Only by Believing in Scientific Materialism Can We Uphold Scientific Atheism

One must firmly take a stand

必须站稳立场

At present, the most worrying phenomenon in China’s ideological and theoretical circles, and even in social life, is the shaking of the foundations of ideological theory and the loss of faith. The fundamental reason is doubt about the scientific nature of Marxist theory and the inevitable victory of the communist cause, leading to a loss of confidence. When problems arise with faith, they inevitably lead to deviations in one’s stand! Where do these deviations go? One prominent manifestation is a deviation toward idealism, toward religious theology, and into the ranks of theists. Therefore, I personally believe that when discussing the issue of scientific atheism, one must first firmly take a stand; the question of stand is the prerequisite. Second, one must clearly see the situation.

当前我国思想理论界以至社会生活中，最令人担忧的一个现象是思想理论基石动摇、信仰缺失。根本的原因是对马克思主义理论的科学性和共产主义事业的必胜前途产生了怀疑、失去了信心。信仰出现了问题，必然导致立场出现偏差!偏到哪里去了呢?一个突出的表现是偏到唯心主义那里去了，偏到宗教神学那里去了，偏到有神论的队伍里去了。因此，我个人认为，探讨科学无神论的问题，首先要站稳立场，立场问题是前提。其次要看清形势。

China’s Constitution clearly stipulates: the Chinese people of all ethnic groups are “under the leadership of the Communist Party of China and guided by Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, and the important thought of the Three Represents” to take the socialist path and build a socialist country. The historical and legal basis determines that the theoretical foundation and the cornerstone of our cause are, first and foremost, Marxism-Leninism.

我国的宪法明确规定：中国各族人民是“在中国共产党领导下，在马克思列宁主义、毛泽东思想、邓小平理论和‘三个代表’重要思想指引下”来走社会主义道路、建设社会主义国家的。历史和法理的依据决定了，指导我们事业的理论基础和立命基石，首先是马列主义。

And what is the basic premise of Marxism? It is, of course, scientific materialism, namely dialectical materialism and historical materialism. Scientific materialism emphasizes proceeding from objective reality in everything, seeking truth from facts, acting in accordance with objective laws, and that the masses of the people are the creators of history, and so on. It should be said that these viewpoints would normally present no problems in a country guided by Marxism. However, times have changed, and problems have emerged accordingly. At present, with the rapid development of China’s economy and the trend toward social diversification, we often see in our real life some people who violate objective laws, who are accustomed to speaking and acting based on subjective wishes, momentary feelings, vulgar emotions, and so on. Materialist consciousness and the pragmatic stand are increasingly diluted and weakened, even lost entirely. In the thoughts and actions of some people, they are increasingly accustomed to proceeding entirely from idealist perspectives or voluntarist viewpoints. In social life, idealist consciousness and the consciousness of seeking gods are becoming increasingly intense.

而马克思主义的基本前提是什么呢?当然是科学的唯物论，即辩证唯物论和历史唯物论。科学唯物论讲求的是一切从客观实际出发，实事求是，按客观规律办事，人民群众是历史的创造者等等。应该说，这些观点在以马克思主义为指导的国度里本来是不存在任何问题的。然而，时代不同了，问题也就随之出现。当前，随着我国经济的快速发展和社会多元化的趋势，在我们的现实生活中，常常会看到一些人违背客观规律，说话和办事习惯于从主观愿望出发，从一时感觉出发，从庸俗感情出发，等等。唯物的意识、求实的立场越来越被淡化和虚化，甚至丧失殆尽。在一些人的思想和行为中，越来越习惯于一切从唯心的角度或唯意志论的观点出发。在社会生活中，唯心的意识、求神的意识越来越浓烈。

For some time, this kind of idealist or voluntarist viewpoint and practice in society has even influenced decision-making in some localities and departments. We often see or feel in economic and social life a kind of “going all out and speeding ahead” that transcends time, place, conditions, and objective possibilities; the bustling scenes in some fields resemble the “Great Leap Forward” [1]1 The Great Leap Forward (1958–1961) was a campaign initiated by the Chinese Communist Party under Mao Zedong aimed at rapid industrialization and collectivization of agriculture, which led to widespread economic mismanagement and a severe famine. period’s slogan “However bold a man is, the land will yield as much,” [2]2 “However bold a man is, the land will yield as much” (人有多大胆，地有多大产) was a slogan during the Great Leap Forward reflecting a voluntarist belief that subjective will could overcome objective material limits. producing a modern reprint of blind rash advance. When we are still criticizing or even ridiculing the subjective voluntarism of the generation that was swept up in the “Great Leap Forward,” people of our time are involuntarily or even consciously falling into a modern version of the “Great Leap Forward,” falling into the mire of idealism.

一段时间以来，社会上这种唯心主义或唯意志论的观点和做法甚至影响了一些地方和部门的决策。我们常常会在经济社会生活中看到或感受到超越时间、地点、条件和客观可能的大干快上；一些领域的热火朝天局面，类似于当年“大跃进”时期“人有多大胆，地有多大产”，出现了盲目冒进的现代翻版。当我们还在批评甚至嘲笑当年卷入“大跃进”的那一辈人的主观唯意志论的时候，我们当下的人却又不由自主甚至自觉地堕入现代版的“大跃进”中，堕入唯心主义的泥潭。

There is another relatively typical category of examples, namely the phenomenon of loss of faith appearing in current social life. A prominent manifestation is that “theism has its advocates, while atheism has none.” Even among some Communist Party members, lofty and far-reaching ideals and Marxist scientific atheism have long been lost, replaced by an unconsciously formed climate of revering ghosts and gods and superstitiously believing in religion. There are also quite a few people who have developed serious deviations in their ideals, beliefs, and spiritual pursuits; they do not believe in socialism, nor do they believe in the Communist Party. Some Communist Party members also keep silent about Marxism and communist ideals and beliefs, but as soon as they open their mouths, they talk about the realm of immortals. Their common characteristic is to abandon materialism and be superstitious about various religious gods and ghosts, leading to unimpeded religious and superstitious activities. Even more astonishing and worrying is that some Party cadres, including some leading cadres, talk about “scientific development” verbally, but on the issue of faith, they forget the scientific worldview and outlook on life, setting aside true science. Deep in their thoughts and in their actions, they practice “taking gods as the foundation,” believe in religious superstition, do not believe in the great power of the masses of the people revealed through vivid social practice, and would rather let “gods” dominate their own destiny. These are clearly modern reprints of idealism or the idealist view of history.

还有一类比较典型的例子，即当前社会生活中出现的信仰缺失现象。突出的表现是“有神论有人讲，无神论无人讲”。甚至在一些共产党员当中，崇高、远大的理想和马克思主义的科学无神论早已遗失，取而代之的是不知不觉中形成的一种崇尚鬼神、迷信宗教的气候。还有相当一些人在理想信念和精神追求方面出现了严重的偏差，他们不相信社会主义，不相信共产党。一些共产党员也闭口不谈马克思主义和共产主义理想信念，开口便讲神灵仙境。他们的共同特点是摒弃唯物主义，迷信各种宗教鬼神，导致宗教迷信活动畅通无阻。更令人惊奇和忧虑的是，一些党员干部包括一些领导干部，口头上讲“科学发展”，但在信仰问题上却忘记了科学的世界观和人生观，置真正的科学于不顾。在他们的思想深处和行动中，奉行的是“以神为本”，相信宗教迷信，不相信活生生的社会实践展现出来的人民群众的伟大力量，宁可让“神灵”来主宰自己的命运。这些，显然是唯心主义或唯心历史观的现代翻版。

Therefore, fundamentally speaking, to uphold scientific atheism, one must first uphold Marxist scientific materialism. When we study ideological and theoretical issues, study religious issues, study educational issues, and study issues of faith, the prerequisite should first be to solve the problem of firmly establishing the core viewpoints of Marxism. Only by standing on the ground of thorough, scientific materialism can we obtain scientific viewpoints and methods. Marxist scientific materialism requires us, under any era background, under any social conditions, and even amid social upheaval and change, to follow the principle of proceeding from reality in everything and seeking truth from facts, and to follow the criterion of thorough materialism. As Lenin pointed out: “Marx’s philosophy is a complete philosophical materialism, which has given humanity, especially the working class, a great instrument of cognition.” [3]3 V. I. Lenin, “Three Sources and Three Component Parts of Marxism” (1913). Mao Zedong also clearly stated: “The materialist conception of history is the philosophical basis of our Party.” [4]4 Mao Zedong, “Letter to Cai Hesen” (1921). In the new historical period, Deng Xiaoping also repeatedly emphasized: “The lesson of twenty years of history tells us one most important principle: to build socialism, we must follow Marxist dialectical materialism and historical materialism, which is what Mao Zedong summarized as seeking truth from facts, or proceeding from reality in everything.” [5]5 Deng Xiaoping, “Building a Socialist Society with a High Degree of Democracy and a Sound Legal System” (1980). He also said: “Seeking truth from facts, proceeding from reality in everything, integrating theory with practice, and insisting that practice is the criterion for testing truth—this is our Party’s ideological line.” [6]6 Deng Xiaoping, “Emancipate the Mind, Seek Truth from Facts, and Unite as One in Looking to the Future” (1978).

因此，从根本上讲，要坚持科学无神论，必须首先坚持马克思主义的科学唯物论。我们研究思想理论问题、研究宗教问题、研究教育问题、研究信仰问题，前提应该首先解决的就是牢固树立马克思主义的核心观点，站在彻底的、科学的唯物主义的立场上，才能得到科学的观点和方法。马克思主义的科学唯物论，要求我们在任何时代背景下，在任何社会条件下甚至社会动荡变化中，都遵循一切从实际出发、实事求是的原则，遵循彻底的唯物主义准则。正如列宁所指出的：“马克思的哲学是完备的哲学唯物主义，它把伟大的认识工具给了人类，特别是给了工人阶级。”① 毛泽东也明确表示过：“唯物史观是吾党哲学的根据。”② 在新的历史时期，邓小平也多次强调：“二十年的历史教训告诉我们一条最重要的原则：搞社会主义一定要遵循马克思主义的辩证唯物主义和历史唯物主义，也就是毛泽东同志概括的实事求是，或者说一切从实际出发。”③ 他还说：“实事求是，一切从实际出发，理论联系实际，坚持实践是检验真理的标准，这就是我们党的思想路线。”

Why do many people in society deviate from scientific materialism and instead follow various religious idealisms? The fundamental problem is still that the cornerstone of thought and faith has been shaken. Lenin once analyzed that people who lose their materialist stand will naturally fall into “clericalism.” [7]7 “Clericalism” (僧侣主义) is Lenin’s term for the ideological defense of religious faith and ecclesiastical authority, which he equated with philosophical idealism. In his philosophical notes “On the Question of Dialectics,” he linked idealist thought with clericalism. Lenin believed that when idealism one-sidedly exaggerates, infinitely inflates, and separates a certain feature, aspect, or side of cognition from matter and nature, turning it into a deified absolute, “idealism is clericalism.” He also said: “Philosophical idealism is a road to clericalism through one of the infinitely complex (dialectical) aspects of human cognition.” In these philosophical notes, Lenin even used an equal sign: “clericalism = philosophical idealism.” [8]8 V. I. Lenin, “On the Question of Dialectics” (1915), in his Philosophical Notebooks. It can be seen that if a person deviates from the stand of scientific materialism and loses the perspective of thorough materialist thinking, various idealist genes and elements will naturally erode his thoughts and soul. Therefore, firmly believing in scientific materialism and thoroughly taking the stand of materialism is of extreme importance.

社会上许多人为什么会偏离科学唯物论而遵奉各种宗教唯心论?根本的问题还是思想和信仰的基石发生了动摇。列宁曾经分析过，失去了唯物主义立场的人，自然会倒向“僧侣主义”。他在《谈谈辩证法问题》这篇哲学笔记中，就把唯心主义思想同僧侣主义联系起来。列宁认为，当唯心主义把认识的某一特征、某一方面、某一侧面片面夸大、无限膨胀以至于脱离了物质、脱离了自然，变成为神化了的绝对时，“唯心主义就是僧侣主义”。他还说：“哲学唯心主义是经过人的无限复杂的（辩证的）认识的一个成分而通向僧侣主义的道路。”列宁在这篇哲学笔记中甚至用了这样的等号：“僧侣主义=哲学唯心主义”。④ 可见，一个人如果偏离了科学唯物论的立场，失去了彻底的唯物主义的思维视角，各种唯心主义的基因和元素，自然会侵蚀他的思想和灵魂。所以坚信科学唯物论，彻底站稳唯物主义的立场，具有极端的重要性。

One must clearly see the situation

必须看清形势

So, once the question of stand is resolved, can one rest easy? No. The question of stand mainly functions at the level of theory and ideological guidance. But what often dominates people’s behavior in real life is their understanding and judgment of the situation and the development and change of objective things. This is the truth that materialism emphasizes: being determines consciousness. Therefore, to uphold scientific atheism, one must not only resolve the question of stand but also learn to correctly understand the laws of social development and learn to correctly judge the dialectics of social development. The most basic thing is to clearly see the general background and general trends of social development.

那么，解决了立场问题，是不是就可以高枕无忧了呢?不是的，立场问题主要还是在理论和思想指导的层面上起作用。而在现实生活中主导人们行为的，往往是对形势和客观事物发展变化的认识和判断。这就是唯物主义强调的存在决定意识的道理。因此，坚持科学无神论，不仅要解决立场问题，还要学会正确认识社会发展的规律，学会正确判断社会发展的辩证法。最基本的是要看清社会发展的大背景和大趋势。

The most important situations we need to see clearly at present are, first, the world-renowned achievements we have made by adhering to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, which can strengthen our confidence in Marxism and the socialist cause; another important situation is the return of Marxism on a global scale under the international financial crisis.

当前最需要我们看清的形势，一是我们坚持走中国特色社会主义道路所取得的举世瞩目的成就，这可以坚定我们对马克思主义和社会主义事业的信心；另一个重要的形势，是国际金融危机下世界范围内的马克思主义的回归。

Since the birth of Marxism, this scientific ideological theory has developed in opposition and struggle against religious theology. The "specter of communism" has always borne the task of contending against religious theology and ecclesiastical forces. The first paragraph of *The Communist Manifesto* expresses this opposition in basic positions and viewpoints: "A specter is haunting Europe—the specter of communism. All the powers of old Europe have entered into a holy alliance to exorcise this specter: Pope and Tsar, Metternich and Guizot, French Radicals and German police-spies." [9]9 Corinne Montet is a French scholar and author of the article "Marx on the Offensive," which discusses the resurgence of Marxist thought in the West following the 2008 global financial crisis. The "Pope" referred to here is the vanguard of anti-Marxism and anti-communism. However, after more than 100 years of twists and turns, driven by the "specter of communism," the historical movement practicing Marxism has always moved in opposition to religious forces, with ups and downs, including both successes and failures. Yet its scientific content and tenacious vitality have been fully tested through practice.

自马克思主义诞生时候起，这一科学的思想理论就是在与宗教神学相对立和相抗争中发展起来的，“共产主义的幽灵”始终承载着与宗教神学和教会势力相抗衡的任务。《共产党宣言》第一段话就表明了这种在基本立场和观点上的对立：“一个幽灵，共产主义的幽灵，在欧洲游荡。为了对这个幽灵进行神圣的围剿，旧欧洲的一切势力，教皇和沙皇、梅特涅和基佐、法国的激进派和德国的警察，都联合起来了。”这里面所指的“教皇”，就是反马克思主义和共产主义的先锋。然而，经过100多年的曲折过程，在“共产主义的幽灵”的带动下，践行马克思主义的历史运动始终与宗教势力相对而行，其中起伏跌宕，既有成功也有失败，但她的科学内涵和顽强生命力是经过实践充分检验了的。

At the end of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s, as the Cold War ended, Japanese-American scholar Francis Fukuyama wrote articles and a book titled *The End of History*. At that time, he hastily concluded that with the end of the Cold War, a particular historical period would also end; capitalism had completely triumphed over socialism, becoming the final outcome of human history, and this was also the end of the evolution of human thought. He believed that the direction of the human historical process was not the communism pointed to by Marxism, but Western liberal democracy. However, just one or two decades later, especially after the world financial crisis triggered by the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis, the world situation underwent many changes precisely opposite to Fukuyama's predictions. This forced Fukuyama to reflect on and revise his understanding, changing his conclusions. In 2011, in a book co-authored with Nancy Birdsall, president of the Center for Global Development, titled *New Ideas on Development after the Financial Crisis*, Fukuyama, on the one hand, criticized the capitalist model and praised the superiority of the Chinese socialist system; on the other hand, he proposed another new "end-of-history" thesis. They argued that if this global financial crisis put some development models on trial, it was the liberal market or neoliberal model. They thus proposed: "This financial crisis is the end of America's economic dominance in global affairs." [10]10 The superscript numbers ⑩ through {12} in the original text correspond to endnotes [10] through [12] in this translation, which are the source citations provided in paragraphs [P18] through [P20].

上世纪80年代末90年代初，在冷战结束之际，日裔美籍学者弗朗西斯•福山曾经写了《历史的终结》的文章和著作，那时他匆忙地做出过这样的结论：随着冷战的结束，一个特别的历史时期也将结束，资本主义已彻底战胜社会主义，成为人类历史的最终结局，这也是人类思想进化史的终结。他认为人类历史进程的方向不是马克思主义指向的共产主义，而是西方的自由民主制度。然而，刚过去了一二十年，尤其是这次由美国次贷危机引发世界金融危机以后，世界形势却发生了诸多与福山的预言恰恰相反的变化。迫使福山反省和修正他的认识，改变他的结论。2011年，弗朗西斯•福山在与美国全球发展中心主席南希•伯索尔合著的《金融危机后发展方面的新思想》一书中，一方面批评资本主义模式，称赞中国社会主义体制等的优越性；一方面却提出了另一种新的“终结论”。他们认为，如果说这场全球金融危机让一些发展模式受到审判的话，那就是自由主义市场或新自由主义模式。他们由此提出：“这场金融危机是美国在全球事务中占据经济主导地位的终结。”⑤

In this crisis, many insightful people in the international community heavily criticized the problems of the capitalist system. At its root, these problems are actually the idealist philosophy and religious theology that this system relies on. So, as long as we see clearly the background and situation of the ideological struggle between these two sides, we naturally become clear about the status and fate of scientific materialism and scientific atheism.

在这场危机中，国际社会一些有识之士大量批评资本主义制度存在的问题。就其根本问题，其实是这种制度背后所依附的唯心主义哲学和宗教神学。所以我们只要看清了这后面的两种思想斗争的背景和形势，也就自然而然地清楚了科学唯物论和科学无神论的地位和命运。

The contest in the economic sphere is inevitably reflected at the ideological level. Against the backdrop of the financial crisis, people abroad, including a large number of Western scholars, began to re-evaluate and reassess the scientific nature and vitality of Marxism and socialism, and began to rediscover Marx and Marxism.

经济领域的较量，必然反映在思想层面。在金融危机背景下，国外人士包括一大批西方学者，重新认识和评估马克思主义与社会主义的科学性及生命力，开始重新找回马克思和马克思主义。

The views of some American scholars are quite representative. Not long ago, a well-known American economist, in an interview with the *International Business Times*, highly praised the correctness of Marx's analysis of capitalist economic crises. This person is Nouriel Roubini, who once served as a senior economist for international affairs on the U.S. White House Council of Economic Advisers and as director of the Office of Policy Planning and Evaluation at the U.S. Treasury Department, and now works as a professor of economics at New York University. Nouriel Roubini said: Judging from the ongoing situation of the current U.S. economic crisis, Marx's theory of capitalist economic crises is correct. It still has practical significance for analyzing the essence and root causes of the current economic crisis in the United States and capitalist societies. [11]11 The Tenth World Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties was an international gathering of communist and workers' parties held in São Paulo, Brazil, in November 2008, which issued a joint statement on the global economic crisis.

一些美国本土学者的观点就颇具代表性。不久前，一位美国著名经济学家在接受《国际商业时报》采访时，曾高度评价马克思对资本主义经济危机的剖析的正确性。此人名叫努里尔•鲁比尼，曾经担任过美国白宫经济顾问委员会国际事务高级经济学家、美国财政部政策制定与评估办公室主任，现在纽约大学担任经济学教授。努里尔•鲁比尼说：从当前美国经济危机的延续情势来看，马克思关于资本主义的经济危机理论是正确的，它对分析目前美国及资本主义社会经济危机的本质及根源依然具有现实意义。⑥

Two other American economists, Stephen Resnick and Richard Wolff, professors of economics at the University of Massachusetts, also use Marxism to interpret the current world economic crisis. They believe that Marxism has its own explanation and solution for capitalist economic crises. Marxist theory seeks to explore the intrinsic connection between capitalist crises and their unique class structure (especially the special structure in which capitalists appropriate and distribute the surplus value created by workers), and on this basis, it reaches conclusions different from those of neoclassical and Keynesian economics. In short: transitioning from one class structure to a completely different class structure is an inevitable requirement for effectively resolving capitalist crises. This is because, whether through strengthening or loosening regulation, as long as the fundamental capitalist system remains unchanged, its class structure will systematically and periodically exacerbate capitalist crises. This is why Marxism does not endorse the conservative tradition of neoclassical and Keynesian approaches to capitalism. [12]12 "Sur y Sur" (South and South) is an Argentine left-wing online publication focusing on political and economic analysis from a Global South perspective.

而美国的另外两名经济学家、马萨诸塞大学经济系教授斯蒂芬•雷斯尼克和理查德•沃尔夫，也运用马克思主义来解读当今的世界经济危机。他们认为：马克思主义对资本主义经济危机有自己的解释和解决方案。马克思主义理论致力于探寻资本主义的危机与其独特的阶级结构（特别是资本家占有和分配工人创造的剩余价值的特殊结构）的内在关联，并在此基础上得出了有别于新古典主义和凯恩斯主义的结论。简言之就是：由一个阶级结构过渡到另外一个截然不同的阶级结构，是有效解决资本主义危机的必然要求。这是因为，无论是加强管制还是放松管制，只要资本主义根本制度不改变，它的阶级结构都会系统地、周期性地加剧资本主义的危机。这就是马克思主义不赞成新古典主义和凯恩斯主义对待资本主义的保守主义传统的原因所在。⑦

Not only in the United States, but across the entire Western world, in the reflection on this crisis, interest in Marx and Marxism has been rekindled.

不仅在美国，整个西方世界在对这场危机的反思中，重新燃起了对马克思和马克思主义的兴趣。

George Magnus, senior economic advisor at UBS, raised the question to people: "Can Karl Marx save capitalism?" He believes that Marx hit the root cause of capitalism's disease. In an article, he said: For policymakers struggling to understand financial panics, various protests, and other ills affecting the world, studying the works of the long-deceased economist Karl Marx would be highly beneficial. This Swiss banker clearly stated: In the financial crisis and the subsequent economic depression, Marx's "specter" has been resurrected from

瑞士银行资深经济顾问乔治•马格努斯，向人们提出了“能否用卡尔•马克思来挽救资本主义”的问题。他认为，马克思切中了资本主义的病根。他在一篇文章中说：对于努力要理解金融恐慌、各种抗议和其他影响世界的种种弊病的决策者来说，研读一下早就离世的经济学家卡尔•马克思的著作大有好处。这位瑞士银行家明确表示：在金融危机和接下来的经济萧条中，马克思的“幽灵”已经从“坟墓”中复活。⑧

French scholar Corinne Montet, in an article titled "Marx on the Offensive," analyzes the phenomenon of "Marxism regaining vitality in the West." The article states: After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet system, Marx and his theories were once "discredited" in the West. But now, Western media outlets that have long criticized Marx and his ideas, including the UK's *Financial Times*, the US's *Time* magazine, and France's *Le Point*, frequently feature Marx's bushy beard on their front pages. As this crisis continues to shake the globe, Marx has returned. In the stubbornly liberal United States, when the crisis raged, people held up signs in front of Wall Street: "Marx was right!" And even major capitalists, such as French billionaire and CEO of the Lagardère Group, Arnaud Lagardère, said: "People almost want to shout: 'Marx, come back!' These people are crazy!" Marx has returned, and seminars on Marx's works and ideas are increasing. Bookstores are filled with reprints of Marx's works, especially the most important *Capital*, although it is a profound work of four full volumes, it is being read and discussed anew. Corinne Montet also points out: To be honest, Marxist currents of thought have never disappeared from critical research. Under the contempt of mainstream Western thought, those who study and believe in Marxism continue to explore Marxism's set of conceptual tools, aiming to decipher in detail and better deconstruct the exploitative system of capitalism. Marx could not cover everything, nor could he predict the transformations of our era; but he and Engels, in the *Communist Manifesto*, almost perfectly described the intensification of contradictions in capitalist globalization, the rule of financial capital that only pursues profit maximization, and the system where the beneficiaries live off the surplus labor of the exploited worldwide. All evidence shows that people need Marx to understand the current world economic crisis and to design a model that should ultimately be capable of ending exploitation in order to create a better world. Corinne Montet asserts: For many new problems in today's world (although some problems did not exist in Marx's time, or he had no time or interest to think about them, or he abandoned them), people can find answers in thoughts inspired by Marxism, whether near or far.⑨

法国学者科琳娜•蒙塞尔则在一篇题为《马克思在进攻》的文章中，分析了“马克思主义在西方重现活力”的现象。文章说：自柏林墙倒塌和苏联体制崩溃以后，马克思和他的理论在西方曾经“名誉扫地”。但是现在，包括英国《金融时报》、美国《时代》周刊、法国《问题》周刊等长期以来批评马克思及其思想的西方媒体，已在报刊头条上频繁出现马克思的浓密大胡子。这场危机仍然在撼动全球的时候，马克思回来了。在顽固坚持自由主义的美国，在危机肆虐之时，人们在华尔街前举起标语：“马克思说对了!”还有那些大资本家，例如法国亿万富翁、拉加代尔集团的总裁阿诺•拉加代尔也说：“人们几乎要喊出来：‘马克思，回来吧!’这些人疯了!”马克思回来了，有关马克思著作和思想的研讨会越来越多。书店里塞满了马克思著作的再版，尤其是最重要的《资本论》，尽管这是一部整整四大卷的艰深作品，重新被人阅读并谈论。科琳娜•蒙塞尔还指出：老实说，马克思主义思潮从未在批判性研究中绝迹。在西方主流思想的蔑视下，研究和信奉马克思主义的人，仍在继续探索马克思主义的一套概念工具，目的是为了从细微处解密和更好地解构资本主义的剥削体制。马克思不能面面俱到，更不能预测我们这个时代的嬗变；但他与恩格斯在《共产党宣言》中，几乎完美地描述了资本主义全球化、只懂得追求利润最大化的金融资本的统治、获利者依赖全世界被剥削者的剩余劳动而生活的体制的矛盾激化。所有证据显示，人们需要马克思来理解当前的世界经济危机，并设计一种模式，这种模式应该是最终能够终结剥削以创造一个更好的世界。科琳娜•蒙塞尔断言：当今世界的许多新问题（尽管有的问题马克思时代不存在、或者他没有时间和兴趣思考、或者被他放弃），人们都能在或远或近地受马克思主义启发的思想中找到答案。⑨

Another French scholar, Jean-Claude Delaunay, a professor at the University of Paris-Est Marne-la-Vallée, also believes that although contemporary capitalism has undergone many new changes since the 1980s, the essence of capitalism has not changed. The opposition between capital and labor has not only not disappeared but has become more intense and has expanded to the whole world. Therefore, theoretically, the Marxist labor theory of value and the theory of surplus value used to explain capitalist exploitation have not become obsolete. [10]10 The superscript numbers ⑩ through {12} in the original text correspond to endnotes [10] through [12] in this translation, which are the source citations provided in paragraphs [P18] through [P20].

另一位法国学者、马恩河谷大学教授让•克洛德•德洛奈也认为，尽管自上个世纪80年代以来，当代资本主义发生了许多新的变化，但是，资本主义的本质并没有改变。资本与劳动的对立不仅没有消失，反而更加剧烈了，而且扩大到了全世界。因此，从理论上看，马克思主义用以说明资本主义剥削的劳动价值理论和剩余价值理论并没有过时。⑩

On July 4, 2012, the British newspaper *The Guardian* published an article by its columnist Stuart Jeffries, specifically analyzing "Why Marxism is on the rise again." He listed examples from many countries around the world in the recent period where people have regained interest in Marx and Marxist thought. He said: "Sales of Marx's most outstanding work of political economy, *Capital*, have surged since 2008, as have those of *The Communist Manifesto* and the *Grundrisse*. Karl Marx, the revolutionary theorist, was recently chosen by customers of the German savings bank in Chemnitz from a list of ten competitors to appear on a new Mastercard. Clearly, more than 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the former East Germany has not airbrushed away its Marxist past." Stuart Jeffries also quoted a Reuters report saying: In 2008, a poll of East Germans showed that 52% believed the free market economy was "unsuitable," and 43% said they wanted socialism back. "Although Karl Marx is dead and buried in Highgate Cemetery, among Germans, he is alive and well." [11]11 The Tenth World Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties was an international gathering of communist and workers' parties held in São Paulo, Brazil, in November 2008, which issued a joint statement on the global economic crisis.

英国《卫报》2012年7月4日发表了该报专栏作家斯图尔特•杰弗里斯撰写的一篇文章，专门剖析“为什么马克思主义再次兴起”。他列举了近一个时期以来世界许多国家的人们重新对马克思和马克思主义思想感兴趣的例子。他说：“马克思最杰出的政治经济学著作《资本论》的销量自2008年以来一直激增，《共产党宣言》和《政治经济学批判大纲》也是如此。卡尔•马克思这位革命理论家，最近被开姆尼茨的德国储蓄银行的顾客从一份10位竞争者的名单中选中，出现在新发行的万事达信用卡上面。显然，在柏林墙倒塌之后20多年，前东德并没有将自己过去的马克思主义历史用喷枪喷掉。”斯图尔特•杰弗里斯还引用路透社的报道说：2008年，对东德人进行的一项民调显示，52％的人认为自由市场经济是“不适宜的”，43％的人说，他们想要恢复社会主义。“虽然卡尔•马克思已经死去并葬在海格特公墓，但在德国人当中，他却活着，而且活得很好。”{11}

Former Chairman of the Japanese Communist Party, Tetsuzo Fuwa, recently wrote an influential book titled *Marx Is Still Alive and Well*. He explicitly states that he hopes readers will use Marxist historical analysis to examine the world today. He believes that one of the main subjects of Marx's study of economics was the problem of economic crises. Marx carefully analyzed the crises he experienced, explained the capitalist system and the internal mechanisms that trigger crises, and discovered the causes of capitalism's periodic bubbles. Fuwa proposes that many major problems existing in contemporary capitalist society and the world as a whole can be understood with help from Marx's theoretical perspectives. [12]12 "Sur y Sur" (South and South) is an Argentine left-wing online publication focusing on political and economic analysis from a Global South perspective.

日本共产党前主席不破哲三不久前专门撰写了一本颇有影响的著作《马克思仍然活着，而且活得很健康》。他明确表示，希望读者能用马克思主义的历史分析方法来审视当今的世界。他认为，马克思对经济学的研究，其主要课题之一就是经济危机问题。马克思认真分析了他所经历的那几次危机，解释了资本主义体系和爆发危机的内在机制，并发现了资本主义周期性泡沫的原因。不破哲三提出，对于当今资本主义社会和整个世界存在的一些重大问题，都可以从马克思的理论观点中得到帮助。{12}

The reason the international community has rediscovered Marx and returned to Marxism during this global financial, economic, and even social crisis is not only that "Marx was correct," but also because the contradictions inherent in the capitalist system itself and its hidden problems were fully exposed in this crisis—deep-seated contradictions and problems that it cannot solve on its own. It is precisely in this predicament that many foreign scholars and politicians have further pondered the question of where capitalism is heading, seeking answers to resolve it. Nouriel Roubini, an economist who came out of the White House, even proposed when analyzing the way out of the capitalist economic crisis: Fundamentally, the fundamental way to eliminate the capitalist economic crisis lies in abolishing capitalist exploitation. For the victims of the capitalist crisis, the moment to oppose the capitalist system may have arrived, and the moment to explore the best plan to eliminate the capitalist crisis by abolishing the capitalist system itself has arrived. [13]

国际社会之所以在这次全球金融危机、经济危机以至社会危机中重新认识马克思和找回马克思主义，除了“马克思是正确的”以外，还有一个重要原因，就是资本主义制度自身固有的矛盾和潜藏的问题在这场危机中充分暴露出来，这些深层的矛盾和问题是它自己无法解决的。正是在这样的困境下，国外许多学者和政要进一步思考资本主义向何处去的问题，寻找化解的答案。从美国白宫出来的经济学家努里尔•鲁比尼在分析解决资本主义经济危机的出路时甚至提出：从根本上说，消除资本主义经济危机的根本出路在于废除资本主义剥削。对于资本主义危机的受害者而言，反对资本主义制度的时刻也许已经来临，探讨废除资本主义制度本身以消除资本主义危机的最佳方案的时刻已经来临。{13}

The conclusion reached by this economist, who specifically provides decision-making advice to the U.S. government, is identical to the views of some left-wing figures internationally. For example, Wadi'h Halabi, a member of the Economic Committee of the Communist Party USA, when discussing the current international financial crisis, directly said: "It is the capitalist system that has a problem." The French Communist Party believes: "This financial crisis is not only a crisis of neoliberalism and the financial industry, but also a crisis of capitalism's own institutional mechanisms under the conditions of mature capitalist globalization." The Communist Party of Spain stated: "The international financial crisis has declared the failure of the capitalist-dominated model." Many communist party organizations from various countries proposed: "The bankruptcy of neoliberalism not only reflects the failure of capitalist management policies, but also the failure of the capitalist system itself, which further confirms the superiority of the communist ideal and cause." [14]

这位专门为美国政府提供决策咨询的经济学家得出的结论，与国际上一些左翼人士的观点如出一辙。比如，美国共产党经济委员会委员瓦蒂•哈拉比在谈到当前国际金融危机的时候，就直接地说：“是资本主义制度出了问题。”法国共产党认为：“此次金融危机不仅是新自由主义以及金融业遭遇的危机，更是资本主义全球化走向成熟的条件下其自身体制机制的危机。”西班牙共产党说，“国际金融危机宣告了资本主义主导模式的失败。”许多国家共产党组织则提出：“新自由主义的破产，不仅仅体现出资本主义管理政策的失败，而且是资本主义制度本身的失败，这更加确定了共产主义理念和事业的优越性。”{14}

Corresponding to these international figures of insight rediscovering Marx and Marxism is the international situation where the socialist movement is flourishing anew in some countries, especially in Latin America, where the vitality of socialism is constantly emerging. Not long ago, American sociologist Peter Phillips wrote an article titled "Intellectuals and Fidel Castro: Cuba, the Potential of Socialism." The article reveals that on February 10, 2012, at a seminar held in Cuba, approximately 120 writers, professors, and journalists from dozens of countries in the Caribbean, the Americas, and Africa gathered with Fidel Castro for a nine-hour discussion covering important topics such as world peace, the global ecology, neoliberal capitalism, and the sustainability of socialism. This article also specifically analyzed the potential of socialism in regions like Latin America. [15]

与这些国际有识之士重新找回马克思和马克思主义相应的国际情势是，社会主义运动重新在一些国家蓬勃兴起，尤其在拉美地区不断涌现出社会主义的活力。不久前，美国社会学家彼得•菲利普斯写了一篇题为《知识分子与菲德尔•卡斯特罗：古巴，社会主义的潜力》的文章。文章披露，2012年2月10日，在古巴召开的一次研讨会上，来自加勒比、美洲大陆和非洲地区几十个国家的大约120名作家、教授和记者与菲德尔•卡斯特罗齐聚一堂，在9个小时的座谈中讨论了世界和平、全球生态、新自由主义资本主义和社会主义可持续性等重要话题。这篇文章还专门分析了社会主义在拉美等地区展现潜力等问题。{15}

The above are only part of the social preconditions and practical basis for us to strengthen our belief in Marxism and its guiding role today. When we discuss believing in scientific materialism and adhering to scientific atheism, the international community places greater emphasis on this basic fact: In today's socialist China, reform and opening up and socialist construction along the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics have achieved remarkable successes that have attracted worldwide attention. This sustained achievement and the increasingly apparent superiority of the socialist system have led the international community, while focusing their attention on China, to further re-understand socialism and re-evaluate the vitality of socialism. Faced with such a historical trend, what reason do we have not to strengthen our belief, what reason do we have not to uphold the guiding position of scientific materialism and scientific atheism?

上述这些，也只是我们今天坚定马克思主义信念和指导思想的一部分社会前提和实践基础。当我们在讨论坚信科学唯物论和坚持科学无神论的时候，国际社会更看重这样的基本事实：在当今社会主义的中国，沿着中国特色社会主义道路进行改革开放和社会主义建设，取得了举世瞩目的巨大成就。这种持续的成就及其越来越显现出来的社会主义制度的优越性，使得国际社会在把目光聚焦到中国的同时，进一步重新认识社会主义，重新评价社会主义的生命力。在这样的历史大势面前，我们有什么理由不坚定我们的信念、有什么理由不坚持科学唯物论和科学无神论的指导地位呢?

Notes:

注释：

① *Selected Works of Lenin*, Vol. 2, People's Publishing House, 1995, p. 311.

①《列宁选集》，第2卷，人民出版社，1995年，第311页。

② *Collected Works of Mao Zedong*, Vol. 1, People's Publishing House, 1993, p. 4.

②《毛泽东文集》，第1卷，人民出版社，1993年，第4页。

③ *Selected Works of Deng Xiaoping*, Vol. 3, People's Publishing House, 1993, pp. 115, 118.

③《邓小平文选》，第3卷，人民出版社，1993年，笫115、118页。

④ *Complete Works of Lenin*, Vol. 55, People's Publishing House, 1990, p. 311.

④《列宁全集》，第55卷，人民出版社，1990年，第311页。

⑤ See the excerpt "Post-Washington Consensus—Development after the Crisis" from the new book *New Ideas on Development after the Financial Crisis* co-authored by Francis Fukuyama, Senior Fellow at Stanford University, and Nancy Birdsall, President of the Center for Global Development, published in the U.S. bimonthly *Foreign Affairs*, March/April 2011 issue.

⑤ 见美国《外交》双月刊2011年3、4月号，美国斯坦福大学高级研究员弗朗西斯•福山和美国全球发展中心主席南希•伯索尔合著的新书《金融危机后发展方面的新思想》的节选文章《后“华盛顿共识”——危机之后的发展》。

⑥ Nouriel Roubini's interview, see *International Business Times*, USA, August 13, 2011.

⑥ 努里尔•鲁比尼的访谈见2011年8月13日美国《国际商业时报》。

⑦ Stephen Resnick and Richard Wolff: "Economic Crisis: A Marxist Interpretation," *Rethinking Marxism*, April 2010 issue.

⑦ 斯蒂芬•雷斯尼克、理查德•沃尔夫：《经济危机：一种马克思主义的解读》，《重思马克思主义》（RethinkingMarxism），2010年4月号。

⑧ George Magnus: "Can Karl Marx Save Capitalism?" *The Sydney Morning Herald*, August 29, 2011.

⑧ 乔治•马格努斯：《卡尔•马克思能挽救资本主义吗?》，《悉尼先驱晨报》，2011年8月29日。

⑨ Corinne Monsel's article was published in the French monthly *Afrique-Asie*, September 2010 issue.

⑨ 科琳娜•蒙塞尔的文章发表在法国出版的《非洲-亚洲》月刊2010年9月号上。

⑩ Jean-Claude Delaunay made these remarks when invited to China to participate in the "International Symposium Commemorating the 110th Anniversary of Engels' Death." See Central Compilation and Translation Bureau: *Theoretical Trends Abroad*, 2005, Issue 10.

⑩ 让•克洛德•德洛奈是在应邀到中国参加“纪念恩格斯逝世110周年国际研讨会”时说这番话的，见中央编译局：《国外理论动态》，2005年，笫10期。

{11} "Why Marxism Is on the Rise Again," see Xinhua News Agency, July 10, *Reference News*.

{11}《为什么马克思主义再次兴起》，见新华社7月10日《参考消息》。

{12} Tetsuzo Fuwa: *Marx Is Still Alive and Well*, Tokyo Heibonsha Publishing House, 2009.

{12} 不破哲三：《马克思仍然活着，而且活得很健康》，东京平凡出版社，2009年。

{13} Stephen Resnick, Richard Wolff: "Economic Crisis: A Marxist Interpretation," *Rethinking Marxism*, April 2010 issue.

{13} 斯蒂芬•雷斯尼克、理查德•沃尔夫：《经济危机：一种马克思主义的解读》，《重思马克思主义》（RethinkingMarxism），2010年4月号。

{14} November 2008, the joint statement issued by the Tenth World Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties in São Paulo.

{14} 2008年11月，第十次世界共产党、工人党圣保罗会议所发表的共同声明。

{15} This article was published on February 29, 2012, on the Argentine website "Sur y Sur" (South and South).

{15} 该文发表于2012年2月29日阿根廷“南方与南方”网站。

(Author's bio: Yang Mingwei, Deputy Director of the Publicity and Foreign Affairs Office of the CPC Central Committee's Party Literature Research Office, Executive Deputy Editor-in-Chief and Researcher of the journal *Party Literature*.)

（作者简介：杨明伟，中共中央文献研究室宣传外事办公室副主任，《党的文献》杂志社常务副主编、研究员。）

Online editor: Jia Fei

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