The Free-Time Dimension of Promoting Common Prosperity in Spiritual Life

Common prosperity in spiritual life is an indispensable and important dimension of common prosperity. The report of the 20th National Congress of the CPC [1]1 The 20th National Congress of the CPC was held in October 2022, at which Xi Jinping delivered clearly states: “Chinese-path modernization is the modernization of material civilization and cultural-ethical progress [2]2 Karl Marx, *Capital*, vol. 1, in *Marx and Engels Collected Works*, vol. 35 (Moscow: Progress Publishers, 1996), p. 10. (Paraphrase of Marx’s remark.) coordinated. Material abundance and spiritual enrichment are the fundamental requirements of socialist modernization.” Entering the new stage of the new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country, we need spiritual support and ideological guidance more than ever before. Promoting common prosperity in spiritual life is not only a major systematic project for building Chinese-path modernization characterized by “common prosperity for all the people,” but also concerns the people’s sense of gain and happiness. Studying theoretically how to better promote common prosperity in spiritual life can gather stronger spiritual momentum for meeting the people’s ever-growing needs for a better life. Currently, academia has made many explorations around dimensions such as “digital technology,” “culture,” and “ideological and political education” on how to promote common prosperity in spiritual life, providing a relatively rich literature reference for the theoretical interpretation of common prosperity in spiritual life, and also contributing to further academic construction for promoting common prosperity in spiritual life. However, “if a nation wants to develop more freely in the spiritual aspect… they must first have time that can be used for spiritual creation and spiritual enjoyment.” [3]3 Karl Marx, “Theses on Feuerbach,” in *Marx and Engels Collected Works*, vol. 5 (Moscow: Progress Publishers, 1976), p. 4. In other words, the realization of common prosperity in spiritual life does not rely on expending a great deal of time and energy on endless “involution” [4]4 Karl Marx, *Capital*, vol. 3, in *Marx and Engels Collected Works*, vol. 37 (Moscow: Progress Publishers, 1998), p. 807., but rather “requires each of us to continue to put in hard work and strenuous effort,” and, premised on the reasonable possession, allocation, and utilization of free time, stimulates the endogenous driving force of the people to become prosperous through hard work, providing a broader space of possibility for promoting the people’s common prosperity in spiritual life. Therefore, introducing the dimension of free time into the analysis of promoting common prosperity in spiritual life, revealing the internal mechanism by which free time promotes common prosperity in spiritual life, and analyzing the free-time dilemmas and social realities that constrain common prosperity in spiritual life, helps us to explore the optimal path for free time to promote common prosperity in spiritual life, and to vigorously promote the spirit of the times that “a happy life is achieved through struggle, and common prosperity must be created through hard work and wisdom.” [5]5 Karl Marx, *Grundrisse der Kritik der politischen Ökonomie*, in *Marx and Engels Collected Works*, vol. 29 (Moscow: Progress Publishers, 1987), p. 94.

精神生活共同富裕是共同富裕不可或缺的重要维度。党的二十大报告明确指出：“中国式现代化是物质文明和精神文明相协调的现代化。物质富足、精神富有是社会主义现代化的根本要求。”迈入全面建设社会主义现代化强国的新征程新阶段，我们比任何时候都更加需要精神支撑与思想引领。促进精神生活共同富裕不仅是建设“全体人民共同富裕”的中国式现代化的重要系统工程，更关系着人民群众的获得感与幸福感。从理论上研究如何更好地促进精神生活共同富裕，能够为满足人民日益增长的美好生活需要汇聚更强劲的精神动力。当前，学界围绕“数字技术”“文化”“思想政治教育”等维度如何促进精神生活共同富裕作出诸多探索，为精神生活共同富裕的理论阐释提供了较为丰富的文献参考，也为进一步促进精神生活共同富裕的学理性建构贡献了力量。然而，“一个民族要想在精神方面更自由地发展……他们首先必须有能够进行精神创造和精神享受的时间”。换言之，精神生活共同富裕的实现并非依靠耗费大量的时间和精力进行无休止的“内卷”,而是“需要我们每一个人继续付出辛勤劳动和艰苦努力”,并且以自由时间的合理占有、支配与利用为前提激发人民勤劳致富的内生动力，为促进人民精神生活共同富裕提供更广阔的可能性空间。因此，在促进精神生活共同富裕的分析中引入自由时间维度，揭示自由时间促进精神生活共同富裕的内在机理，分析制约精神生活共同富裕的自由时间困境与社会现实问题，有助于我们探寻自由时间促进精神生活共同富裕的优化路径，着力弘扬“幸福生活都是奋斗出来的，共同富裕要靠勤劳智慧来创造”的时代精神。

I. The Coupling Mechanism of Common Prosperity in Spiritual Life and Free Time

一、精神生活共同富裕与自由时间的耦合机制

Grasping the contemporary connotation of common prosperity in spiritual life is the basic prerequisite for studying the proposition of promoting common prosperity in spiritual life. Common prosperity in spiritual life refers to a state of spiritual enrichment in which people, on the basis of possessing a solid material foundation, continuously pursue, create, and share spiritual resources to meet the multi-dimensional needs of the subject’s spiritual world, and ultimately achieve the unity of individual comprehensive development and the comprehensive development of all the people. Among this, free time, as time not occupied by the direct production of means of subsistence, time available for free disposal, and time needed for the development of all members of society, is not only a standard measure for judging common prosperity [6]6 Ibid., p. 95., but also deeply contains the issue of developing and liberating people, constituting the necessary prerequisite, realistic foundation, and driving force of common prosperity in spiritual life, and possessing ultimate significance.

把握精神生活共同富裕的时代内涵是研究促进精神生活共同富裕命题的基础前提。精神生活共同富裕是指人们在拥有坚实的物质财富基础上，不断追求、创造、共享精神资源以满足主体精神世界的多维需要，并最终实现个体全面发展与全体人民全面发展相统一的精神富足状态。其中，自由时间作为不被生活资料的直接生产所占据的、可供自由支配的、为全体社会成员发展所需要的时间，不仅是判断共同富裕的标准尺度,更在深层次蕴含了发展人、解放人的问题，构成了精神生活共同富裕的必要前提、现实基础和动力源泉，且具有终极意义。

(A) The Contemporary Connotation of Common Prosperity in Spiritual Life

(一)精神生活共同富裕的时代内涵

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Common prosperity is the common prosperity of all the people, and it is the prosperity of both the material life and the spiritual life of the people.” [7]7 Karl Marx, *Capital*, vol. 3, p. 807. Once “common prosperity in spiritual life” was proposed, it aroused strong attention in academia. Scholars have defined its connotation from perspectives such as subject positioning, constituent elements, and formation process, holding that common prosperity in spiritual life is the unity of the enrichment of individual spiritual life and the fullness and vigor of the entire nation’s spiritual state; it is the unity of the abundance of spiritual and cultural resources and the development of the subject’s spiritual power; it is the unity of adhering to co-building and sharing high-quality spiritual resources and gradual development. Accordingly, drawing on the views of the aforementioned scholars, it can be considered that the category of spiritual life includes “multiple links such as spiritual production, spiritual interaction, and spiritual enjoyment, covering multiple aspects such as politics, spirit, culture, science, and art, and involving different levels such as individual spiritual life, overall social spiritual life, and national spiritual life,” [8]8 Karl Marx, *Grundrisse*, p. 409. while common prosperity in spiritual life is a theoretical interpretation of common prosperity from the perspective of spiritual life. It refers to the optimization of spiritual production, spiritual enjoyment, and spiritual interaction on the basis of the existing spiritual life of all the people, in order to create more high-quality spiritual and cultural products, provide more complete cultural venues, cultural facilities, and cultural services, gather stronger and more confident spiritual power, achieve an increasingly positive and upward spiritual life state to ultimately meet the diverse spiritual needs of individuals, reach a civilized spiritual atmosphere of society and a confident and open spiritual level of the nation, and promote a beautiful social state that manifests human value and preliminarily realizes the free and comprehensive development of people. To correctly understand the contemporary connotation of common prosperity in spiritual life, it can be grasped from the following aspects.

习近平总书记指出：“共同富裕是全体人民共同富裕，是人民群众物质生活和精神生活都富裕”。“精神生活共同富裕”一经提出便引发了学界的强烈关注，学者们分别从主体定位、组成要素、形成过程等角度对其内涵进行了界定，认为精神生活共同富裕是个体精神生活充实丰裕与整个民族精神状态饱满昂扬的统一;是精神文化资源丰富与主体精神力量发展的统一;是坚持共建共享优质精神资源与渐进式发展的统一。据此，借鉴前述学者观点，可以认为精神生活的范畴包含“精神生产、精神交往、精神享受等多个环节，涵盖政治、精神、文化、科学、艺术等多个方面，并涉及个体精神生活、社会整体精神生活和民族国家精神生活等不同层次”,而精神生活共同富裕是一种从精神生活视角出发对共同富裕作出的理论阐释，是指全体人民在已有的精神生活基础上，通过精神生产、精神享有、精神交往的联动优化，以创造更多高质量的精神文化产品，提供更完善的文化场地、文化设施、文化服务，凝聚更为强大自信的精神力量，实现愈加积极向上的精神生活状态以最终满足个体多元的精神需要 , 达成社会文明的精神氛围和国家自信开放的精神水平，促成彰显人的价值，初步实现人的自由全面发展的美好社会状态。正确理解精神生活共同富裕的时代内涵，可以从以下几个方面把握。

First, common prosperity in spiritual life is the overall spiritual state sought by the essential needs of human beings. Grasping the rich connotation of spiritual life from the perspective of human essential needs is an important prerequisite for understanding the core meaning of common prosperity in spiritual life. Marx once distinguished humans from animals by “labor,” holding that “man is distinguished from all other animals by the unlimitedness and extensiveness of his needs,” [9]9 Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, *The German Ideology*, in *Marx and Engels Collected Works*, vol. 5 (Moscow: Progress Publishers, 1976), p. 47. and pointed out that the essential difference between the two lies in the fact that humans possess spiritual thinking activities that constitute an important aspect of labor, “it is precisely because of this that man is a species-being. Or, precisely because man is a species-being, he is a conscious being.” [10]10 Karl Marx, *Grundrisse*, p. 409. People not only have needs in terms of natural material aspects, but also need satisfaction in spiritual culture, entertainment, psychology, and other aspects. Therefore, human spiritual life, as a spiritual thinking activity unique to human beings, precisely confirms the essence of human ability to think and the general demand to meet the essential needs of the subject. Based on this, common prosperity in spiritual life can be understood as, on the basis of ensuring common prosperity in material life and adhering to the essential needs of human beings, people continuously meet the diverse spiritual needs of the subject by creating and sharing spiritual and cultural products, ultimately achieving an overall spiritual state of improvement in the spiritual quality and aesthetic taste of all members of society.

第一，精神生活共同富裕是人的本质需要所谋求的总体性精神状态。从人的本质需求出发来把握精神生活的丰富内涵，是理解精神生活共同富裕核心要义的重要前提。马克思曾以“劳动”将人与动物区分开来，认为“人以其需要的无限性和广泛性区别于其他一切动物”,并指出两者的本质区别在于人拥有构成劳动重要方面的精神思维活动，“正是由于这一点，人才是类存在物。或者说，正因为人是类存在物，他才是有意识的存在物”。人们不仅有着自然物质方面的需要，更需得到精神文化、娱乐、心理等方面的满足。因而，人的精神生活作为人类所特有的精神思维活动恰巧印证了人能够思维的本质及其满足主体本质需要的一般需求。基于此，精神生活共同富裕可以理解为在保证物质生活共同富裕和坚持人的本质需要的基础上，人们通过创造、共享精神文化产品以不断满足主体多元的精神需要，最终实现全体社会成员精神素质、审美情趣提升的总体性精神状态。

Second, common prosperity in spiritual life is the unity of the comprehensive development of social individuals and all the people. Realizing the comprehensive development of human beings is the value orientation of common prosperity in spiritual life, just as General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: “Promoting common prosperity and promoting the comprehensive development of human beings are highly unified.” [11]11 Karl Marx, *Grundrisse*, p. 94. The comprehensive development of human beings refers not only to the comprehensive development of each social individual, but also to the comprehensive development of all the people in society. Among this, the common prosperity of individual spiritual life includes the improvement and development of people in aspects such as personality, ability, and quality, and is a manifestation of the diversity and profundity of the subject’s needs and the transcendence of the meaning of the subject’s existence. However, “the free development of each is the condition for the free development of all,” [12]12 Xi Jinping, “Hold High the Great Banner of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and Strive in Unity to Build a Modern Socialist Country in All Respects,” Report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, October 16, 2022. and the ultimate goal of common prosperity in spiritual life is to realize the comprehensive development of all the people in society. This is not only reflected in the continuous enhancement of the sense of happiness and gain of all members of society, but also means a positive and upward social spiritual outlook, harmonious and abundant spiritual interaction, and a significant improvement in the quality of spiritual life.

第二，精神生活共同富裕是社会个体与全体人民全面发展的统一。实现人的全面发展是精神生活共同富裕的价值旨归,正如习近平总书记所强调的：“促进共同富裕与促进人的全面发展是高度统一的。”人的全面发展不仅指每个社会个体的全面发展，更意味社会全体人民的全面发展。其中，个体的精神生活共同富裕包括人们在个性、能力和素质等方面的提升和发展，是主体需要的多元性、深刻性以及主体存在意义的超越性的体现。但“每个人的自由发展是一切人的自由发展的条件”,精神生活共同富裕的最终目的是实现社会全体人民的全面发展，不仅体现在全体社会成员幸福感、获得感的不断增强，更意味着社会精神面貌的积极向上、精神交往的和谐丰盈以及精神生活品质的显著提升。

Third, common prosperity in spiritual life is the contemporary response to the people’s realization of a better life. At present, “the people’s needs for a better life are increasingly extensive, not only putting forward higher requirements for material and cultural life, but also growing demands in areas such as democracy, rule of law, fairness, justice, security, and the environment.” [13]13 Karl Marx, *Grundrisse*, p. 94. Meeting the spiritual needs of the subject has gradually constituted the basic dimension of a better life in the New Era. Common prosperity in spiritual life emphasizes the unity of “quality” and “quantity” in spiritual life, emphasizing nourishing the people by producing high-quality and abundant spiritual and cultural products to continuously meet people’s multi-dimensional spiritual and cultural needs; ensuring the full enjoyment of spiritual resources by members of society to enhance people’s spiritual realms such as morality, aesthetics, and knowledge; regulating the spiritual interaction relationships of different cultural circles to stimulate people’s enthusiasm and enhance the subject’s sense of gain and belonging, thereby gathering spiritual momentum for the people to realize a better life, and prompting people to continuously strive for co-building and sharing a better life with a community posture of fearing no difficulties and working with one heart and one mind.

第三，精神生活共同富裕是人民实现美好生活的时代应答。当下，“人民美好生活需要日益广泛，不仅对物质文化生活提出了更高要求，而且在民主、法治、公平、正义、安全、环境等方面的要求日益增长”,满足主体的精神需要已逐渐构成新时代美好生活的基本向度。精神生活共同富裕强调精神生活中“质”与“量”的统一，强调以生产优质、丰硕的精神文化产品滋养人民，不断满足人们的多维精神文化需要；以保证社会成员精神资源的充分享有，提升人们的道德、审美、知识等精神境界；以调节不同文化圈层的精神交往关系激发人们的积极性，增强主体的获得感与归属感，从而为人民实现美好生活汇聚精神动能，促使人们以不畏艰险、勠力同心的共同体姿态为共建共享美好生活而不断努力。

(B) An Explanation of the Essence of Free Time

(二)自由时间的要义阐释

Time is an important representation of human existence and development. Marx once divided human life activities into two temporal elements: labor time and free time. For a long time, labor time has occupied the vast majority of human life and has been the primary temporal element. However, with the rapid development of social productive forces and the great abundance of material wealth, free time has gradually gained greater weight and has become a necessary foundation for human emancipation. So-called free time is time that is not occupied by the direct production of the means of subsistence and is available for free disposition; it is time needed for the development of all members of society. It can promote the comprehensive return of the human essence, realize the all-round development of the human being, and construct a good life for humanity.

时间是人类存在与发展的重要表征。马克思曾将人的生命活动划分为劳动时间和自由时间两部分时间要素。长期以来，劳动时间占据了人类生命的绝大部分，是第一位的时间要素。然而，随着社会生产力的快速发展和物质财富的极大丰富，自由时间逐渐占据更大权重，已成为人类解放的必要基础。所谓自由时间，是不被生活资料的直接生产所占据的、可供自由支配的时间，是为全体社会成员发展所需要的时间，可以促进人的本质全面回归、实现人的全面发展、构建人的美好生活。

First, free time is a key dimension for bringing about the return of the human essence. Through the historical activities of human society, Marx once pointed out: “Man is not only a political animal by nature, as Aristotle said, but in any case a social animal by nature.” [2]2 Karl Marx, *Capital*, vol. 1, in *Marx and Engels Collected Works*, vol. 35 (Moscow: Progress Publishers, 1996), p. 10. (Paraphrase of Marx’s remark.) As the “ensemble of all social relations,” [3]3 Karl Marx, “Theses on Feuerbach,” in *Marx and Engels Collected Works*, vol. 5 (Moscow: Progress Publishers, 1976), p. 4. the human being can manifest its essence only when it enters into relations with human needs. In Marx’s view, human needs are multi-layered and constantly changing. Human beings must eat, drink, have shelter and clothing before they can engage in political life and artistic creation. When people’s lower-level needs are satisfied, they begin to pursue higher-level needs, and this pursuit of higher-level needs leads people to turn more time toward higher-level spiritual pursuits. As Marx himself said: “The true realm of freedom, which, however, can flourish only on the foundation of the realm of necessity, is the shortening of the working day.” [4]4 Karl Marx, *Capital*, vol. 3, in *Marx and Engels Collected Works*, vol. 37 (Moscow: Progress Publishers, 1998), p. 807. The “shortening of the working day” here means an increase in free time. An increase in free time, in its essence, can promote human development and return the human being to itself. People thereby obtain more ample disposable time to cultivate personal interests and display their own talents. In ample free time, each member of society seeks the true self, acts as their own master, and makes the development of human capacities no longer subordinated to other ends but become an end in itself—that is, the return of the human essence.

其一，自由时间是促成人的本质回归的关键向度。马克思曾透过人类社会历史活动指出：“人即使不像亚里士多德所说的那样，天生是政治动物，无论如何也天生是社会动物。”人作为“一切社会关系的总和”,只有与人的需要产生联系，才能体现人的本质。在马克思看来，人的需要是多层次且不断变化的，人类必须吃喝住行，然后才能从事政治生活和艺术创造。当人们的低层次需要得到满足以后，便会开始追求更高层次的需要，而此种对高层次需要的追求使人们将更多的时间转向更高层次的精神追求。正如马克思所言：“这个自由王国只有建立在必然王国的基础上，才能繁荣起来。工作日的缩短是根本条件。”此处的“工作日缩短”即自由时间的增加。自由时间的增加，就其本质而言能够促进人的发展且回归人自身。人们由此获得了更多充裕的可支配的时间以培养个人爱好、施展自身才华。每个社会成员在充分的自由时间中寻找真正的自我，为自己做主，使人的能力发展不再屈从于其他目的，而成为目的本身，即人的本质回归。

Second, free time is an important condition for realizing the all-round development of the human being. The all-round development of the human being, as the value purport and foothold that runs consistently through Marxism, is the unchanging pursuit of socialism with Chinese characteristics grounded in “the human being.” Realizing the all-round development of the human being depends on the social members’ appropriation of free time. The increase in free time endows social members with more autonomy and decision-making power, and their level of intellect and spiritual realm are thereby continuously elevated. However, for human society as a whole, “the process of social development does not consist in the fact that, because one person has satisfied his own urgent needs, he therefore creates a surplus for himself.” [5]5 Karl Marx, *Grundrisse der Kritik der politischen Ökonomie*, in *Marx and Engels Collected Works*, vol. 29 (Moscow: Progress Publishers, 1987), p. 94. If social progress depends on some part of the people investing more time and bearing doubled labor in order to create more free time for another part of the people, then this kind of development is contrary to human nature and is not conducive to social progress. Hence, “whether society has time for a development that conforms to humanity depends on time.” [6]6 Ibid., p. 95. An increase in free time can, to a certain extent, raise the quality of social members. When they have enough time and space to fully develop their individual talents, these talents are transformed into the greatest productive force and react upon society, whereupon the leap from the realm of necessity to the realm of freedom is realized. In the realm of freedom, which is established on the basis of the shortening of the working day and the termination of labor that is an external end, social development conforms to human nature, everyone enjoys abundant material goods and free time, “the development of human capacities as an end in itself” [7]7 Karl Marx, *Capital*, vol. 3, p. 807. is realized, and people gradually attain all-round development.

其二，自由时间是实现人的全面发展的重要条件。人的全面发展作为马克思主义一以贯之的价值旨趣和立足要点，是中国特色社会主义立足于“人”的不变追求。实现人的全面发展依赖于社会成员对自由时间的占有，自由时间的增多赋予社会成员更多的自主权与决定权，其心智水平与精神境界也随之得以不断提升。然而，就整个人类社会而言，“社会的发展进程决不在于：因为一个人满足了自己的迫切需要，所以才创造自己的剩余额”。若社会的进步依赖于某部分人投入更多的时间、负担加倍的劳动，从而为另一部分人创造出更多的自由时间，那么这种发展是违背人性的，不利于社会进步的。因而“社会是否有时间来实现合乎人性的发展，就取决于时间”。自由时间的增多一定程度上会提升社会成员的素质，当他们拥有足够的时间与空间来充分发挥个人才能，这些才能便转化为最大的生产力反作用于社会，随即实现了必然王国向自由王国的飞跃。在建立于工作日缩短、外在目的性劳动终止的自由王国中，社会的发展合乎人性，每个人都享有丰富的物质资料与自由时间，“作为目的本身的人类能力的发挥”得以实现，人们便逐渐得到了全面发展。

Third, free time is the internal driving force for constructing a good life for humanity. In the Marxist perspective, the human being is a spiritual, natural, and social being—a complete existence. A good life for humanity requires not only a certain amount of labor time to produce material wealth, but also the possession of “free time at one’s own disposal”; it is an organic unity of material life and spiritual life. Through the use of free time, people gradually transcend the purely material sphere of production, shake off various rigid and compulsory forms of labor, and attempt to experience diverse ways of life in various roles and identities, exploring new spheres of life. At this point, people are no longer confined “within a narrow compass and on a fixed spot” [8]8 Karl Marx, *Grundrisse*, p. 409. but, under unrestricted conditions, explore and realize all the potential possibilities in life. As Marx pointed out, free time enables people “to do one thing today and another tomorrow, to hunt in the morning, fish in the afternoon, rear cattle in the evening, criticize after dinner, just as I have a mind,” [9]9 Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, *The German Ideology*, in *Marx and Engels Collected Works*, vol. 5 (Moscow: Progress Publishers, 1976), p. 47. so that the state of people’s life is transformed from monotonous to vivid, from one-sided to all-round, from impoverished to abundant, and ultimately becomes a multi-faceted, three-dimensional existence. It can be seen that free time not only stimulates the boundless creative enthusiasm and striving vitality of social members, enabling people to enrich themselves and obtain great spiritual satisfaction in the process of seeking truth, goodness, and beauty, but also expands “the world of wealth they have created,” [10]10 Karl Marx, *Grundrisse*, p. 409. providing a continuous internal driving force for the realization of a good life.

其三，自由时间是构建人的美好生活的内驱动力。在马克思主义视野中，人是精神的、自然的、社会的存在物，是一个完整的存在。人的美好生活既需要具备一定的劳动时间以生产物质财富，更需要拥有可供“自己处置的自由时间”,是物质生活与精神生活的有机统一体。在自由时间运用下，人逐渐超越纯粹的物质生产领域，摆脱各种固化、强制的劳动，试图以各类不同的角色、身份体验各式各样的生活方式，探寻全新的生活领域。此刻的人们不再困于“狭小的范围内和孤立的地点上”,而是在不受限制的条件下，探索并实现生活中的所有潜在可能性。如马克思所指出的，自由时间使人们“有可能随自己的兴趣今天干这事，明天干那事，上午打猎，下午捕鱼，傍晚从事畜牧，晚饭后从事批判”,使人们的生活状态实现由单调至生动，由片面至全面，由贫乏至充裕，最终成为具有多重面向的立体性存在。可见，自由时间既激发了社会成员无限的创作热情和奋斗活力，使人们丰富了自我，在求真、求善、求美的过程中获取精神的极大满足，更拓展了“他们所创造的财富世界”,为美好生活的实现提供源源不断的内驱动力。

(III) The Internal Connection between Common Prosperity in Cultural-Ethical Life and Free Time

(三)精神生活共同富裕与自由时间的内在关联

Marx once pointed out: “The whole development of mankind, insofar as it goes beyond the immediate needs of man’s natural existence, is nothing other than the use of this free time, and the premise of the whole development of mankind is to take this free time as a necessary foundation.” [11]11 Karl Marx, *Grundrisse*, p. 94. On the new journey of solidly advancing common prosperity in cultural-ethical life, the value of free time in enriching the people’s cultural-ethical life is particularly prominent, especially in satisfying the people’s cultural-ethical needs, realizing the full enjoyment of cultural-ethical resources, and achieving deep interaction in cultural-ethical communication. It is precisely under the guidance of Marx’s thought on free time that the various elements for promoting common prosperity in cultural-ethical life are continuously activated, revealing the internal connection between the two.

马克思曾指出：“整个人类的发展，就其超出人的自然存在所直接需要的发展来说，无非是对这种自由时间的运用，并且整个人类发展的前提就是把这种自由时间作为必要的基础。”在扎实推进精神共同富裕的新征程中，自由时间在丰富人民精神生活，尤其是满足人民精神需要、落实精神资源充分享有以及实现精神交往深层互动等方面的价值尤为突出。也正是在马克思自由时间思想的指引下，促进精神生活共同富裕的各要素被不断激活，展现出两者的内在关联。

First, free time is a necessary prerequisite for satisfying the “multi-dimensional needs” of the spiritual world. Promoting common prosperity in cultural-ethical life is a process of “enriching the people’s spiritual world, strengthening the people’s spiritual strength, and satisfying the people’s spiritual needs.” [12]12 Xi Jinping, “Hold High the Great Banner of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and Strive in Unity to Build a Modern Socialist Country in All Respects,” Report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, October 16, 2022. Free time, as a necessary prerequisite for realizing common prosperity in cultural-ethical life, is the best driving force for boosting spiritual production to satisfy people’s “multi-dimensional needs.” Marx once turned the question of freedom in spiritual production toward the dimension of time, holding that “the less time society requires to produce wheat, cattle, etc., the more time it wins for other production, material or spiritual.” [13]13 Karl Marx, *Grundrisse*, p. 94. Only by continuously raising the level of development of the productive forces and increasing the proportion of free time by economizing on labor time can the realm of necessity be spurred toward a flourishing realm of freedom. Focusing on reality, with the popularization and application of artificial intelligence, the degree of intelligence in human society is constantly increasing. New quality productive forces, based on disruptive frontier technologies that give rise to new industries, new drivers, and new models, have achieved rapid development, creating favorable real conditions for free time. In the past, a certain production line required hundreds or thousands of people to complete a project together; today, only a few intelligent machines and equipment are needed to complete it more precisely and efficiently. This means that new quality productive forces, by integrating frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence, have greatly raised social labor productivity, compressed people’s necessary labor time, liberated them from heavy labor, and increased the space for people’s appropriation of free time. When people appropriate more free time, they can participate in more social activities, train various skills, receive quality education, etc. This is conducive to people finding self-worth and clarifying self-awareness in the practical activities of developing themselves, fundamentally satisfying people’s higher and deeper meaning needs, so as to ultimately realize the ultimate goal of spiritual production—the all-round development of the human being.

第一，自由时间是满足精神世界“多维需要”的必要前提。促进精神生活共同富裕是“丰富人民精神世界，增强人民精神力量，满足人民精神需求”的过程，自由时间作为实现精神生活共同富裕的必要前提，是助推精神生产以满足人们“多维需要”的最佳动力。马克思曾将精神生产的自由问题转向时间维度，认为“社会为生产小麦、牲畜等等物质所需要的时间越少，它所赢得的从事其他生产，物质的或精神的生产的时间就越多”。唯有不断提高生产力的发展水平，通过节约劳动时间以增加自由时间占比，才能促成必然王国迈向繁荣的自由王国。聚焦现实，随着人工智能的普及与运用，人类社会的智能化程度不断提高，以颠覆性前沿技术催生新产业、新动能、新模式为基础的新质生产力实现了快速发展，为自由时间创造了良好的现实条件。过去某项生产流水线需要成百上千人共同完成的项目，现如今仅需几个智能机器设备便可更加精准、高效地完成。这意味着，新质生产力通过整合人工智能等前沿技术极大地提升了社会劳动生产率，压缩了人们的必要劳动时间，使其从繁重的劳动中解放出来，增加了人们对自由时间的占有空间。当人们占有更多的自由时间，便能够参与更多的社会活动、训练各项技能、接受优质教育等，有利于人们在发展自身的实践活动中找寻自我价值，明确自我意识，从根本上满足人的更高、更深层次的意义需求，以最终实现人的全面发展这一精神生产终极目标。

Second, free time is the realistic foundation for implementing the "full enjoyment" of spiritual resources. In the process of advancing toward common prosperity in spiritual life, the masses have always been the creators and enjoyers of spiritual resources, and the implementation of co-construction and shared enjoyment in spiritual life involves the rational distribution of high-quality spiritual and cultural products, striving to achieve the popularization and massification of spiritual wealth, thereby promoting the enhancement of the spiritual and cultural literacy of social members. Here, a question must be considered: whether people have basic time guarantees and the right to dispose of free time in the process of creating and enjoying spiritual resources. In real life, although the law stipulates people's working hours and grants them due rights to rest, due to differences in industrial structures and labor sectors, various forms of overtime work remain prevalent, making it difficult for people to equally and fully enjoy free time, and their spiritual life consequently loses its basic time guarantee. Therefore, only when each social member correctly and rationally disposes of their own time and truly enjoys the free time for full development can they "equally and ever more abundantly obtain the means of subsistence, the means of enjoyment, and the means for the development and expression of all physical and intellectual capacities,"[14]14 Marx and Engels, *Collected Works*, Vol. 22, p. 243. [This is a citation from the works of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, referring to the means of subsistence, enjoyment, and development.] so that spiritual resources can be more widely and fairly allocated to each social member, thereby continuously consolidating the spiritual conditions for the people's happy life, and ultimately promoting common prosperity in people's spiritual life.

第二，自由时间是落实精神资源“充分享有”的现实基础。在迈向精神生活共同富裕的进程中，人民群众始终是精神资源的创造者和享有者，而精神生活共建共享的落实是将高质量的精神文化产品进行合理分配，力争实现精神财富的普及化、大众化，从而推动社会成员精神文化素养的提升。其中需思考一个问题，即人们在进行精神资源创造与享有的过程中是否拥有基本的时间保障以及自由时间的可支配权。在现实生活中，法律虽规定了人们工作时间，并赋予了应有的休假权利，但由于产业结构与劳动部门的差异，各种加班模式依然盛行，人们难以平等且充分地享有自由时间，人的精神生活也随之失却了基础时间保障。因而，每个社会成员唯有正确合理地支配自己的时间，且真正享有充分发展的自由时间，才能“同等地、愈益丰富地得到生活资料、享受资料、发展和表现一切体力和智力所需的资料”,精神资源方能更广泛、更公平地落实到各个社会成员，进而不断夯实人民幸福生活的精神条件，最终促进人们精神生活的共同富裕。

Third, free time is the dynamic source for realizing "deep interaction" in spiritual communication. As a direct product of people's material actions, spiritual communication is a two-way practical activity of human thought and consciousness, and it is also an important link in achieving common prosperity in people's spiritual life. Through deep-level spiritual communication, people satisfy each other's spiritual needs and fully understand themselves and others, thereby achieving richness and fullness in spiritual life. However, this deep interactive spiritual communication is not spontaneously obtained; it requires a harmonious social atmosphere and abundant time and energy. In contemporary society, people's material living conditions are increasingly improving, and people often have more time and energy to participate in various forms of ideological exchange and social interaction activities, in pursuit of a rich and diverse spiritual life. Especially in the era of digital intelligence, the content and forms of people's spiritual communication present a state of "human-machine" harmony. The effective integration of intelligent algorithms directly shortens the time gap in various data acquisition and information production, creating more immersive time for the spiritual communication activities of social members, and opening up a field of action for people's free activities and development. It can be seen that free time, to a certain extent, helps people engage in more meaningful spiritual communication activities, shedding the "invisible anxiety" brought by work, and truly "immersing oneself in the real world, to hear, see, and contemplate,"[15]15 Hannah Arendt, *The Human Condition*, p. 325. [This is a citation from the political theorist Hannah Arendt, describing engagement with the real world through perception and contemplation.] thereby harmoniously communicating and integrating with oneself, social groups, and the entire world, extending the depth of people's spiritual world.

第三，自由时间是实现精神交往“深层互动”的动力源泉。精神交往作为人们物质行动的直接产物，是人类思维意识的双向实践活动，更是实现人们精神生活共同富裕的重要一环。人们通过深层次的精神交往满足彼此的精神需要并全面认识自我与他人，从而实现精神生活的丰富充盈。但这种深层互动的精神交往并非自发所得，而是需要和谐的社会氛围和充沛的时间精力。在当代社会，人们的物质生活条件日益得到改善，人们往往拥有更多的时间与精力参与各类思想交流与社会交往活动，以追求丰富多元的精神生活。尤其在数智时代，人们精神交往的内容与形式呈现出“人—机”和合状态。智能算法的有效融入直接缩短了各类数据获取与信息生产的时间差距，为社会成员的精神交往活动创造出更多的沉浸时间，为人们的自由活动和发展开辟了用武之地。可见，自由时间在一定程度上有助于人们进行更多有意义的精神交往活动，摆脱工作带来的“隐形焦虑”,真正“投身于真实世界中，听闻、观看及沉思默想”,从而与自身、社会群体以及整个世界和谐交往，融为一体，延展人的精神世界深度。

II. The Free Time Dilemma Constraining Common Prosperity in Spiritual Life

二、制约精神生活共同富裕的自由时间困境

As an important condition for the comprehensive development of human beings and an intrinsic driving force for realizing a better life, the significance of free time is increasingly prominent in the current construction of common prosperity in spiritual life. However, the alienation of time under the logic of capital causes the continuous atrophy of the subject's spiritual needs; the compression of time in technological innovation leads to insufficient enjoyment of spiritual resources by the subject; and the waste of time in the prioritization of entertainment makes spiritual communication superficial. These factors bring numerous obstacles and challenges to the advancement of common prosperity in spiritual life.

作为人的全面发展的重要条件和实现美好生活的内在驱动力，自由时间的意义在当前精神生活共同富裕的构建中日益凸显。然而，资本逻辑下的时间异化使主体的精神需求不断萎缩，技术革新中的时间挤压使主体精神资源享有不足，娱乐至上化的时间虚度使主体精神交往浮于浅表，为精神生活共同富裕的推进带来了诸多阻碍与挑战。

(1) The Alienation of Time under the Logic of Capital Leads to the Continuous Atrophy of the Subject's Spiritual Needs

(一)资本逻辑下的时间异化导致主体精神需求不断萎缩

From an objective perspective, with the continuous improvement of human material productive forces, the necessary labor time required to sustain daily life has been effectively shortened, while free time for spiritual production and satisfying individual spiritual needs is gradually increasing. However, in terms of the deductive process of the logic of capital, free time is not the basis for realizing human spiritual abundance, but rather a prerequisite for the valorization of capital. Under the discipline of the logic of capital, traditional labor time is constantly deconstructed, and instead, in a more concealed and flexible mode of operation, the laborer's time is incorporated into the system of valorization, achieving comprehensive control and erosion of the laborer's free time. Although this power of capital is concealed, it is extremely stringent. Especially in the process of people's spiritual production, if the logic of capital monopolizes people's free time, the rich connotations of the subject's spiritual needs will also be continuously dispersed. In order to make a living, spiritual producers have no choice but to "transform all their life time into labor time dominated by capital for the valorization of capital."[16]16 Marx, *Capital*, Vol. 1, p. 307. [This is a citation from Marx's critique of political economy, referring to the transformation of life time into labor time under capital.] All spiritual production activities carried out are fundamentally inconsistent with the intrinsic needs of human beings, and in essence only manifest as a means of resisting oppression and pursuing survival.

从客观上看，随着人类物质生产力的持续提升，维系日常生活所需的必要劳动时间得以有效缩短，而用于精神生产、满足个体精神需求的自由时间正逐步增加。但就资本逻辑的演绎过程而言，自由时间并非实现人的精神富足的基础，而是作为资本增殖的前提。在资本逻辑规训下，传统的劳动时间被不断解构，反之以一种更隐蔽的、柔性的运作方式将劳动者的时间纳入价值增殖的体系，以实现对劳动者自由时间的全面控制与侵蚀。此种资本力量虽隐蔽却异常严苛，尤其在人们的精神生产过程中，若资本逻辑霸占了人的自由时间，主体精神需求的丰富意涵也将被不断驱散。精神生产者为了谋取生存，也不得不将其“全部生活时间转化为受资本支配的增殖资本价值的劳动时间”。所有开展的精神生产活动都与人的内在需求本质不相符，本质上仅表现为一种对抗压迫、追求生存的手段。

In the current era of increasingly developed digital technology, the social subject's demand for "necessities of life" has begun to expand from basic material resources (food, water) to electronic products (computers, mobile phones). These devices are not only the main media for people's entertainment and communication, but also important tools for labor. "Everyone is like a labor camp, carrying their workstation with them at all times,"[17]17 This is a contemporary Chinese internet expression criticizing the phenomenon of "996" work culture and the blurring of work-life boundaries in the digital age. and they can "take orders" and "stand by" anytime, anywhere, actively creating content that can be commodified. Even the traces and habits of people browsing web pages during their leisure time can be captured by ubiquitous monitoring programs, which then accurately outline the "dynamic portrait" of the audience, placing all the subject's activity space under the secret control of capital. The power of capital is adept at continuously attracting users' attention with more open and diversified digital services, capturing users through emotional, personalized, and visual digital spectacles such as films and live streams, incessantly encroaching on people's life time, and then overstimulating people's sensory desires through various means such as symbolic coding and program manipulation, gradually sliding the subject's spiritual life into the abyss of being "led." These "selected" indoctrination contents of capital are often mixed with low-quality, vulgar concepts such as consumerism and value nihilism, while those high-quality spiritual and cultural contents that can truly enlighten the soul and possess a critical spirit are gradually ignored. Over time, people's spiritual life becomes instrumentalized and sensualized, as if spiritual pleasure can only be obtained by drifting through endless consumer activities. The subject's spiritual needs begin to continuously atrophy, always hovering between illusory material desires and shallow psychological satisfaction, with spiritual pursuits being one-sidedly confined to the category of material possession, causing all of people's sensory experiences to be bound by the satisfaction of material needs, as if degenerating into a material-desire-driven existence devoid of individuality.

在数字化技术日益发达的当下，社会主体对“生活必需品”的需求已开始由以往的基础物质资源(食物、水)扩展为电子产品(电脑、手机),这些设备不仅是人们进行娱乐、交流的主要媒介，更是进行劳动的重要工具，“每个人都如同一座劳改所，随时随地把工位带在身上”,他们可以随时随地“接单”“待命”,主动创造出可被商品化的内容。甚至人们在闲暇时间浏览网页的痕迹、习惯都能被无处不在的监控程序捕捉，并据此精准勾勒出受众的“动态画像”,使主体的一切活动空间都处于资本的隐秘管控之中。资本力量善于以更多开放式、多元化的数字服务不断吸引着用户们的注意力，利用情感化、个性化、视觉化的影视和直播等数字景观俘获用户，无间断地对人们的生活时间进行侵占，再通过各类符号编码、程序操控等手段过度激发人们的感官欲望，使主体的精神生活逐渐滑向“被牵引”的深渊。这些经由资本“挑选”的灌输内容往往掺杂着消费主义、价值虚无主义等低质、庸俗的观念，而那些真正能够启迪灵魂、具备批判精神的高品质精神文化内容则逐渐被忽视。久而久之，人们的精神生活也变得工具化与肉欲化，似乎只有游离于层出不穷的消费活动中才能得到精神欢愉。主体的精神需求开始不断萎缩，始终徘徊于虚无的物欲和浅层的心理满足之间，精神追求被片面地局限于对物质占有的范畴内，导致人的全部感官体验被物质需求的满足所束缚，仿佛堕落为一种丧失个性的物欲性存在。

(2) The Compression of Time in Technological Innovation Leads to Insufficient Enjoyment of Spiritual Resources by the Subject

(二)技术革新中的时间挤压导致主体精神资源享有不足

The acquisition of spiritual resources is an important pathway for ensuring that people fully enjoy the spiritual and cultural wealth of the New Era, and is a key component of achieving common prosperity in cultural-ethical life. It requires not only material conditions but also the guarantee of free time. With the evolution and innovation of digital technology, the temporal structure of human life has undergone new changes. In terms of the “quantity” of time, although technological innovation theoretically helps raise labor productivity, significantly shortening the time needed to produce labor products and increasing free time, it also offers workers more employment options. In reality, the development of digital technology has instead triggered a state of uninterrupted work. New employment models such as digital gig work and the expansion of digital production methods are altering traditional boundaries of time, forcing all areas of people’s lives to be integrated into productive labor. For instance, the widespread use of mobile office software like WeCom and DingTalk has completely shattered the natural barrier between work time and non-work time. The blurring of work-life boundaries directly leads to a reduction in the amount of free time. According to relevant statistics, the proportion of urban youth working an average of over 41 hours per week has grown to 53.8%, and overtime models like “996” and “007” [18]18 “996” refers to working from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week; “007” refers to working from midnight to midnight, seven days a week. Both are informal terms for extreme overtime schedules common in some Chinese tech companies. in internet companies have become the norm. Under such prolonged and high-intensity work conditions, people easily fall into a state of physical and mental exhaustion with no capacity for self-recovery. Quality of life and physical health are subsequently affected, and various mental illnesses such as depression, borderline personality disorder, and chronic fatigue syndrome dominate the disease patterns of the 21st century. Some workers, due to long-term severe fatigue, even suffer “karoshi” [19]19 “Karoshi” is a Japanese term (過労死) meaning “death from overwork,” adopted into Chinese discourse to describe sudden death caused by chronic overwork., a social phenomenon frequently reported in the news. People who remain in a state of excessive overtime for extended periods not only feel mentally drained by their work but also have no time to access and enjoy spiritual and cultural resources that elevate the spirit and purify the mind.

精神资源的获取是确保人们充分享有新时代精神文化财富的重要途径，是实现精神生活共同富裕的重要内容，既离不开物质条件的支持，更需要自由时间的保障。随着数字技术的演进与革新，人类的时间结构随之发生了新的改变。从时间的“量”上看，尽管技术革新在理论上有利于提高劳动生产率，使人们生产劳动产品的时间大大缩短，自由时间大量增多，还为劳动者提供了更多工作选择。实际上，数字技术的发展反而引发了人们无间隙的工作状态。数字零工等新型就业模式的出现以及数字化生产方式的展开正改变着传统的时间划分界限，使得人们的全部生活领域都被迫整合到生产劳动之中。如企业微信、钉钉等移动办公软件的普及彻底打破了工作时间与非工作时间的天然壁垒，工作与生活边界的模糊直接引发了自由时间量的削减。据有关数据统计，城镇青年周平均工作时长超过41小时的人数占比已增长至53.8%,互联网公司的“996”“007”等加班模式更是成为常态。在如此长时间与高强度的工作状态下，人们容易陷入身心俱疲的状态之中而无力自愈，生活质量与身体健康也会随之受到影响，各种精神疾病如抑郁症、边缘性人格障碍、疲劳综合征等主导了21世纪的疾病形态。甚至部分工作者由于长期处于严重疲劳状态，“引起过劳死”的社会新闻也屡屡出现。长期处于过度超时劳动的人们不仅对自己从事的工作感到心力交瘁，更无暇获取和享有引领人们精神向上、净化心灵的精神文化资源。

In terms of the “quality” of time, the accelerated development of digital technology makes it difficult for people to better plan how they use their time, easily trapping them in a mental state of emptiness, anxiety, and chaos. People are keen to regard a “filled-up life” as the desirable good life, making the use of time to acquire all resources their goal of action. This pursuit of the irrational plunges people into the vortex of “involution” [20]20 “Involution” (内卷, nèijuǎn) is a term popularized in Chinese social media to describe a situation of intense competition where individuals expend increasing effort without proportional gains, often leading to burnout. formed by competition. The “involutionary competition” in some industries does not aim at pursuing human happiness but forcibly drags people into the accelerated operational system of time. As people’s free time is increasingly squeezed, the disposable time resources become scarcer, and people’s sense of urgency about time grows stronger. This invisibly instills in people a mistaken concept of “involution” and “self-consumption,” causing them to “suffer from ‘time famine,’ ‘time poverty,’ and ‘time encroachment’,” and thus willingly become a never-stopping “top.” Under the heavy pressures of work, life, and competition, work is prioritized over the pursuit of spiritual resources conducive to people’s all-round development and aligned with personal aesthetics. It is evident that when people are in an involutionary environment and under endless pressure, leisure becomes a luxury. The continuous reduction of disposable and usable free time causes them to neglect the spiritual development needs inherent to being human. They have no heart to seek poetry, no mind to participate in high-quality spiritual and cultural production and life, and no desire to enjoy personalized and diverse spiritual resources. The insufficient enjoyment of subjective spiritual resources has become a common social phenomenon, further hindering the smooth advancement of common prosperity in cultural-ethical life.

从时间的“质”上看，数字技术的加速发展使得人们难以更好规划时间的使用方式，极易陷入空虚、焦虑、忙乱的精神状态，人们热衷于将“被填满的生活”视为可追求的美好生活，把利用时间获取一切资源作为行动目标。这种对非理性的追求，使人们深陷于因竞争所形成的“内卷化”漩涡中。部分行业的“内卷化竞争”并不是以追求人的幸福为目的，而是强制地把人们拖入时间加速的运行体制之中。当人们的自由时间被挤压得愈来愈少，可支配的时间资源也随之紧俏，人们对时间的紧张感便愈发强烈，无形中给人们灌输着一种“内卷”“自耗”的错误观念，使人们“饱受‘时间饥荒’‘时间贫困’‘时间侵占’等困扰”,从而甘愿沦为一个永不停歇的“陀螺”。在繁重的工作压力、生活压力与竞争压力下，工作被优先于追求有利于人自身全面发展、符合个人审美的精神资源之前。可见，当人们处在内卷的环境中和无尽的压力前，闲暇便成了奢侈品。可支配、利用的自由时间的不断变少，使其忽略了人之为人的自由发展精神需求。他们无心寻觅诗意，无心参与高质量的精神文化生产生活，更无心享受个性化、多样化的精神资源，主体精神资源享有不足成为社会普遍现象，进一步阻碍了精神生活共同富裕的顺利推进。

(3) The Time-Wasting of Entertainment Supremacy Leads to Superficial Spiritual Interaction Among Subjects

(三)娱乐至上化的时间虚度导致主体精神交往浮于浅表

In analyzing spiritual interaction, Marx emphasized: “The worker must have time to satisfy spiritual and social needs, the extent and number of which are determined by the general state of culture.” [21]21 This is a paraphrase of Marx’s argument in *Capital*, Volume 1, Chapter 10, on the working day and the need for time for spiritual and social needs. It is precisely because they “have time” that workers can enrich their spiritual life through deep-level spiritual interaction. However, under the shadow of pan-entertainmentism, people degrade the meaning of free time to the pursuit and worship of symbols and commodities. The use of free time, in an atmosphere of entertainment supremacy, becomes meaningless killing and wasting. In the chase for traffic and stimulation, people directly ignore the passage of time, gradually sinking into the indulgence and revelry of pan-entertainmentism. Especially under the influence of concepts like “lying flat culture” [22]22 “Lying flat” (躺平, tǎngpíng) is a Chinese social phenomenon and slogan, especially among youth, referring to opting out of societal pressures such as intense work and consumption, choosing a minimalist lifestyle instead. and “hedonism,” people either immerse themselves in “lowbrow” entertainment activities during their leisure time or fall into “impulsive” shopping on internet e-commerce platforms. This causes their due free time to appear in a fragmented state, and their process of spiritual interaction is also split by the complex and diverse information into increasingly shorter one-time plans, mostly remaining in a social state lacking depth and durability. Moreover, free time seems to transform into “consumption time,” and the free-time activities people engage in also seem to be framed within false consumption activities. On the surface, people can follow their free will to engage in various entertainment and consumption activities, but this “need” is, to a certain extent, generated by the expansion of false desires. For example, digital entertainment platforms or online games in modern society are constructed from virtual symbols or virtual spectacles. These symbols and spectacles fundamentally represent the filling of free time by consumer culture and consumer psychology, causing people to neglect their true spiritual pursuits and remain stuck in superficial spiritual interaction.

马克思在分析精神交往时强调：“工人必须有时间满足精神需要和社会需要，这些需要的范围和数量由一般的文化状况决定。”正是因为“有时间”,工人才能通过深层化的精神交往以丰富其精神生活。然而在泛娱乐主义的笼罩下，人们将自由时间的意义贬黜为对符号与物的追随与膜拜。自由时间的运用在娱乐至上化的氛围中变为毫无意义的消磨与虚度。人们在流量与刺激的追逐中直接忽略了时间的流逝，逐渐陷落于泛娱乐主义的放纵与欢腾。尤其在“躺平文化”“享乐主义”等观念的影响下，人们在闲暇之余要么沉浸于“低级趣味”的娱乐活动，要么深陷于互联网电商平台之中“激情”购物，致使应有的自由时间呈现出一种分散的状态，人们的精神交往过程也被纷繁复杂的信息割裂为愈来愈短的一次性计划，更多地停留于缺乏深度与持久度的社交状态之中。不仅如此，自由时间仿佛转变为“消费时间”,人们所进行的自由时间活动也仿佛被框定在虚假的消费活动之中。表面上人们可以依循自由意志开展各类娱乐消费活动，但这种“需要”一定程度上是随着虚假欲望的膨胀所产生的。譬如现代社会中的数字化娱乐平台或网络游戏都是由虚拟符号或虚拟景观构建出来的，这些符号与景观从根本上看即消费文化和消费心理对自由时间的填充，致使人们忽略真实的精神追求，始终停留于浅表化的精神交往之中。

Although Marx includes leisure time within the scope of free time, true free development is not a state of aimless looseness or entertainment-driven revelry. The entertainment kingdom, filled with utilitarianism and selfishness, conceals people’s real spiritual world. Entertainment supremacy allows people to enjoy moments of pleasure freed from social discipline in fresh and noisy sensory rituals, but this entertainment revelry is not deep spiritual interaction or mental growth; it is merely superficial sensory pleasure. The value of a good life for people diminishes as they voluntarily devalue their spiritual pursuits. The logic of individual development of the subject is replaced by the logic of entertainment-driven and utilitarian traffic, and the genuine differences among social members are weakened, thereby also diluting the sincerity and emotional depth in spiritual interaction. Thus, the use of free time, in an atmosphere of entertainment supremacy, becomes meaningless killing and wasting, dissolving the labor attributes and social attributes of spiritual producers. After the brief frolic, people will once again fall into a spiritual emptiness of superficial thought, and it becomes difficult for people to enjoy true spiritual joy in the process of spiritual interaction.

虽然马克思将闲暇时间囊括在自由时间范围之内，但真正的自由发展并非漫无目的的松散状态与娱乐至上的狂欢。充斥着功利性、私己性的娱乐王国掩藏了人们的真实精神世界。娱乐至上化使得人们在新鲜、喧闹的感觉仪式中享受着脱离社会规训的片刻欢愉，但这种娱乐狂欢并非深层的精神互动与心灵成长，而是浮于表面的感官愉悦。人的美好生活价值随着对精神追求的自行贬抑而加速消减，主体发展的个性化逻辑被娱乐化、功利化的流量逻辑所替代，社会成员间的真实差异性被减弱，随之也淡化了精神交往中的真诚度与情感深度。因而自由时间的运用在娱乐至上化的氛围中变为毫无意义的消磨与虚度，消解了精神生产者的劳动属性和社会属性。在短暂的嬉闹之后人们又将再一次陷入思想浮泛的精神空虚之中，人与人在精神交往过程中也难以享受真正的精神欢愉。

III. Practical Pathways for Promoting Common Prosperity in Cultural-Ethical Life Through Free Time

三、以自由时间促进精神生活共同富裕的实践理路

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that we must “promote common prosperity in people’s cultural-ethical life… continuously meet the diverse, multi-level, and multi-faceted spiritual and cultural needs of the people.” [23]23 This is a paraphrase of Xi Jinping’s remarks on common prosperity in cultural-ethical life, as articulated in speeches such as those at the 10th National Congress of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the 9th National Congress of the China Writers Association (2021) and in the resolution of the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee (2021). On the new journey of the New Era, promoting the improvement of quality and efficiency in spiritual production, the comprehensive enjoyment of spiritual resources, and the broad and deep spiritual interaction requires not only fully recognizing the value of free time and leveraging the positive effects of artificial intelligence to enable the people to enjoy more free time, but also grasping free time with a balance of tension and relaxation, achieving the unity of controlling time and utilizing time. Ultimately, this guides people to internalize free time in the process of promoting common prosperity in cultural-ethical life, stimulate the infinite creative passion of the subject, and create a new and better life through labor and struggle.

习近平总书记指出，要“促进人民精神生活共同富裕……不断满足人民群众多样化、多层次、多方面的精神文化需求”。在新时代新征程中，促进精神生产提质增效、精神资源全面享有、精神交往广泛深入，不仅需要充分认识到自由时间的价值所在，发挥人工智能的正向效用，使人民群众享有更多自由时间，还需要张弛有度地把握自由时间，做到驾驭时间与利用时间相统一，最终引导人们在促进精神生活共同富裕的进程中将自由时间内化于自身，激发主体的无限创造热情，在劳动奋斗中创造新的美好生活。

(1) Promoting Human Liberation Through the Positive Effects of Artificial Intelligence to Enhance the Quality and Efficiency of Spiritual Production

(一)以人工智能的正向效用促进人的劳动解放，推动精神生产提质增效

When discussing the epochal value of artificial intelligence, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Artificial intelligence is a strategic technology that leads this round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, and it has a ‘bellwether’ effect with strong spillover and driving force.” From its inception, artificial intelligence was designed to replace human labour, helping humans accomplish many tasks beyond their capabilities, freeing people from the constraints of social production, management, and domestic labour, thereby providing the technical preparation for people to obtain more free time to achieve free and comprehensive development, and further showing humanity the radiant possibility of promoting the liberation of labour. However, although machine production itself is conducive to promoting human liberation, once it is incorporated into the orbit of capital, it creates many paradoxical problems. In essence, artificial intelligence can only be a necessary technical foundation for obtaining free time; only by leveraging its positive effects can the true liberation of human labour be achieved, thereby promoting the improvement of quality and efficiency in spiritual production.

习近平总书记在论及人工智能的时代价值时指出：“人工智能是引领这一轮科技革命和产业变革的战略性技术，具有溢出带动性很强的‘头雁’效应。”人工智能创造之初即为了替代人类劳动，帮助人类完成诸多力所不及的任务，使人们从社会生产、管理及家庭劳动等领域的束缚中解放出来，为人们获取更多自由时间以实现自由而全面的发展提供了技术准备，更向人类展现出促成劳动解放的可能性光辉。然而，机器生产本身虽有利于促进人的解放，但是一旦纳入资本的轨道之中，就会形成诸多悖论性问题。人工智能本质上只能是获取自由时间的一个必要技术基础，唯有发挥其正向效用才能真正实现人的劳动解放，以推动精神生产提质增效。

On the one hand, human society must actively use emerging technologies such as cloud computing, big data, and generative artificial intelligence to build a high ground for cultural-ethical progress. In the process of achieving common prosperity in cultural-ethical life, spiritual production is the primary link in meeting the needs for a better life, as “to meet the people’s new expectations for a better life, it is necessary to provide rich spiritual nourishment.” Therefore, artificial intelligence must be correctly utilised, “integrating scientific and technological innovation resources, leading the development of strategic emerging industries and future industries, and accelerating the formation of new quality productive forces.” New quality productive forces are advanced productive forces covering all fields; the new modes of production they embody will help form new relations of production with a tendency toward common prosperity. New quality productive forces can further promote the transformation and upgrading of industrial structures through scientific and technological innovation and its application, prompting intelligent production to save humans a large amount of physical and mental effort, thereby obtaining more free time to engage in spiritual production activities such as scientific research and artistic creation. At the same time, relevant departments should, under the development and application of artificial intelligence, always adhere to the basic orientation of providing high-capacity, high-quality cultural service supply, creating spiritual and cultural products rich in ideological connotation; achieve spiritual empowerment by perfecting cultural undertakings that reflect the voice of the times, the soul of the people, and the beauty of life; promote the vigorous development of the cultural market by building a modern cultural industry system centred on digital publishing and online audiovisual content; and continuously enhance people’s ability and willingness to consciously resist undesirable social trends by fostering a social atmosphere of emulating the virtuous and respecting the moral. Ultimately, through efficient and high-quality spiritual production, enrich the people’s daily cultural-ethical life.

一方面，人类社会需积极运用云计算、大数据、生成式人工智能等新兴技术构筑起精神文明建设高地。在实现精神生活共同富裕的进程中，精神生产是满足美好生活需要的首要环节，为“满足人民过上美好生活的新期待，必须提供丰富的精神食粮”。因此要正确地运用好人工智能，“整合科技创新资源，引领发展战略性新兴产业和未来产业，加快形成新质生产力”。新质生产力是覆盖各个领域的先进生产力，其蕴含的新型生产方式将有助于形成具有共同富裕倾向的新型生产关系。新质生产力可通过科技创新及其应用进一步促进产业结构转型升级，促使智能生产为人类节省大量的体力和脑力，从而获取更多自由时间以进行科学研究、艺术创作等精神生产活动。同时，有关部门应在人工智能的发展应用下，始终坚持以提供高产能、高品质的文化服务供给为基本导向，创造出思想内涵丰富的精神文化产品；以完善反映时代之声、人民之魂、生活之美的文化事业实现精神赋能；以构建数字出版、网络视听为主的现代化文化产业体系促进文化市场蓬勃发展；以营造见贤思齐、崇德尚贤的社会氛围不断提高人们自觉抵制不良社会思潮的能力与意愿，最终以高效能、高质量的精神生产丰富人民的日常精神生活。

On the other hand, adhere to the human-centred logic in guiding the development of artificial intelligence, stimulate as much positive labour time as possible, and achieve true “free labour.” At present, although China possesses a relatively rich material foundation and a sound institutional guarantee, to truly create high-quality spiritual products to meet the needs of a better life for humanity, it fundamentally still relies on labour and the joint creation of all members of society: “Labour is the free expression of life, and therefore the joy of life.” On the basis of the large amount of free time created for members of society by artificial intelligence, it is necessary to always “promote the spirit of getting rich through hard work, encourage people to create a better life through labour,” abandon the “lying flat” mindset, advocate for the happiness of labour, and encourage “getting rich through hard work and innovation.” In this process, it is necessary to prevent the capitalisation of artificial intelligence, focus on guiding technological tools such as artificial intelligence to develop in a direction that ensures and improves people’s livelihoods and creates a better life for the people, so that while they exert instrumental rationality, greater emphasis is placed on the guidance of value rationality. By establishing and improving the social security system, all working-age individuals with labour capacity should be included, enabling them to engage in various personalised and creative tasks within their capabilities, overcoming the one-sided pursuit of labour efficiency and material conditions such as profit. In true free time, labour is not only a means for people to create material wealth but also a process of realising the essence of human life and exploring spiritual values; labour becomes people’s first need. People can achieve self-improvement and self-affirmation through labour, elevate their spiritual realm through labour identification, and transform all imagination, aesthetics, and insights into spiritual products. Moreover, wealth is no longer measured by labour time but by free time; free time is no longer merely preparation for new labour but is more about inspiring people to take the stance of masters, fully unleashing their potential in the process of Chinese-path modernisation.

另一方面，坚持以人本逻辑主导人工智能的发展，激发尽可能多的积极性劳动时间，以实现真正的“自由劳动”。当前，我国虽拥有较为丰实的物质基础和健全的制度保障，但是要真正创造出高质量的精神产品以满足人类美好生活所需，从根本上看仍然需要依靠劳动，需要社会成员的共同创造，“劳动是自由的生命表现，因此是生活的乐趣”。在人工智能为社会成员创造大量自由时间的基础上，要始终坚持“弘扬勤劳致富精神，激励人们通过劳动创造美好生活”,摒弃“躺平”思维，倡导劳动幸福，鼓励“勤劳创新致富”。在此过程中，需防止人工智能资本化，注重引导人工智能等技术工具依照保障和改善民生、为人民创造美好生活需要的方向发展，使其在发挥工具理性的基础上，更重视价值理性的引导。通过建立健全社会保障体系，将具备劳动能力的全体适龄劳动者纳入其中，使其能够从事各项力所能及且具有个性化、创造性的劳动，克服对劳动效率以及利益等物质条件的片面追求。在真正的自由时间里，劳动不单是人们创造物质财富的手段，更是实现人的生命本质与探寻精神价值的过程，劳动成为人的第一需要，人们可在劳动中得以自我完善和自我确证，在劳动认同中提升精神境界，将一切想象、审美、顿悟转化为精神产品。并且财富不再以劳动时间为尺度，而是以自由时间为尺度，自由时间不再仅仅为新的劳动做准备，更在于激励人们以主人翁的姿态，在中国式现代化建设的进程中充分激发潜能。

(II) Expanding the Space for Human Development through the Moderate Use of Free Time, Promoting the Full Enjoyment of Spiritual Resources

(二)以自由时间的适度支配扩大人的发展空间，推动精神资源全面享有

Free time is a necessary prerequisite for leisure; without free time, there is no leisure. Historical materialism holds that leisure, as a moderate use of free time, is a human-specific, purposeful activity, a positive appropriation of people’s free time and free labour, and a pursuit of the needs for a better life. In China, with the continuous progress and development of society, the degree of freedom in people’s activities has increased, the demand for leisure time has grown, and leisure activities and leisure consumption have become an important part of the people’s daily lives. However, the phenomenon of “overwork” still exists in current society, directly threatening people’s physical and mental health. Under these circumstances, how to guide the people to work moderately, scientifically manage free time, correctly treat leisure activities, and thereby promote the comprehensive enjoyment of spiritual resources by members of society and the harmonious coexistence of cultural-ethical life has also become an important social issue.

自由时间是休闲的必要前提，没有自由时间就没有休闲。唯物史观认为，休闲作为一种自由时间的适度运用，是一种属人的、有目的性的活动，是对人的自由时间、自由劳动的积极占有，更是对美好生活需要的追求。在中国，随着社会的不断进步与发展，人们活动的自由程度不断加大，对闲暇时间的要求不断增加，休闲活动与休闲消费成为人民群众日常生活的重要组成部分。然而，当前社会中还存在的“过度劳动”现象，直接威胁了人的生理与心理健康。在此情形下，如何引导人民群众适度劳动，科学支配自由时间，正确对待休闲活动，进而促进社会成员对精神资源的全面享有与精神生活的和谐共生，亦成为一个重要的社会问题。

First, multi-party coordination should guide members of society to combine moderate labor with reasonable leisure, thereby further expanding the space for human development. In contemporary society, both “insufficient labor” and “excessive labor” are unreasonable. In the process of guiding members of society back to rationality, coordinated efforts should be promoted among individuals, enterprises, and the government. From the perspective of individual workers, it is necessary to adhere to the development concept that labor creates a better life, but it is even more essential to avoid “excessive labor.” Workers should not only experience the joy of labor, recognize the beauty of labor, and realize their own value through hard work, but also advocate for scientific, moderate labor, consciously cultivate the ability to enjoy free time and leisure activities outside of work, and use appropriate leisure activities to expand the space for their own development, thereby obtaining richer and more comprehensive spiritual resources through meaningful leisure activities. However, the realization of free time still needs to seek possibilities within the actual living conditions of the working people at the present stage. For some economically disadvantaged groups, while the state further guarantees that “everyone has the opportunity to achieve their own development through hard work,” it should also raise public awareness of “excessive labor” and its potential harm to physical and mental health, making the broad masses of workers realize that hard work cannot be abandoned, but “life-risking” work must be abandoned. From the perspective of enterprise managers, enterprise management should discard the mechanized standard of “evaluation-only,” reasonably arrange employees’ workloads, minimize “high-pressure” models such as “frequent overtime” and “excessive overtime,” constantly monitor employees’ health, ensure they work in a pleasant mood, and use more free time to develop themselves. At the same time, advanced intelligent technology and big data analysis models can be used to establish dynamic management models for labor positions and labor time, reasonably and orderly arranging employees’ labor time through various quantitative indicator data, ensuring they have sufficient time to display their talents in areas of interest, and realizing the unity of their self-worth and social value. From the government level, greater attention should be paid to the development of leisure undertakings. Leisure is not meaningless pastime or rest, but the realization of the subject’s free and conscious labor. Government departments need to strive to create a leisure environment conducive to enhancing people’s essential powers and giving full play to their wisdom and talents, providing a solid foundation and inexhaustible impetus for promoting the comprehensive enjoyment of spiritual resources by members of society. For example, the proportion of investment in public utilities can be appropriately increased, the number of museums, cultural activity centers, and libraries open to the public can be increased, certain welfare policies can be given to venues such as theaters, intangible cultural heritage workshops, and cultural publishing houses, attracting the broad participation of people from all walks of life, continuously narrowing the “gap between rich and poor” in the enjoyment of spiritual resources, and further building leisure undertakings into an important way to enhance people’s sense of happiness.

其一，多方协同引导社会成员将适度劳动与合理闲暇相结合，进一步扩大人的发展空间。当今社会，无论是“劳动不足”还是“过度劳动”都是不合理的。在引导社会成员回归理性的过程中，应推动社会个体、企业、政府三者协同发力。从劳动者个人来看，既要坚持劳动创造美好生活的发展理念，更要避免“过度劳动”。劳动者们不仅要感受到劳动之乐，意识到劳动之美，通过劳动奋斗实现自身价值，同时要提倡科学、适度的劳动，在工作之余有意识地培养享受自由时间和休闲活动的能力，利用适当的休闲活动扩大主体的发展空间，使人们在有意义的休闲活动中获取更多更全面的精神资源。但自由时间的实现仍需在现阶段劳动人民的实际生存境遇中寻求可能。对于部分经济困难的群体，在国家进一步保障“人人都有通过辛勤劳动实现自身发展的机会”的同时，亦应提升公众对“过度劳动”及其对身心健康潜在危害的认识，让广大劳动者意识到努力工作不可弃，但“舍命”工作必须弃。从企业管理者来看，企业管理应摈弃“唯考核论”的机械化标准，合理安排好员工的工作量，尽量减少“频繁加班”“过度加班”等“高压”模式，随时做好对企业员工的健康监测，保证其在心情愉悦中劳作，并利用更多的空余时间来发展自身。同时可以借助先进的智能技术与大数据分析模式建立动态的劳动岗位与劳动时间管理模型，通过各项量化指标数据合理、有序安排好员工的劳动时间，保证其有充分的时间在自身感兴趣的领域施展才华，实现其自我价值和社会价值的统一。从政府层面来看，要更加重视休闲事业的发展。休闲并非无意义的消遣或休息，而是主体自由自觉劳动的实现。政府部门需努力营造有利于提升人的本质力量、发挥自身智慧才能的休闲环境条件，为推动社会成员精神资源的全面享有提供坚实基础和不竭动力。譬如，可适当增加公共事业的投入比重，增加博物馆、文化活动中心、图书馆的开放数量，对戏剧院、非遗工坊、文化出版等场所给予一定福利政策，吸引各个阶层的群众广泛参与其中，不断缩小精神资源享有的“贫富差距”,进一步将休闲事业打造为提升人们幸福感的重要途径。

Second, relevant departments should be urged to implement and improve the vacation system, fully safeguarding workers’ rights to rest and leisure. Engels once proposed that the socialist system “will provide all people with healthy and beneficial work, provide all people with ample material life and leisure time, and provide all people with true and full freedom.” [25]25 Engels, “On the Housing Question,” *Marx and Engels Collected Works*, vol. 18, p. 247. The physical and psychological qualities of members of society determine, to a certain extent, the spiritual outlook of society. We should always adhere to “promoting the building of a Healthy China” and “placing the protection of people’s health in a strategic position of priority development.” [26]26 Xi Jinping, “Secure a Decisive Victory in Building a Moderately Prosperous Society in All Respects and Strive for the Great Success of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era,” Report to the 19th National Congress of the CPC, 2017. In this process, the right to rest and vacation that everyone is entitled to must be fully guaranteed, and “civilized and healthy lifestyles should be advocated.” [27]27 Xi Jinping, “Hold High the Great Banner of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and Strive in Unity to Build a Modern Socialist Country in All Respects,” Report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC, 2022. First, state organs should actively improve the working hours system, further clarify standard working hours and overtime caps by revising the “Labor Law of the People’s Republic of China” and related laws and regulations, restrict the mandatory overtime system, and standardize the paid leave system. Continuously improve the flexible work system and remote work models, ensuring that workers have the right to enjoy free time on the basis of improving work efficiency. Improve the quality of rest on weekends and statutory holidays by increasing public services for convenient travel, so that people have more time and energy to enjoy rich spiritual resources. Second, legal supervision departments need to strengthen supervision over mandatory overtime and overwork. Establish “convenient” reporting channels to increase the cost of violations, increase the exposure of violating enterprises, and strengthen labor inspection efforts, striving to form a joint force of social supervision. Finally, government units need to increase efforts to develop a diversified labor market and reduce occupational age and gender discrimination. Continuously improve the social security system to prevent members of society from falling into a vicious cycle of overwork due to economic security uncertainty. Only in this way can members of society better control their free time and, on this basis, consciously apply free time to “higher-level activities” that meet spiritual needs.

其二，督促相关部门落实完善休假制度，充分保障劳动者的休息与闲暇权利。恩格斯曾提出，社会主义制度“将给所有的人提供健康而有益的工作，给所有的人提供充裕的物质生活和闲暇时间，给所有的人提供真正的充分的自由”。社会成员的身体、心理素质一定程度上决定着社会的精神面貌，应始终坚持“推进健康中国建设”“把保障人民健康放在优先发展的战略位置”。在此过程中必须充分保障每个人理应享有的休息与休假权利，“倡导文明健康生活方式”。首先，国家机关要积极完善工时制度，通过修订《中华人民共和国劳动法》及相关法律法规，进一步明确标准工时和加班上限，约束强制加班制度，规范带薪休假制度。不断完善弹性工作制度与远程工作模式，确保劳动者在提高工作效率的基础上，拥有享受自由时间的权利。通过增加便民出行的公共服务提高双休日、法定节假日的休假质量，使人们有更多的时间与精力享受到丰富的精神资源。其次，法律监管部门需加强对强制加班、超时工作的督察力度。通过建立“便民”举报渠道提高违法成本，加大违规企业曝光力度以及劳动监察检查力度，努力形成社会监察合力。最后，政府单位需加大力度发展多元化劳动力市场，减少职业年龄、性别歧视。不断健全社会保障制度，避免社会成员因经济保障不确定性而陷入过度工作的恶性循环。唯有此，社会成员才能够更好地支配自己的自由时间，并在此基础上自觉地将自由时间运用于满足精神需求的“高级活动”中。

(3) Stimulate people’s positive existence through the rational use of free time, and promote extensive and in-depth spiritual interaction

(三)以自由时间的合理利用激发人的积极存在，推动精神交往广泛深入

Spiritual interaction is a concentrated expression of people’s need for social interaction. It can break through the limits of time and space and social identity restrictions, promoting people’s in-depth communication and interaction, stimulating multi-dimensional emotional experiences and a fulfilling spiritual state. The extensive and in-depth spiritual interaction requires not only ample free time but also people’s rational use of free time. In other words, the realization of common prosperity in spiritual life cannot only focus on the quantitative universal increase of free time but should also care about the quality of free time. As Marx said: “Real wealth is the developed productive force of all individuals. Then, the measure of wealth is no longer labor time, but disposable free time.” [28]28 Marx, *Grundrisse*, *Marx and Engels Collected Works*, vol. 31, p. 104. Free time is like precious wealth; if free time is abused, it is equivalent to abusing wealth, and the foundation of human goodness is also destroyed. Only when free time is used rationally and its meaning of “freedom” is fully stimulated and released can the deep value implications of spiritual richness be deepened.

精神交往是人的社会交往需求的集中体现，能够突破时空界限与社会身份限制，推动人们在深入交流与互动中，激发多维度的情绪体验和充实的精神状态。精神交往的广泛深入不仅需要充盈的自由时间，更需要人们对自由时间的合理利用。换句话说，精神生活共同富裕的实现不能只关注自由时间的量的普遍增长，更应关心自由时间的质。正如马克思所言：“真正的财富就是所有个人的发达的生产力。那时，财富的尺度决不再是劳动时间，而是可以自由支配的时间。”自由时间如同宝贵财富，若滥用自由时间就等于滥用财富，人的美好根基也随之被摧毁，只有当自由时间得到合理利用，并且其“自由”意涵被充分激发与释放之后，精神富有的深层次价值意蕴才能得到深化。

First, it is necessary to give full play to the role of education, using the rational use of free time to improve the overall quality of members of society. When discussing workers’ negative use of free time under the capitalist system, Marx pointed out that the main reason for workers’ unbridled behavior in their spare time was “lack of education,” so that “they may waste this time, or use it for improper things.” [29]29 Marx, *Capital*, vol. 1, *Marx and Engels Collected Works*, vol. 44, p. 535. In contemporary China, if people are to be able to use free time rationally, it is necessary to use advanced socialist culture to guide people to establish a correct view of time, and to continuously explore and comprehend the true meaning of life. As social competition becomes increasingly fierce, people are becoming more and more “involutionary,” [30]30 “Involution” (内卷, *neijuan*) refers to a phenomenon of intensified competition within a closed system that leads to no real progress or innovation, often used in contemporary Chinese discourse to describe excessive, zero-sum competition in education, employment, and other social fields. but this kind of “involution” is mostly meaningless “ineffective involution,” a blind “busyness” without thought, which instead pushes the interpersonal relationships of people into a vicious cycle. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a correct understanding of time in human society, create a healthy spiritual ecology that respects the rhythm of life and stimulates creative ability, free people from the spiritual cage of “accelerated cycles,” fully enjoy the beautiful value of free time, and regain the subjective ability to perceive a good life. For example, mobilize forces such as the media, schools, communities, and families to use positive publicity and education to guide the whole society to reflect on “ineffective involution,” promote members of society’s awareness of “blind abuse of time” and “excessive competition” and their potential harm to human physical and mental health, break the stubborn single value in “involutionary competition,” and regain the ability to listen to the world, thereby better balancing work and rest. “With the goal of cultivating citizens who have ideals, morality, culture, and discipline,” [31]31 This phrasing originates from the “Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the Construction of a Socialist Spiritual Civilization,” adopted at the Sixth Plenary Session of the 14th Central Committee in 1996. strengthen education on ideals and beliefs for the general public, promptly eliminate various negative concepts such as entertainment-first and excessive freedom, and especially provide correct guidance for the phenomenon of wasting time. In addition, it is necessary to encourage scientific researchers to make good use of free time to better engage in innovation and creation, as Deng Xiaoping said: “We cannot require scientific and technological workers, at least the vast majority of scientific and technological workers, to read many political theory books, participate in many social activities, and attend many meetings unrelated to their work.” [32]32 Deng Xiaoping, “Speech at the Opening Ceremony of the National Conference on Science,” March 18, 1978. Scientific researchers should reasonably plan their scientific research work time in order to engage in innovation and creation with greater concentration.

一是需要充分发挥教育的作用，以自由时间的合理利用提高社会成员的整体素质。在谈论资本主义制度下工人对自由时间的消极运用时，马克思提出，导致工人们在空闲时恣行无忌的主要原因在于“缺少教育”,以至于“他们可能把这些时间浪费掉，或者是用这些时间干不正当的事情”。在当代中国，若想要人们能够合理地利用自由时间，需要以社会主义先进文化指导人们树立正确的时间观，不断探索并领悟生活的真正意义。当社会竞争愈加激烈，人们也愈加“内卷”,但此种“内卷”大多是毫无意义的“无效内卷”,是不经思考的盲目“忙碌”,反而使人与人之间的交往关系陷入一种恶性循环之中。因此，需建塑起人类社会对时间的正确认知，营造出尊重生活节奏，激发创造能力的健康精神生态，使人们摆脱“加速循环”的精神牢笼，充分享受自由时间的美好价值，重拾起感知美好生活的主体能力。譬如发动媒体、学校、社区、家庭等力量以正向的宣传教育引导全社会反思“无效内卷”,推进社会成员对“盲目滥用时间”和“过度竞争”及其对人类身心健康潜在危害的认知，打破“内卷式竞争”中固执单一的价值观，重新拾起聆听世界的能力，从而更好地平衡劳动与休息。“以培育有理想、有道德、有文化、有纪律的公民为目标”,加强对社会大众的理想信念教育，及时破除各种娱乐至上、过度自由等负面观念，尤其是针对时间虚度现象要加以正确的引导。另外，需要鼓励科研人员能够利用好自由时间以更好从事创新创造，正如邓小平所言：“我们不能要求科学技术工作者，至少是绝大多数科学技术工作者，读很多政治理论书籍，参加很多社会活动，开很多与业务无关的会议。”科研人员要合理地规划好科研工作时间，以便更加心无旁骛地进行创新创造。

Second, by means of artificial intelligence technology, a free and open online space for spiritual interaction is to be created for the people, fostering a favorable communication environment and social atmosphere. In the current era of flourishing self-media, it is necessary to use algorithmic technology to promptly capture content that aligns with the public welfare, ensuring that technical rules and pushed content always serve people’s genuine spiritual needs rather than profit maximization. This will continuously consolidate and enrich the discourse agenda-setting of mainstream ideology, create or simulate more interaction scenarios conducive to the dissemination of high-quality spiritual and cultural content, and cultivate a healthy and uplifting ethos of spiritual interaction. At the same time, the dissemination of core socialist values through various government-affiliated media or digitalized Party-building propaganda platforms should be further advanced, guiding the public to consciously and actively draw a clear line between themselves and unhealthy lifestyles such as “money worship” and “hedonism.” In free leisure time, it is necessary to ensure that people can find a “place of rest” for their spiritual world in cyberspace, reasonably vent and express emotions, so that in the process of spiritual interaction they can relieve worries and release pressure, clearly recognizing that the true meaning of spiritual life is not the unlimited indulgence of physical pleasure, but rather the more effective use of free time to stimulate people’s positive existence. Thereby, free time is internalized into the intensity and thickness of self-life, investing more in the deep pursuit of spiritual essence rather than the simple satisfaction of superficial desires, so as to obtain a strong sense of happiness and fulfillment. Only in this way will people’s spiritual needs be better satisfied, their spiritual qualities and individuality be comprehensively enhanced, their social relations become more harmonious and civilized, and people become the conscious masters of nature and society as well as the masters of themselves. Human history will then break free from its “prehistoric” state and enter the “true” stage of human history.

二是借助人工智能技术为人民群众打造一个自由开放的网络精神交往场域，营造出良好的传播环境和社会氛围。在自媒体盛行的当下，需借助算法技术及时捕捉符合大众福祉的内容，保证技术规则与推送内容始终服务于人的真实精神需求而非利润最大化，不断巩固且丰富主流意识形态的话语议题设置，创设或模拟更多有利于优质精神文化内容传播的交往场景，营造出健康向上的精神交往风尚。同时，进一步推进各类政务媒体或数字化党建宣传平台的社会主义核心价值观传播，引导社会大众自觉主动地与“拜金主义”“享乐主义”等不良生活方式划清界限。在自由闲暇之余，需确保人们在网络空间中能够找到精神世界的“栖息之地”,合理地宣泄和表达情绪，使人们在精神交往的过程中解开忧虑、释放压力，清晰认识到精神生活的真谛并非肉体享乐的无限放纵，而是通过更有效地利用自由时间激发人的积极存在，进而将自由时间内化为自我的生命强度与生命厚度，更多地投入对精神内核的深度追求，而非表层欲望的简单满足，以此获得强大的幸福感与满足感 。也唯有此，人的精神需要将被更好满足，人的精神素质和个性将被全面提升，人的社会关系将更加和谐文明，人将成为自然界与社会的自觉的主人以及人自身的主人，人类历史也将摆脱“史前”状态从而开启“真正的”人类历史阶段。

About the authors: Li Mengyun, Dean and Professor of the School of Marxism, Zhejiang Gongshang University; Li Mengxi, Researcher at the Institute for the Study of Adapting Marxism to the Chinese Context and the Needs of the Times, Zhejiang Gongshang University.

作者简介：李梦云，浙江工商大学马克思主义学院院长、教授；李梦茜，浙江工商大学中国化时代化马克思主义研究院研究员。