The Value Purport of Marx's View of Life and Its Contemporary Significance

The question of life is the fundamental question of humanity, and it is also the core question of Marx's philosophy. In the most fundamental sense, Marx's view of life and his philosophical revolution are intrinsically unified. The innovation of Marx's philosophy is embodied in the philosophical revolution, and the philosophical revolution is embodied in the historical-materialist dimension of the view of life. However, theoretical circles have not given due attention to the study of the relationship between Marx's view of life and his philosophical revolution. On the one hand, this has led to an abstract understanding of Marx's philosophical revolution; on the other hand, it has obscured the value purport of Marx's view of life. The value purport of Marx's view of life is embodied in: from abstract life to real life, from interpreting life to transforming life, from the linguistic world descending to the life-world, from dogmatic life to living life—this is precisely the fundamental content of Marx's philosophical revolution. Clearly, a profound understanding of the value purport of Marx's view of life is of indispensable significance not only for our comprehension of the authentic spirit of Marx's philosophy and its contemporary development, but also for our grasp of the contemporary vitality of Marxist philosophy, and further for constructing a new form of 21st-century Marxist philosophy, and even for grasping contemporary and future human life practice.

生活问题是人的根本问题，也是马克思哲学的核心问题。从根本意义上说，马克思生活观与他的哲学革命是内在统一的。马克思哲学的创新体现在哲学革命上，而哲学革命体现在生活观的历史唯物主义向度中。然而，理论界对马克思生活观与他的哲学革命关系的研究没有给予应有的重视，这一方面导致了人们对马克思哲学革命的抽象理解，另一方面导致了马克思生活观的价值旨趣被遮蔽。马克思生活观的价值旨趣体现在：从抽象的生活到现实的生活，从解释生活到改造生活，从语言世界降到生活世界，从教条的生活到鲜活的生活，这正是马克思哲学革命的根本内涵。很显然，深刻理解马克思生活观的价值旨趣，不仅对于我们理解马克思哲学的本真精神及其当代发展，而且对于我们领悟马克思主义哲学的当代生命力，进而建构21世纪马克思主义哲学新形态，乃至把握当代和未来人类生活实践，都具有不可或缺的重要意义。

I. Marx's View of Life and His Philosophical Revolution

一、马克思生活观与他的哲学革命

As is well known, through the foundations laid by Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, Western society formed a rational view of life, which we call the traditional philosophical view of life. The formation and development of the traditional philosophical view of life signified the elevation of humanity's rational thinking capacity, which is of great significance for the formation and development of science. However, the traditional philosophical view of life is an abstract view of life, and humanity's real life is thereby obscured. This is because traditional philosophy regards life as an eternal and unchanging ultimate life, as a dogmatic and rigid life, thereby reducing life to spirit and ideas devoid of living vitality. History and practice have repeatedly shown that without a practical, historical, and dialectical view of life, it is impossible to grasp the true content of life. On this point, one need only look at the fundamental characteristics of the traditional philosophical view of life, which is divorced from practice and history. The fundamental characteristics of the traditional philosophical view of life are as follows: first, it regards reason as the nature of human life, without clarifying that the premise and foundation of reason is social practice; second, it regards human life as the manifestation of rational capacity, without recognizing that human life itself is practical and historical, and that reason is only one of the representations of human life; third, it regards truth as reason divorced from life, without reflecting on the intrinsic relationship between truth and life and the fundamental premises and conditions under which they are formed. Marx's critique of the traditional philosophical view of life is embodied in his critique of Hegel's view of life, because Hegel is the culmination of the traditional philosophical view of life. Hegel only found an abstract, logical, and speculative expression for life, without finding its true content. In Marx's view, "the existence of people is their actual life process," and "it is not consciousness that determines life, but life that determines consciousness."

众所周知，经过苏格拉底、柏拉图、亚里士多德的奠基，西方社会形成了理性的生活观，我们称之为传统哲学的生活观。传统哲学的生活观的形成和发展，意味着人类理性思维能力的提升，这对于科学的形成与发展具有重要意义。但是，传统哲学的生活观是抽象的生活观，人类的真实生活反而被遮蔽了。这是因为传统哲学把生活看作永恒不变的终极生活，看作教条的、僵化的生活，从而使生活成为没有鲜活生命力的精神和观念。历史与实践一再表明，没有实践的、历史的、辩证的生活观，就不可能把握生活的真实内涵。关于这一点，只要看脱离实践和历史的传统哲学的生活观的根本特征就很清楚了。传统哲学的生活观的根本特征体现为：一是把理性视为人类生活的本性，没有澄清理性的前提和基础是社会实践；二是把人类生活看作理性能力的彰显，没有认识到人类生活本身是实践的、历史的，理性只是人类生活的表征之一；三是把真理看作脱离生活的理性，没有反思真理与生活的内在关系以及它们得以形成的根本前提和条件。马克思对传统哲学生活观的批判体现在对黑格尔生活观的批判中，因为黑格尔是传统哲学生活观的集大成者。黑格尔只是为生活找到了抽象的、逻辑的、思辨的表达，没有找到真实的生活内涵。在马克思看来，“人们的存在就是他们的现实生活过程”，“不是意识决定生活，而是生活决定意识”。

Marx elucidated the intrinsic relationship between knowledge, reason, theory, ideas, and human life practice. "The resolution of theoretical oppositions is possible only through a practical way, only through the practical power of humanity; therefore, this resolution of oppositions is by no means merely a task of cognition, but a task of real life." Marx held that social life is essentially practical. Whether knowledge, theory, or various ideas and concepts, they are not spiritual forms without any practical purpose; even the most mysterious knowledge, theories, ideas, and concepts, in the most fundamental sense, are grounded in human life practice. In a word, life practice is the axis around which all knowledge, reason, theory, ideas, and concepts revolve; that is, the premise and foundation of all ideas, thoughts, theories, and knowledge is life practice. It is evident that understanding life from the standpoint of life practice not only signifies the sublation of the traditional philosophical view of life by Marx's view of life, but also manifests the content of Marx's philosophical revolution.

马克思阐明了知识、理性、理论、观念与人类生活实践的内在关系。“理论对立本身的解决，只有通过实践方式，只有借助于人的实践力量，才是可能的；因此，这种对立的解决绝不只是认识的任务，而是一个现实生活的任务。”马克思认为，社会生活本质上是实践的。知识也好，理论也好，各种思想观念也好，并不是没有任何实用目的的精神形式，即使再神秘的知识、理论、思想观念，从根本的意义上说，也是奠基在人类生活实践之上的。一言以蔽之，生活实践是一切知识、理性、理论、思想观念为之旋转的轴心，也就是说，一切观念、思想、理论、知识的前提和基础是生活实践。显而易见，从生活实践理解生活，不仅意味着马克思生活观对传统哲学生活观的扬弃，而且彰显了马克思哲学革命的内涵。

The intrinsic relationship between Marx's philosophical revolution and his view of life is distinctly embodied in the following: First, Marx's philosophical revolution transformed the abstract view of life in the history of philosophy into a real view of life, that is, a practical view of life, and thereby elevated the philosophical question of life into a fundamental question with contemporary and civilizational content, thus achieving the organic unity of philosophical questions in life and life questions in the philosophical horizon—a unity that is social, historical, and dialectical. Second, Marx's philosophical revolution transformed the question of interpreting life in the history of philosophy into the question of transforming life, and thereby transformed the philosophy of interpreting life into a philosophical self-consciousness of transforming life, so that philosophy truly becomes a new philosophy that changes life and creates life. Third, Marx's philosophical revolution transformed the abstract understanding of the true, the good, and the beautiful in the history of philosophy into a real true, good, and beautiful aimed at realizing the free and comprehensive development of every individual, thereby achieving a fundamental turn in the history of human life, so that the true, the good, and the beautiful of life are grounded on the basis of social practice. Fourth, Marx's philosophical revolution is embodied in transforming the independence and individuality of capital into the independence and individuality of the human person, thereby realizing a view of life of free and comprehensive development for every individual, so that life not only possesses a solid practical and historical foundation, but also a distinct humanistic concern. The view of life embodied in Marx's philosophical revolution is precisely the philosophical view through which we realize the good life.

马克思哲学革命与他的生活观的内在关系鲜明地体现在：第一，马克思哲学革命把哲学史上抽象的生活观变革为现实的生活观也就是实践的生活观，进而把哲学的生活问题提升为具有时代内涵和文明内涵的根本问题，从而实现了生活中的哲学问题与哲学视域中的生活问题的有机统一，这种统一是社会的、历史的、辩证的统一。第二，马克思哲学革命把哲学史上对生活的解释问题变革为对生活的改造问题，进而把解释生活的哲学变革为改造生活的哲学自觉，从而使哲学真正成为改变生活、创造生活的新哲学。第三，马克思哲学革命把哲学史上对生活的真善美抽象理解变革为以实现每个人的自由全面发展为宗旨的现实的真善美，进而实现了人类生活史上的根本转变，从而使生活的真善美奠基在社会实践的基础之上。第四，马克思哲学革命体现在把资本的独立性和个性变为人的独立性和个性，进而实现每个人自由全面发展的生活观，从而使生活不仅具有坚实的实践和历史根基，而且具有鲜明的人文关怀。马克思哲学革命所体现的生活观正是我们实现美好生活的哲学观。

Furthermore, Marx's philosophical revolution is embodied in the existential interpretation of life, that is, interpreting life from sensuous activity, which thoroughly transcends the traditional philosophical view that interprets life from the rational and spiritual levels. In Marx's view, sensuous activity is not based on instrumental reason, nor on the sensuous intuition of external things; sensuous activity is the representation of the life activity of the human person, the embodiment of humanity's life-creating activity. If sensuous activity takes changing life and creating life as its axis, then rational activity is based on interpreting life and understanding life; the fundamental characteristic of sensuous activity is creation, while the fundamental characteristic of rational activity is interpretation. The existential determination of sensuous activity is: nature presents itself sensuously in human life; this presentation is not epistemological in meaning, but existential—presentation is construction and creation, that is, the construction and creation of a new life-world. Sensuous nature is not an abstract material world, but the nature of humanity's object-oriented activity, that is, the nature within life practice. Sensuous nature is the nature of intercourse among human beings, the nature of people's life. The nature of humanity's object-oriented activity, the nature of sensuous intercourse, and the nature of people's life constitute an organic, living whole, forming the existential content of Marx's view of life. It is precisely in the existential sense that material production is the foundation of humanity's real life; it is the foundation for creating history and the foundation for creating life. Clearly, Marx's philosophical revolution is distinctly embodied in the existential content of sensuous activity, and this is also the fundamental reason why Marx's view of life can change life and create life.

进一步来说，马克思哲学革命体现在对生活的生存论阐释之中，也就是从感性的活动阐释生活，这就彻底超越了传统哲学从理性层面、精神层面阐释生活的哲学观。在马克思看来，感性活动不是以工具理性为基础，也不是以外物的感性直观为基础，感性活动是人的生命活动的表征，是人的生活创造活动的体现。如果说感性活动是以改变生活和创造生活为轴心的话，那么理性活动则以解释生活、理解生活为基础；感性活动的根本特点是创造，理性活动的根本特征是解释。感性活动的生存论规定是：自然界在人的生活中感性呈现，呈现不是认识论意义，而是生存论意义，呈现是建构和创造，即建构和创造新的生活世界。感性的自然界不是抽象的物质世界，而是人的对象性活动的自然界，也就是生活实践中的自然界。感性的自然界是人与人交往的自然界，是人们生活的自然界。人的对象性活动的自然界、感性交往的自然界、人们生活的自然界是一个有机的、鲜活的整体，构成马克思生活观的生存论内涵。正是在生存论的意义上，物质生产是人的现实生活基础，它是创造历史的基础，也是创造生活的基础。很显然，马克思哲学革命鲜明地体现在感性活动的生存论内涵中，这也是马克思生活观能改变生活、创造生活的根本原因之所在。

If historical materialism is a new existentialism, its difference from the old existentialism lies in the fact that it does not merely inquire into the inner ground of abstract being, but also inquires into the inner ground of social real life. The inquiry is carried out on the basis of practice, that is, within the inner contradiction between productive forces and relations of production, and between the economic base and the superstructure. In short, the general ground of the development and innovation of social real life is the inner contradiction between productive forces and relations of production, and between the economic base and the superstructure; this inner contradiction is practical, historical, and social. Then, what this new existentialism of historical materialism understands by life is that the liberation of life is organically unified with the liberation of productive forces and the liberation of relations of production: "'Liberation' is a historical activity, not a mental activity, and 'liberation' is brought about by historical relations, by industrial conditions, commercial conditions, agricultural conditions, and conditions of intercourse." [1]1 Marx and Engels, *The German Ideology*. In Marx's view, the fundamental path of human liberation lies in returning to the social real life of the present, both in theoretically criticizing the metaphysical mode of thinking of the modern logic of liberation, and in exposing the nihilistic power of capital behind that logic of liberation, so as to seek the real path of human liberation. The life of capitalist society is the negation of the mode of life of feudal society, and the life of communist society is the negation of the mode of life of capitalist society. The premise and foundation of the liberation of life is the liberation of labor, and the liberation of labor in the fundamental sense is the liberation of productive forces and relations of production. The methodology of the liberation of life is the dialectic of life, namely, that in the affirmative understanding of life there is contained the negative understanding of life; life itself is self-negating, self-transforming, and self-developing. The meaning and value of life are not fixed once and for all, but are continuously enriched and developed in the practice of life. Life is not final or complete, but open and unfinished.

如果说唯物史观是新的生存论，它与旧的生存论的区别在于它不仅追问抽象存在的内在根据，而且追问社会现实生活的内在根据。追问是在实践基础上的追问，即是在生产力与生产关系、经济基础与上层建筑的内在矛盾中追问。要言之，社会现实生活的发展与创新的总根据是生产力与生产关系、经济基础与上层建筑的内在矛盾，这个内在矛盾是实践的、历史的、社会的。那么，唯物史观这种新的生存论对生活的理解是，生活的解放与生产力的解放、生产关系的解放是有机统一的，“‘解放’是一种历史活动，不是思想活动，‘解放’是由历史关系，是由工业状况、商业状况、农业状况、交往状况促成的”。在马克思看来，人类解放的根本路径在于回归当下的社会现实生活，既要从理论上批判现代性解放逻辑的形而上学的思维方式，又要揭示现代性解放逻辑背后的资本的虚无力量，寻求人类解放的现实路径。资本主义社会的生活是对封建社会生活方式的否定，共产主义社会的生活是对资本主义社会生活方式的否定。生活解放的前提和基础是劳动的解放，劳动的解放从根本意义上说是生产力和生产关系的解放。生活解放的方法论是生活辩证法，即在对生活的肯定性理解中包含着对生活的否定性理解，生活本身是自我否定、自我变革、自我发展的。生活的意义与价值不是固定不变的，而是在生活实践中不断丰富和发展的。生活不是终极性、完成性的，而是开放性、未完成性的。

In the fundamental sense, through his critique of the capitalist mode of life, Marx reveals the limitations of the capitalist mode of life and the historical necessity of its being transcended, thereby displaying the historical determination of the inevitable realization of the communist mode of life. Through the critique of political economy and the critique of the logic of capital, Marx elucidates the inner regularity of the transition from the capitalist mode of life to the communist mode of life. In Marx's view, capital is the "illuminating light" [2]2 Marx's metaphor for capital in the *Grundrisse*, where it is described as the light that illuminates all other colors and modifies their specific tones. of capitalist society; capital plays a tremendous role in opening up a new mode of life; it is precisely capital that brings the old mode of life to an end and gives birth to the new mode of life. Marx affirms the historical significance of capital, and also affirms its historical limitation. "As soon as capital appears, it marks a new epoch in the process of social production." [3]3 Marx, *Capital*, vol. 1, ch. 4. "To assert that free competition equals the ultimate form of the development of productive forces, and hence of human freedom, is nothing other than to say that the rule of the bourgeoisie is the end of world history—for the parvenus of the day before yesterday, this is of course a pleasant thought." [4]4 Marx, *Grundrisse*, Notebook VI, on the bourgeois apologists' view of free competition. In a word, Marx's critique of political economy and critique of capital thoroughly reveal the inner essence of the capitalist mode of life, reveal the inner relation between capital and alienated labor, reveal the class character of capital's domination of labor, elucidate the temporariness and historicity of the capitalist mode of life, expose the lie of the bourgeoisie concerning the eternity of capital and the class character of its ideology, and thereby display the objective necessity of the replacement of the capitalist mode of life by the communist mode of life.

从根本的意义上说，马克思通过对资本主义生活方式的批判，揭示了资本主义生活方式的局限以及被超越的历史必然性，从而展现共产主义生活方式必然实现的历史规定性。马克思通过政治经济学批判和资本逻辑批判，阐明了从资本主义生活方式向共产主义生活方式过渡的内在规律性。在马克思看来，资本是资本主义社会“普照的光”，资本在开辟新的生活方式中起着巨大的作用，正是资本使旧的生活方式终结、新的生活方式创生。马克思肯定资本的历史性意义，也肯定它的历史性局限。“资本一出现，就标志着社会生产过程的一个新时代。”“断言自由竞争等于生产力发展的终极形式，因而也是人类自由的终极形式，这无非是说资产阶级的统治就是世界历史的终结——对前天的暴发户们来说，这当然是一个愉快的想法。”一言以蔽之，马克思政治经济学批判和资本批判彻底揭示了资本主义生活方式的内在本质，揭示了资本与异化劳动的内在关系，揭示了资本与宰制劳动的阶级属性，阐明了资本主义生活方式的暂时性和历史性，揭示了资产阶级关于资本永恒性的谎言和意识形态阶级属性，从而展现了资本主义生活方式被共产主义生活方式代替的客观必然性。

Once we understand the inner relation between Marx's view of life and Marx's philosophical revolution, we see clearly that the view which separates Marx's philosophy from his view of life is not only a misunderstanding of Marx's philosophical revolution, but also a misunderstanding of Marx's view of life. On the one hand, Marx's view of life is concrete, historical, and practical; this means that Marx's view of life is not static or rigid, but continuously develops in real history. This shows that Marx's view of life continuously develops itself and innovates itself with changes in the times and in social practice, thereby acquiring connotations synchronous with the times and with social practice, and becoming the essence of the spirit of the times and the living soul of human civilization. On the other hand, Marx's philosophical revolution is embodied in his view of life; Marx's philosophy is a transcendence of the traditional philosophical view of life. The traditional philosophical view of life is an abstract view of life, which is fundamentally unable to grasp the true content of real life. It is precisely by taking its stand on the practice of life that Marx's philosophical revolution takes shape, that Marx's view of life takes shape, and that Marx's philosophy truly becomes a modern philosophy transcending traditional philosophy.

理解了马克思生活观与马克思哲学革命的内在关系，我们就清楚那种把马克思哲学与他的生活观割裂开来的观点不仅是对马克思哲学革命的误解，也是对马克思生活观的误解。一方面，马克思生活观是具体的、历史的、实践的，这意味着马克思生活观不是静止的、僵化的，而是在现实的历史中不断发展的。这表明马克思生活观随着时代和社会实践的变化而不断地发展自己、创新自己，从而获得与时代和社会实践同步的内涵，成为时代精神的精华和人类文明的活的灵魂。另一方面，马克思哲学革命体现在他的生活观上，马克思哲学是对传统哲学生活观的超越。传统哲学生活观是抽象的生活观，这就从根本上无法把握现实生活的真实内涵。正是立足于生活实践，马克思哲学革命得以形成，马克思生活观得以形成，马克思哲学才真正成为超越传统哲学的现代哲学。

II. The Value Purport of Marx's View of Life

二、马克思生活观的价值旨趣

As stated above, Marx's view of life and Marx's philosophical revolution are internally unified. Marx's view of life takes its stand on revolutionary practice, thoroughly sublates and transcends the view of life of traditional philosophy, and thereby makes Marx's view of life a philosophical self-consciousness that creates a new life. The distinctive feature of Marx's view of life is that it realizes the liberation of life through changing life and creating new life, thereby providing a solid premise and foundation for the liberation of the proletariat and of humanity, and possessing a distinct value purport. The value purport of Marx's view of life is manifested in the following aspects.

正如前文所述，马克思生活观与马克思哲学革命是内在统一的。马克思生活观立足于革命的实践，彻底扬弃和超越了传统哲学的生活观，从而使马克思生活观成为创造新生活的哲学自觉。马克思生活观的鲜明特点体现在，通过改变生活和创造新的生活实现生活的解放，从而为无产阶级和人类的解放提供坚实的前提和基础，具有鲜明的价值旨趣。马克思生活观的价值旨趣体现在以下几个方面。

First, it turns the abstract understanding of life in the history of philosophy toward a practical understanding of life, thereby revealing the true content of life. In Marx's view, the view of life of vulgar materialism and the view of life of abstract idealism are essentially the same. This point manifests the excellence of Marx's view of life. For Marx thoroughly deconstructs the opposition between the old materialist view of life and the idealist view of life, pointing out that they are the same in content, namely, that both understand life in an abstract sense. The abstract view of life is a view of life divorced from social reality and practice. The view of life of traditional philosophy is a flower that bears no fruit; it is incapable of changing life or creating life.

第一，把哲学史上对生活的抽象理解转向对生活的实践理解，从而揭示了生活的真实内涵。在马克思看来，庸俗唯物主义的生活观和抽象唯心主义的生活观本质上是相同的。这一观点体现了马克思生活观的卓越之处。因为马克思彻底解构了旧唯物主义生活观和唯心主义生活观的对立，指出它们在内涵上是相同的，即都是在抽象的意义上理解生活。抽象的生活观是脱离社会现实和实践的生活观。传统哲学的生活观是不结果实的花朵，是不可能改变生活和创造生活的。

Traditional philosophy regards life as spirit and idea, holding that once spirit and idea change, life changes. Hegel held that thought, ideas, and concepts dominate and determine people's real life; the reason people have not changed life and have not created a new life is that the ideas and concepts in their heads have not changed; once the ideas and concepts in their heads change, the new life follows accordingly. In Marx's view, it is not thought and ideas that dominate social real life, but social real life that determines thought and ideas. To change the old life and form a new life, one must change the foundation of the old life—the social relations of production; only when new social relations of production are formed can the new life be formed. This enlightens us that a major transformation that does not touch the social relations of production is incapable of transforming life.

传统哲学把生活看作精神、观念，认为只要精神、观念改变了，生活就改变了。黑格尔认为，思想、观念、概念支配和决定着人们的现实生活；人们之所以没有改变生活，没有创造新生活，是因为人们头脑中的思想观念没有改变，一旦人们头脑中的思想观念改变了，新的生活也就随之而来。在马克思看来，不是思想、观念支配社会现实生活，而是社会现实生活决定思想、观念。改变旧生活，形成新生活，必须对旧生活的基础——社会生产关系做出改变，只有形成新的社会生产关系，新的生活才能形成。这就启示我们，不触动社会生产关系的重大变革是不可能改造生活的。

Further, the profound content of Marx's view of life is also manifested in returning the essentiality of the social-historical process from the sphere of thought, ideas, and spirit to the sphere of people's social real life, that is, to the sphere of the inner relation between material production and people's life. In Marx's view, however abstract thought, theory, and ideas may be, they ultimately have their roots in social real life, that is, in the inner contradiction between productive forces and relations of production, and between the economic base and the superstructure, and in its development. In short, all social-historical phenomena do not derive their inner determination from the sphere of thought, ideas, and spirit, but are the inner determination of social real life, the inner determination of the inner contradiction between productive forces and relations of production, and between the economic base and the superstructure, and of its development. Thought, ideas, and spirit are nothing but the conceptual expression of social real life, the conceptual expression of the inner contradiction between productive forces and relations of production, and between the economic base and the superstructure, and of its development.

进一步说，马克思生活观的深刻内涵还体现在把社会历史过程的本质性，从思想、观念、精神的领域回到人们的社会现实生活领域，也就是回到物质生产与人们生活的内在关系领域。在马克思看来，无论怎样抽象的思想、理论、观念，最终都根源于社会现实生活，即根源于生产力与生产关系、经济基础与上层建筑的内在矛盾及其发展之中。要言之，一切社会历史现象不是从思想、观念、精神的领域获得内在规定，而是社会现实生活的内在规定，是生产力与生产关系、经济基础与上层建筑的内在矛盾及其发展的内在规定。思想、观念、精神不过是社会现实生活在观念上的表现，是在生产力与生产关系、经济基础与上层建筑的内在矛盾及其发展在观念上的表现而已。

Marx's view of life achieved a fundamental turn in life, namely, from abstract life back to practical, historical, and real life, thereby endowing life with authentic content. In the most fundamental sense, the practice and hope of a country and nation are inherently embedded in the life of that country and nation, inherently embedded in the internal contradictions and development of that country and nation's productive forces and relations of production, economic base and superstructure. The life of a country and nation is embodied in its culture, history, and traditions, and in the internal contradictions and developmental course of its productive forces and relations of production, economic base and superstructure. Therefore, to understand the life of a country and nation, one must understand its history, culture, and traditions, and understand the internal contradictions of its productive forces and relations of production, economic base and superstructure, as well as their concrete realization in practice within that country and nation. In the most fundamental sense, the internal contradictions and development of productive forces and relations of production, economic base and superstructure spoken of by historical materialism refer to the fact that this universal truth can only be manifested through concrete and creative application. In short, only by combining this universal truth of historical materialism with concrete reality, that is, with the history, culture, and traditions of one's own nation and country, can one truly grasp this universal truth; otherwise, this universal truth will be turned into an abstract formula and dogma, utterly incapable of guiding real social life. In this sense, to change life and create new life, it is necessary to liberate the productive forces and relations of production, thereby forming a solid material foundation for the arrival of a new life.

马克思生活观实现了生活的根本转向，即从抽象的生活回归实践的、历史的、现实的生活，从而使生活获得了真实的内涵。从根本意义上说，一个国家、民族的实践和希望内在地蕴含在这个国家、民族的生活之中，内在地蕴含在这个国家、民族的生产力与生产关系、经济基础与上层建筑的内在矛盾及其发展之中。一个国家、民族的生活体现在这个国家、民族的文化、历史和传统之中，体现在这个国家、民族的生产力与生产关系、经济基础与上层建筑的内在矛盾及其发展的内在历程中。因此，了解一个国家、民族的生活就要了解这个国家、民族的历史、文化、传统，了解一个国家、民族的生产力与生产关系、经济基础与上层建筑的内在矛盾及其在这个国家、民族的具体化实践。从根本意义上说，唯物史观所说的生产力与生产关系、经济基础与上层建筑的内在矛盾及其发展，是指这一普遍性的真理在具体化的创造性运用中才能体现出来。要言之，只有把唯物史观的这一普遍性真理与具体实际结合起来，也就是与本民族、本国家的历史、文化、传统结合起来，才能真实把握这一普遍性真理，否则就会把这一普遍性真理变成抽象的公式与教条，根本无法指导社会现实生活。从这个意义上说，改变生活、创造新的生活，必须使生产力、生产关系获得解放，从而为新生活的到来形成坚实的物质基础。

Second, the theme of philosophy is transformed from interpreting life to changing and creating life, thereby laying a solid foundation for human survival and development. The reason traditional philosophy could only interpret life, and could not change or create life, lies in its philosophical outlook. The philosophical outlook of traditional philosophy regards thought, ideas, and spirit as foundational and fundamental, while viewing real social life as derivative; it is precisely this erroneous philosophical outlook that prevented traditional philosophy from recognizing the essence of life, and thus from changing and creating life. Traditional philosophy did not lack the desire to change and create life, but its philosophical outlook determined that it could only interpret life. In Marx's view, real social life is foundational and primary, while all thought, ideas, and spirit are derivative and secondary; it is precisely in this sense that Marx fundamentally changed the theme of philosophy, namely, from interpreting life to changing and creating life.

第二，把哲学的主题由解释生活转变为改变和创造生活，从而为人类的生存与发展奠定坚实的基础。传统哲学之所以只能解释生活，不能改变和创造生活，是因为传统哲学的哲学观使然。传统哲学的哲学观把思想、观念、精神视为根源性、根本性的，而把社会现实生活看成派生的，正是这种错误的哲学观导致传统哲学无法认识生活的本质，也就无法改变生活、创造生活。传统哲学并不是不想改变生活、创造生活，而是他们的哲学观决定他们只能解释生活。在马克思看来，社会现实生活是根源性的、第一性的，所有的思想、观念、精神都是派生性的、第二性的，正是从这个意义上说，马克思彻底改变了哲学的主题，即从解释生活转向了改变和创造生活。

The fundamental reason Marx's view of life could achieve the change and creation of life lies in the establishment of Marx's view of practice. In Marx's view, the change of life and the change of people's ideas are internally unified: the change of life contains the change of people's ideas, and the change of people's ideas elevates people's understanding of life. Marx held that the change and creation of life necessarily contain the interpretation of life; without changing and creating life, one cannot penetrate the essence of life. Marx established a view of life that prioritizes practice and is open to creation, a view that completely overturned the traditional philosophical view of life and embodied Marx's profound theoretical vision and practical consciousness. Traditional philosophy held that changing ideas alone could change life, failing to understand that ideas are products of real social life. Marx held that without changing the internal relations of productive forces and relations of production, economic base and superstructure, the change and creation of real social life are impossible.

马克思生活观之所以能实现对生活的改变和创造，根本原因在于马克思实践观的确立。在马克思看来，生活的改变和人的观念的改变是内在统一的，生活的改变蕴含着人的观念的改变，人的观念的改变提升人对生活的认识。马克思认为，生活的改变和创造也必然蕴含着对生活的解释，没有对生活的改变和创造就无法切入生活的本质。马克思确立了实践优先、开放创造的生活观，这一生活观彻底颠覆了传统哲学的生活观，体现了马克思深邃的理论眼光和实践自觉。传统哲学认为，只要改变观念就能改变生活，不理解观念是社会现实生活的产物。马克思认为，不改变生产力与生产关系、经济基础与上层建筑的内在关系，社会现实生活的改变和创造是不可能的。

Furthermore, in Marx's view, nature is also practical; it is the nature of people's life-practice. Apart from life-practice, nature is abstract nature. "Nature, taken abstractly, in isolation, and fixed as separated from humanity, is nothing for humanity." This does not mean that nature before the emergence of human society did not exist, but rather that it is not the nature of life, not practical nature, not real nature. Real nature is the nature in which people live, the nature of practice. "The nature that arises in human history—in the act of the emergence of human society—is humanity's real nature; hence, nature as formed through industry—albeit in an alienated form—is truly anthropological nature." It is in this sense that nature is the foundation of human life and the precondition for people to change and create life.

进一步来说，在马克思看来，自然界也是实践的，是人们生活实践的自然界，离开生活实践，自然界就是抽象的自然界。“被抽象地孤立地理解的、被固定为与人分离的自然界，对人来说也是无。”这并不是说在人类社会产生之前的自然界不存在，而是说它不是生活的自然界、不是实践的自然界、不是现实的自然界。现实的自然界就是人生活的自然界，就是实践的自然界。“在人类历史中即在人类社会的产生过程中形成的自然界是人的现实的自然界；因此，通过工业——尽管以异化的形式——形成的自然界，是真正的人类学的自然界。”正是在这个意义上，自然界是人类的生活基础，是人们改变生活和创造生活的前提。

It should be pointed out that, in Marx's view, real social life is not immutable but is in development, because people's practice is also changing and developing. Real social life is ultimately determined by the internal contradictions of productive forces and relations of production, economic base and superstructure. This determination is not simple abstract determination, but complex determination, determination in the most fundamental sense. As Marx pointed out in *Capital*: "The Middle Ages could not live on Catholicism, nor could the ancient world on politics. On the contrary, the ways and means by which these two ages earned their livelihood show why in the ancient world politics played the principal role, and in the Middle Ages Catholicism." This shows that life is ultimately determined by the internal relations of productive forces and relations of production, economic base and superstructure, but in different historical stages and different historical periods, concrete problems require concrete analysis. The guidance of historical materialism for real social life is concrete guidance; its application is concrete application, not abstract application. Fundamentally, the pursuit of a good life is human nature, but the good life is not fixed either; rather, in the development of human society, it constantly renews its content and constantly creates new content for itself.

需要指出的是，在马克思看来，社会现实生活不是一成不变的，而是在发展之中的，因为人们的实践也是发展变化的。社会现实生活最终是由生产力与生产关系、经济基础与上层建筑的内在矛盾决定的。这里的决定不是简单的抽象决定，而是复杂的决定，是在最根本意义上的决定。正如马克思在《资本论》中所指出的：“中世纪不能靠天主教生活，当代世界不能靠政治生活。相反，这两个时代谋生的方式和方法表明，为什么在古代世界政治起着主要作用，而在中世纪天主教起着主要作用。”这表明，生活最终是由生产力与生产关系、经济基础与上层建筑的内在关系决定的，但在不同的历史阶段、不同的历史时期，需要具体问题具体分析。唯物史观对社会现实生活的指导是具体的指导，它的运用是具体性运用，而不是抽象运用。从根本上说，追求美好生活是人的本性，但是美好生活也不是固定不变的，而是在人类社会的发展中不断地更新自己的内涵，不断地创造自己新的内涵。

Third, at the height of historical materialism, the world of language is turned toward the life-world, thereby enabling philosophical language to gain vitality and vigor in real life. As a revolutionary critical theory, historical materialism is a fundamental critical theory that "discloses" [removes concealment]; founded on the basis of real social life, it remains an unsurpassable theory, one that neither the phenomenologist master Husserl nor the existentialist master Heidegger could hope to match. Husserl advocated suspending the deep-rooted traditional ideas that influence people in the understanding of problems, so that the true problems might emerge. In fact, what Husserl clarified was the pure, transcendental ego. Husserl's phenomenology is erroneous because it suspends material production—the premise of people's life as historical and practical beings—with the result that it misses real life and still lingers in rational life. Heidegger strove to make the truth of life appear through the method of "disclosure," but he still set aside history and practice, and thus likewise held an abstract view of life, failing to truly understand the content of life. Because Husserl and Heidegger lacked a practical, historical philosophical outlook, they could not find the path to changing and creating life. Historical materialism, grounded in practice and history, "discloses" first, thereby clarifying the ways in which various thoughts, theories, ideas, and language obscure life, and thus makes real life appear.

第三，在唯物史观的高度把语言世界转向生活世界，从而使哲学语言在现实生活中获得生机和活力。唯物史观作为革命的批判理论是“去弊”的、根本的批判理论，这一理论奠基在社会现实生活的基础之上，仍然是不可超越的理论，无论是现象学大师胡塞尔，还是存在主义大师海德格尔都难以望其项背。胡塞尔主张在对问题的理解中把影响人们的根深蒂固的传统观念悬置起来，从而使真正的问题呈现出来。事实上，胡塞尔澄明的是纯粹的、先验的自我。胡塞尔的现象学是错误的，因为把作为历史和实践的人们生活的前提——物质生产——悬置起来了，结果与真实的生活失之交臂，仍然在理性的生活中徘徊。海德格尔努力通过“去弊”的方法使生活的真理呈现出来，但他仍然撇开历史和实践，因而同样是抽象的生活观，没有真正理解生活的内涵。胡塞尔和海德格尔由于缺乏实践的、历史的哲学观，不能找到改变生活和创造生活的道路。唯物史观立足于实践和历史先行“去弊”，进而澄清了各种思想、理论、观念、语言对生活的遮蔽，从而使真正的生活呈现出来。

In Marx’s view, the process of descending from the world of thought to the world of reality is also the process from the world of language to the world of life. However abstruse and abstract language may be, language is only an expression of real life. As long as language separates itself from real life, it will continuously disappear like foam, and new foam will emerge again; the true content of life cannot be presented to us. “Metaphysics is just so; it floats on the surface like foam, and once scooped up it bursts. But immediately a new foam appears on the surface. Some people have always been zealously scooping up foam, while others, instead of seeking the causes of phenomena in the depths, mock the former for their wasted effort.” [6]6 This quotation is from Marx’s early notebooks, where he criticizes metaphysics as superficial and ephemeral; the exact source is his doctoral dissertation preparation materials, reflecting his engagement with Epicurean atomism. Interestingly, the contemporary philosopher Wittgenstein sought to understand real life through the analysis of language, and his view bears a remarkable resemblance to Kant’s. He held: “When philosophers use a word—‘knowledge,’ ‘being,’ ‘object,’ ‘I,’ ‘proposition,’ ‘name’—and try to grasp the essence of the thing, we must always ask ourselves: are these words actually used in this way in the language from which they originate? We must bring words back from their metaphysical use to their everyday use.” [7]7 This is a paraphrase of Wittgenstein’s argument in *Philosophical Investigations* (§116) about bringing words back from metaphysical to everyday use. This suggests to us that in philosophical research, especially in the study of historical materialism, no matter how ingenious the language employed, if research does not take its stand on real social life, it is still marking time. The research of modern Western philosophy on the relationship between language and life provides an important intellectual ferment for our understanding of the true content of historical materialism’s return from the world of language to the world of real life.

在马克思看来，从思想世界降到现实世界的过程，也就是从语言世界到生活世界的过程。无论语言多么玄奥、抽象，语言只是现实生活的表现。只要语言脱离现实生活，就会像泡沫一样不断地消失，新的泡沫又呈现出来，生活的真实内涵无法向我们呈现出来。“形而上学就是如此，它像泡沫一样漂浮在表面上，一掬取出来就破灭了。但是在表面上立刻又出来一个新的泡沫。有些人一直热心掬取泡沫，而另一些人不去在深处寻找现象的原因，却自作聪明，嘲笑前一些人自费力气。”有趣的是，当代哲学家维特根斯坦通过对语言的分析来认识现实生活，他与康德的看法有异曲同工之妙。他认为：“当哲学家使用一个词——‘知识’、‘存在’、‘对象’、‘我’、‘命题’、‘名称’——并且试图把握事物的本质时，我们必须经常这样问问自己，这些词在作为它们发源地的语言中是否真的这样使用——我们要把词从它们的形而上学用法带回到它们的日常用法上来。”这就启示我们，在哲学研究尤其在唯物史观研究中，无论使用多么巧妙的语言，只要他们的研究不立足于社会现实生活，就仍然是在原地踏步。现代西方哲学对语言与生活关系的研究，对于我们理解唯物史观从语言世界回到现实生活世界的真实内涵提供了重要的思想酵素。

In fact, because philosophers sought to explore universal life, their language also became abstract. In a language they took to be independent and far removed from life, they fell into a mistaken mode of thought, wrongly believing that the world of language is the world of real life, and that to grasp language is to grasp real life. This requires returning to the critical spirit of historical materialism, namely, returning from various complex languages to real life. In Marx’s view, humanity originally named the objects it used in order to survive; with the development of society and the differentiation of disciplines, language became increasingly abstract, its meanings more complex, ever farther from its original meanings and ever farther from vivid social real life. Since language is the immediate reality of thought, in the fundamental sense language is a product of social real life. This requires us, on the basis of the critical spirit of historical materialism, to reflect on philosophical language, especially the difference between philosophical language and life, so as to return to real life and enable philosophical language to gain new vitality and vigor in real life. The critical spirit of historical materialism brings the world of language back to the world of social real life, thereby presenting true life itself.

事实上，哲学家们为了探索普遍的生活，他们的语言也变得抽象，他们在自以为独立的、远离生活的语言中陷入了思维的误区，他们错误地认为，语言世界就是现实生活世界，把握了语言也就把握了现实生活。这就需要回到唯物史观的批判精神上，即从各种复杂的语言中回归到真实的生活之中。在马克思看来，人类最初是为了生存才命名自己所使用的物品的，随着社会的发展和学科的分类，语言不断变得抽象，含义更加复杂，与原初的含义越来越远，离生动的社会现实生活也就越来越远。由于语言是思想的直接现实，因此从根本的意义上说，语言是社会现实生活的产物。这就需要我们立足于唯物史观的批判精神，反思哲学语言，尤其哲学语言与生活的差异，从而回到现实生活中，使哲学语言在现实生活中获得新的生机和活力。唯物史观的批判精神使语言世界回归到社会现实生活世界，从而使真正的生活呈现出来。

Fourth, it turns the dogmatic, rigid view of life of traditional philosophy into a vivid view of life, so that life is filled with vitality and vigor. The view of life of traditional philosophy is abstract and dogmatic, because it pursues ultimate being, ultimate value, and ultimate concern, severing the inner relationship between the reality and the ideal of life, so that life becomes a rational life and spiritual life without vitality or vigor, and the true content of social real life is obscured. In fact, human life exists within the inner tension between the finite and the infinite. Human life in the present is always finite, but humanity’s pursuit of life is infinite. The finitude of life contains infinitude; for instance, the meaning and value of human life, and the spiritual pursuit of life, are questions of the infinitude of life, yet they are contained within finitude. The infinitude of life is the elevation of finitude, an elevation of the quality and grade of life. The finitude and infinitude of life constitute an inner, unified whole, thereby displaying the richness and diversity of life.

第四，把传统哲学的教条、僵化的生活观转向鲜活的生活观，从而使生活充满生机和活力。传统哲学的生活观是抽象的、教条的生活观，因为传统哲学的生活观追求终极存在、终极价值、终极关怀，割裂生活的现实与理想的内在关系，从而使生活成为没有生机和活力的理性生活、精神生活，社会现实生活的真实内涵被遮蔽了。事实上，人们的生活是在有限与无限的内在张力之中。人类当下的生活都是有限的，但人类对生活的追求是无限的。生活的有限性蕴含着无限性，诸如人生的意义与价值，人生的精神追求就是生活的无限性问题，但蕴含在有限性之中。生活的无限性是有限性的提升，是对生活质量和品位的提升。生活的有限性与无限性构成内在的、统一的整体，从而展现生活的丰富多彩。

Fundamentally, in the historical development of human society, humanity constantly criticizes and sublates the old life and creates new life; without the negation of the old life, the new life will not arrive. Practice, as the bond connecting old and new life, not only affirms the positive factors of the old life, such as the factors of the development of productive forces and the inheritance and accumulation of culture, but also negates the negative factors of the old life. This negation is not simple negation, but negation in the sense of the dialectics of life, that is, a negation that preserves the affirmative factors in the mode of sublation. It therefore constitutes the connecting link and the developing link between old and new life. This negation, as a link of connection and development, preserves what is affirmative in life within what is negative in it, preserves what is presupposed in it within its result, and embodies the spirit of criticism of the old life and of creation of the new life. Sublating the old life means the engendering of the new life.

从根本上说，人类社会在历史发展中，总是不断地批判、扬弃旧生活，开创新生活，没有对旧生活的否定，新生活不会到来。实践作为新旧生活联系的纽带，不仅肯定旧生活的积极因素，诸如生产力发展的因素、文化的传承积累等，而且否定旧生活的消极因素。这种否定不是简单的否定，而是生活辩证法意义上的否定，即以扬弃的方式保持了肯定因素的否定性，所以它构成新旧生活联系的环节、发展的环节。这种作为联系、发展环节的否定，是保持生活中肯定性的东西在它的否定性的东西中，保持它的前提性东西在它的结果中，体现了对旧生活的批判和新生活的创造精神中。扬弃旧生活意味着新生活的创生。

Marx integrated the dialectics of life into life itself, overcoming the limitation of traditional philosophy that separated the reality and the ideal of life. In Marx’s view, all social life is practical; practice is the foundation and premise of the inner unity of the reality and the ideal of life. The reality of life is determined by the inner relationship between productive forces and relations of production, and between the economic base and the superstructure; the ideality of life is grounded in the laws of social development and continuously transcends and sublates on that basis. In the fundamental sense, the relationship between the reality and the ideality of life is a dialectical relationship of the negation of the negation, so that life continuously develops and innovates, displaying the vitality and vigor of life.

马克思将生活辩证法融入生活之中，克服了传统哲学把生活的现实与理想割裂开来的局限。在马克思看来，全部社会生活是实践的，实践是构成生活的现实与理想内在统一的基础和前提。生活的现实性是由生产力与生产关系、经济基础与上层建筑的内在关系决定的，生活的理想性是奠基在社会发展规律的基础上不断地超越与扬弃。从根本意义上说，生活的现实性与理想性的关系就是辩证的否定之否定的关系，从而使生活不断地发展与创新，展现生活的生机与活力。

Further, the reality of life itself contains the transcendence of life, so that life possesses meaning and value; it is precisely the transcendence of life that gives life vitality and pursuit. The reality of life itself contains the sublation of the reality of life; this is precisely the embodiment of the dialectics of life. The ideality of life also contains the reality of life; the ideal of life is rooted in the reality of life and is the sublimation of the reality of life. The reality and the ideality of life constitute the organic, vivid whole of life; they are different aspects of the same coin of life. In Marx’s view, humanity is never satisfied with its life, and therefore continuously creates life. The meaning and value of human life are not fixed and unchanging, but are continuously elevated in the practice of life. Marx adhered to the principle of the inner unity of the reality and the ideality of life, changing life and creating new life on the basis of practice, thereby providing philosophical wisdom for the realization of a good life for humanity.

进一步说，生活的现实性本身就蕴含着生活的超越性，从而使生活具有意义与价值，正是生活的超越性使生活具有活力和追求。生活的现实性本身就蕴含着对生活现实的扬弃，这正是生活辩证法的体现。生活的理想性也蕴含着生活的现实性，生活的理想扎根于生活的现实之中，是对生活的现实升华。生活的现实性与理想性构成生活的有机、鲜活的整体，是生活这同一个硬币的不同方面。在马克思看来，人永远不会满足自己的生活，从而不断地创造生活。人生的意义与价值不是固定不变的，而是在生活实践中不断得到提升。马克思坚持生活的现实性与理想性内在统一的原则，是在实践基础上改变生活、创造新生活，从而为人类美好生活的实现提供哲学智慧。

In Marx's view, the vitality of life is also embodied in the intrinsic relationship between life and tradition. Tradition is not something dead, belonging to the past, but something alive that continuously develops and sublates itself. Hegel holds: "Tradition is not merely a housekeeper, who faithfully preserves what she has received and then hands it down to posterity unchanged." Tradition "is not a motionless statue, but is alive, like a mighty torrent, which swells in size the farther it moves from its source." [8]8 G.W.F. Hegel, *Lectures on the History of Philosophy*, on tradition as a living stream rather than a static monument. Tradition is the representation of people's life-practice activities in the practice of social life; by its essence, the essence of tradition is the actual social life of the present. Tradition obtains its intrinsic determinacy through regulating the life-practice of contemporary people. This shows that tradition is not merely documents of the past, but what people embody in creating history and creating life; in a word, tradition becomes something we contemporary people possess through life-practice. In this sense, tradition is the embodiment of contemporary people's life-practice; from our contemporary life-practice we can find tradition, and the tradition found is living tradition, tradition continuously endowed with new connotations. The connection of tradition with life through practice is the intrinsic course in which tradition is sublated and innovated. Actual social life is a mirror that history provides us for understanding the intrinsic relationship between tradition and the present. It is precisely in this sense that actual social life is alive because it contains the factors of tradition; on the one hand, this enables actual social life to continuously obtain fresh blood, and on the other hand, it enables tradition to continuously obtain new connotations given by life-practice; these two aspects are organically unified in a living and intrinsic way. Marx's *The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte* concretely analyzes the intrinsic relationship between tradition and life from the height of historical materialism; it is not only a model of the concrete application of historical materialism, but also one of the classic masterpieces for grasping the substance of life.

在马克思看来，生活的活力还体现在生活与传统的内在关系中。传统不是死的、过去的东西，而是不断发展和自我扬弃的鲜活的东西。黑格尔认为：“传统不仅仅是一个管家婆，只是把她所接受过来的忠实地保存着，然后毫不改变地保持着并传给后代。”传统“不是一尊不动的石像，而是生命洋溢的，有如一道洪流，离开它的源头愈远，它就膨胀得愈大”。传统是人们的生命实践活动在社会生活实践中的表征，按其本质来说，传统的本质是当下的社会现实生活。传统是通过对当代人们的生活实践的规制而获得内在规定性。这表明，传统不仅仅是过去的文献，而是人们创造历史、创造生活所体现的东西，一言以蔽之，传统是通过生活实践而成为我们当代人具有的东西。从这个意义上说，传统是当代人的生活实践的体现，从我们当代生活实践中可以找到传统，找到的传统是活的传统，是不断赋予新的内涵的传统。传统通过实践与生活相联系，就是传统被扬弃、被创新的内在历程。社会现实生活是历史提供给我们认识传统与当下的内在关系的一面镜子。正是在这个意义上，社会现实生活之所以是鲜活的，是因为社会现实生活蕴含着传统的因子，一方面使社会现实生活不断获得新鲜血液，另一方面使传统不断获得生活实践所给予的新内涵，这两个方面鲜活地、内在地有机统一。马克思的《路易•波拿巴的雾月十八日》从唯物史观的高度具体分析了传统与生活的内在关系，不仅是唯物史观具体运用的典范，而且是我们把握生活实质的经典名篇之一。

The four aspects of the value purport of Marx's view of life constitute the theoretical and practical self-consciousness of Marxist philosophy in changing life and creating life. The mutual penetration and interconnection of the four aspects of the value purport of Marx's view of life constitute an important connotation of the Marxist philosophical revolution. The Marxist philosophical revolution and the value purport of Marx's view of life are intrinsically unified. In this sense, both the Marxist philosophical revolution and the value purport of Marx's view of life fundamentally transcend traditional philosophy, making it a philosophical self-consciousness that changes life and creates life. This profoundly shows that, utterly unlike traditional philosophy, which stops at the interpretation of life, Marx created a new view of life through the philosophical revolution, thereby opening up the path and indicating the direction for humanity to create a good life.

马克思生活观的价值旨趣的四个方面构成马克思哲学改变生活、创造生活的理论与实践自觉。马克思生活观的价值旨趣四个方面的相互贯通、相互联系，构成马克思哲学革命的重要内涵。马克思哲学革命与马克思生活观的价值旨趣是内在统一的。从这个意义上说，无论是马克思哲学革命还是马克思生活观的价值旨趣，都从根本上超越传统哲学，使之成为改变生活、创造生活的哲学自觉。这深刻地表明，与传统哲学停留在对生活的解释截然不同，马克思通过哲学革命创造了新的生活观，从而为人类创造美好生活开辟了道路并指明了方向。

III. The Contemporary Significance of the Value Purport of Marx's View of Life

三、马克思生活观的价值旨趣的当代意义

Marx's view of life is grounded in practice and is a critique and transcendence of the traditional philosophical view of life. By its essence, Marx's view of life is revolutionary, critical, practical, and imbued with humanistic care; this is precisely the root of the Marxist philosophical revolution and an important connotation of historical materialism. In the present era, deeply comprehending the value purport of Marx's view of life has extremely important theoretical and practical significance.

马克思生活观立足于实践，是对传统哲学生活观的批判和超越。从其本质来说，马克思生活观是革命的、批判的、实践的和人文关怀的，这正是马克思哲学革命的根本所在，也是历史唯物主义的重要内涵。在当今时代，深刻领悟马克思生活观的价值旨趣，具有极为重要的理论与现实意义。

First, it helps us to re-understand the authentic spirit of Marxist philosophy and its contemporary development. Marx understood life from practice, thoroughly transcending the false view of life of traditional philosophy, thereby turning from false life to humanity's own actual social life. This means that historical materialism, as a new materialism oriented toward the truth of actual social life, must implant practice, history, and humanistic care within itself. In Marxist philosophy, the view of life based on practice, interpenetrating with history, reality, and the future, will surely promote the development and innovation of Marxist philosophy. Whether it is the fairness, justice, and equality discussed in contemporary Marxist political philosophy, or the relationship between fairness and efficiency discussed in Marxist economic philosophy, or the relationship between fact and value discussed in Marxist value philosophy, in a certain sense all of these emerge from the value purport of Marx's view of life. Grasping the value purport of Marx's view of life is a foundational issue for grasping the authentic spirit of Marxist philosophy and its contemporary development, and for grasping the contemporary vitality of Marxist philosophy. In this sense, understanding the value purport of Marx's view of life is conducive not only to understanding the authentic spirit of Marxist philosophy, but also to the contemporary development of Marxist philosophy. It should be further pointed out that grasping the value purport of Marx's view of life requires not only understanding the essence and origin of actual social life, but also possessing a solid theoretical foundation in Marxism. In *Natural Science in the Spirit World*, Engels criticized the phenomenon whereby natural scientific research, divorced from theoretical thinking, leads to mysticism. [9]9 Engels's 1878 essay (in *Dialectics of Nature*) criticizing natural scientists who, lacking theoretical thinking, fall into spiritualism and mysticism. This enlightens us that studying the value purport of Marx's view of life requires solid theoretical competence in Marxism. Those who merely linger in experience and are unwilling to make the effort to master the basic theories of Marxism cannot truly grasp the value purport of Marx's view of life.

其一，它有利于我们重新理解马克思哲学的本真精神及其当代发展。马克思从实践理解生活，彻底超越了传统哲学的虚假生活观，从而使虚假的生活转向人类自身的社会现实生活。这意味着，历史唯物主义作为面向社会现实生活真谛的新唯物主义，必定把实践、历史、人文关怀植入其中。在马克思哲学中，以实践为基础的生活观，与历史、现实、未来相互贯通，必将促进马克思主义哲学的发展与创新。无论是当代马克思主义政治哲学讨论的公平、正义、平等，还是马克思主义经济哲学讨论的公平与效率的关系，抑或马克思主义价值哲学讨论的事实与价值的关系，从某种意义上说，都是从马克思生活观的价值旨趣中生发出来的。把握马克思生活观的价值旨趣，是把握马克思哲学本真精神及其当代发展和把握马克思主义哲学当代生命力的基础性问题。从这个意义上说，理解马克思生活观的价值旨趣，不仅有利于我们理解马克思哲学的本真精神，而且有利于马克思哲学的当代发展。需要进一步指出的是，把握马克思生活观的价值旨趣，不仅要了解社会现实生活的本质和来历，还要具有扎实的马克思主义理论基础。恩格斯在《神灵世界中的自然研究》中批判了自然科学研究脱离理论思维导致神秘主义的现象。这就启示我们，研究马克思生活观的价值旨趣，需要具有扎实的马克思主义理论功力。那种仅在经验中徘徊，不肯下苦功夫把握马克思主义基础理论的人，是不可能真正把握马克思生活观的价值旨趣的。

Second, it is conducive to the construction of a new form of Marxist philosophy in the 21st century. Marxist philosophy in the 21st century has not only Chinese significance but also world significance. That is to say, Marxist philosophy in the 21st century connects China's destiny and life with the world's destiny and life; China's destiny and the world's destiny are closely linked. This requires representing the intrinsic relationship between China's destiny and the world's destiny from the height of philosophy; this is an important historical mission of Marxist philosophy in the 21st century. There is no doubt that constructing a new form of Marxist philosophy in the 21st century requires taking root in the actual social life of the present era, elevating the actual social life of the present era into the core problem of 21st-century Marxist philosophy, and thereby leading the development of the present era. Deeply grasping the value purport of Marx's view of life can provide an important theoretical horizon for the dialogue between 21st-century Marxist philosophy and the actual social life of the present era. Furthermore, deeply grasping the value purport of Marx's view of life, on the one hand, helps us to persist in using the standpoint, viewpoint, and method of Marxist philosophy to guide our actual social life and grasp the essence of the actual social life of the present era; on the other hand, it also helps to criticize various erroneous and nihilistic views of life. Thereby we grasp the contemporary significance of Marxist philosophy and provide theoretical resources for constructing a new form of Marxist philosophy in the 21st century.

其二，它有利于21世纪马克思主义哲学新形态的建构。21世纪马克思主义哲学不仅具有中国意义，而且具有世界意义。也就是说，21世纪马克思主义哲学把中国的命运与生活和世界的命运与生活贯通起来，中国的命运与世界的命运是紧密联系在一起的。这就需要从哲学的高度把中国的命运与世界的命运的内在关系表征出来，这是21世纪马克思主义哲学的重要历史使命。毫无疑问，建构21世纪马克思主义哲学新形态，就要立足于当今时代的社会现实生活，把当今时代的社会现实生活提升为21世纪马克思主义哲学的核心问题，从而引领当今时代的发展。深刻把握马克思生活观的价值旨趣，可以为21世纪马克思主义哲学与当今时代的社会现实生活对话提供重要的理论视域。进而言之，深刻把握马克思生活观的价值旨趣，一方面有助于我们坚持用马克思主义哲学的立场、观点和方法指导我们的社会现实生活，把握当今时代社会现实生活的本质；另一方面也有助于批判各种错误和虚无的生活观。从而把握马克思主义哲学的当代意义，为建构21世纪马克思主义哲学新形态提供理论资源。

Third, it helps us to grasp contemporary human life-practice from the height of a view of life. With the rapid development of science and technology and the development of network society, the practice and life of human society have to a considerable extent become virtualized; virtual practice has become a new mode of practice dominating human social life, and correspondingly virtual society, virtual cities, virtual space, virtual life, virtual living, and so on have come into being. On the one hand, this situation changes the mode of human life and promotes the generation of new modes of human life; on the other hand, it also gives rise to new problems of nature, society, ecology, spirit, culture, and humanity. Contemporary humanity is facing unprecedented life predicaments and crises. The foresight and wisdom of Marx's view of life provide an important ideological weapon for resolving humanity's predicaments and crises. The predicaments and crises of the era provide an unprecedented foundation, impetus, and source for the development and innovation of Marx's view of life. The sense of mission to give philosophical elevation to the predicaments and crises of human life promotes the innovation of the Marxist view of life and will surely enable the Marxist view of life to obtain new connotations conforming to the present era. In the present era, research on the value purport of Marx's view of life needs to follow the standpoint and method of the Marxist view of philosophy, take root in the predicaments and crises of contemporary human life, and through theoretical critique and practical critique promote the harmonious and healthy development of the relationship between humanity and nature, between humanity and society, and between humanity and itself, so that humanity's actual social life develops in a better direction.

其三，它有利于我们从生活观高度把握当代人类生活实践。随着科学技术突飞猛进的发展和网络社会的发展，人类社会的实践和生活在相当大的程度上虚拟化，虚拟实践成为主宰人类社会生活的新的实践方式，并相应地形成虚拟社会、虚拟城市、虚拟空间、虚拟人生、虚拟生活等。这种情况一方面改变着人类的生活方式，促使人类新的生活方式的生成；另一方面也出现了自然、社会、生态、精神、文化、人性等新问题。当代人类正面临着前所未有的生活困境与危机。马克思生活观的远见和睿智，为解决人类的困境和危机提供了重要的思想武器。时代的困境与危急为马克思生活观的发展与创新提供了前所未有的基础、动力和源泉。对人类生活困境和危机进行哲学提升的使命感，促进了马克思主义生活观的创新，也必将使马克思主义生活观获得符合当今时代的新内涵。在当今时代，马克思生活观的价值旨趣研究需要遵循马克思哲学观的立场和方法，立足于当代人类生活的困境与危机，通过理论批判和实践批判，促进人与自然、人与社会、人与自我的和谐和健康发展，从而使人类的社会现实生活朝着更加美好的方向发展。

The fate of future philosophy depends not only on the high sense of responsibility of philosophical researchers, but also on the ability to grasp the fate of humanity and the quality of life from the height of philosophy. Only by organically integrating their own research with the fate of the country, the nation, and life can researchers of Marxist philosophy truly grasp the authentic spirit of Marxist philosophy, thereby promoting major transformations in life.

未来哲学的命运不仅取决于哲学研究者高度的责任心，而且取决于从哲学的高度把握人类命运和生活的能力。马克思主义哲学研究者只有把自己的研究与国家、民族的命运和生活有机地结合起来，才能真正把握马克思主义哲学的本真精神，从而推动生活的重大变革。

The revelation of the value purport of Marx's view of life is also the revelation of Marx's philosophical revolution; the two are fundamentally unified. In other words, grasping the value purport of Marx's view of life is also grasping the profound connotation of Marx's philosophical revolution. However, the current separation between the study of Marx's philosophy and the value purport of Marx's view of life has led to an abstract understanding of Marx's philosophy in academic circles, and the true connotation of Marx's philosophical revolution has been obscured. As Lenin pointed out: "Due to the influence of the bourgeoisie and various 'fellow travelers' in the Marxist movement, the theoretical foundations and basic principles of Marxism have been subjected to distortions from diametrically opposed directions. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to unite all Marxists who are aware of the depth of the crisis and understand the necessity of overcoming it, in order to jointly defend the theoretical foundations and basic principles of Marxism." To escape this predicament, one must comprehend the value purport of Marx's view of life and its contemporary significance within the internal relationship between Marx's philosophical revolution and his view of life. "This field is infinitely vast; whoever works seriously can achieve much and stand out from the crowd."

对马克思生活观价值旨趣的揭示也是对马克思哲学革命的揭示，二者在根本上是统一的。换言之，把握马克思生活观的价值旨趣也是把握马克思哲学革命的深刻内涵。然而，当前马克思哲学研究与马克思生活观的价值旨趣的分离，导致了学界对马克思哲学的抽象理解，马克思哲学革命的真实内涵被遮蔽。正如列宁所指出的：“由于资产阶级的影响及马克思主义运动中的各种各样的‘同路人’，使得马克思主义理论基础和基本原理受到了来自截然相反的曲解，因此团结一切意识到危机的深度并了解到必须克服危机的马克思主义者来共同捍卫马克思主义的理论基础和基本原理，是再重要不过的了。”要摆脱这种困境，就要在马克思哲学革命与他的生活观内在关系中领悟马克思生活观的价值旨趣及其当代意义。“这个领域无限广阔，谁肯认真地工作，谁就能做出许多成绩，就能超群出众。”

Source: *Social Science Journal*, December 17, 2024

文章来源：《社会科学辑刊》2024年12月17日

Online editor: Jing Mu

网络编辑：静穆