, 1966, p. 147.

{11} 霍尔巴赫：《健全的思想》，商务印书馆1966年，第147页。

{12} Bertrand Russell, trans. Cao Rongxiang, *The Collected Works of Bertrand Russell: Why I Am Not a Christian*, in *The Road to Freedom*, Culture and Art Publishing House, 1998, p. 642.

{12} 罗素著、曹荣湘译：《罗素文集：我为什么不是基督徒》，见《自由之路》，文化艺术出版社1998年版，第642页。

{13} Cohen-Solal, *Sartre: A Life*, p. 258, cited in (UK) Peter Watson, trans. Zhu Jindong et al., *The Modern Mind: An Intellectual History of the 20th Century*, Shanghai Translation Publishing House, 2005, p. 478.

{13} 科亨•索拉：《萨特生平》，第258页，转引自（英）彼得•沃森著，朱进东等译：《20世纪思想史》，上海译文出版社2005版，第478页。

{14} Sartre, “Existentialism Is a Humanism,” cited in Chen Linshu, ed., *A History of Western Atheism*, Central China Normal University Press, 1993, p. 397.

{14} 萨特：《存在主义就是一种人道主义》，转引自陈麟书编著：《西方无神论史》，华中师范大学出版社1993年版，第397页。

{15} (UK) Richard Dawkins, trans. Chen Rongxia, *The God Delusion*, Hainan Publishing House, 2010, p. 5.

{15}（英）理查德•道金斯著、陈蓉霞译：《上帝的迷思》，海南出版社2010年版，第5页。

{16} *Selected Works of Mao Zedong*, Vol. 2, Beijing: People’s Publishing House, 1991, p. 707.

{16}《毛泽东选集》第2卷，北京：人民出版社，1991年，第707页。

{17} Gong Yuzhi, Pang Xianzhi, Shi Zhongquan, *Mao Zedong’s Reading Life*, Beijing: SDX Joint Publishing Company, 1986, p. 4.

{17} 龚育之、逄先知、石仲泉：《毛泽东的读书生活》，北京：三联书店，1986年，第4页。