Principles of Dialectical and Historical Materialism (Fifth Edition)

Author: Li Xiulin
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-04-01
Features: The textbook presented to the readers is the fifth edition of Principles of Dialectical Materialism and Historical Materialism (abbreviated as Principles). Since its first publication in 1982, Principles has been widely welcomed due to its clear viewpoints, prominent focus, and well-structured layers. From the first to the fourth edition, Principles has sold 10 million copies, playing its due role in Marxist philosophy teaching and promotion, which also demonstrates its vitality and social value.
However, since the publication of the fourth edition of Principles in 1995, new achievements in natural and social sciences, as well as new advancements and experiences in Marxist philosophy research and teaching, have shown that the content and structure of Principles still need further improvement and refinement. Some important theoretical issues require in-depth elaboration and supplementation, and pressing problems need thorough discussion and proper resolution, especially the issue of the "integration" of dialectical materialism and historical materialism should be fully reflected.
More importantly, over the nine years since the publication of the fourth edition of Principles, both domestic and international situations have undergone significant changes. Internationally, the world has entered a new historical stage characterized by technological informatization, economic globalization, and diversified political structures. Domestically, China's socialist practice has also entered a new historical period, with the initial establishment of a socialist market economy system, the proposal of the historical mission of building a socialist political civilization, and the adoption of people-centered and scientific development concepts, which have raised a series of new issues and provided a broad space for thinking. Marxist philosophy is not an "academic" discipline; it should and must focus on reality and engage in "dialogue" with it, thereby summarizing and reflecting new issues raised by new practices in a philosophical way. This is an important task of Marxist philosophy textbooks. Therefore, we have decided to revise Principles once again, and thus present this fifth edition of Principles to the readers.
The fifth edition of Principles still names Marxist philosophy as dialectical materialism and historical materialism. However, dialectical materialism and historical materialism are not two different "isms," but rather the same "ism"—dialectical materialism that includes a historical perspective. The term "dialectical materialism" is used to highlight the dialectical dimension and its critical and revolutionary nature inherent in Marx's materialism, as dialectics "contains the negation of existing things within the affirmation of existing things." Alongside "dialectical materialism," the term "historical materialism" is added to name Marxist philosophy to emphasize the historical dimension and its thoroughness and completeness inherent in Marx's materialism, as the completeness and comprehensiveness of Marx's materialism are concentrated in historical materialism. "And since history has also been explained in a materialist way, a new path of development has been opened up here." At the same time, the fifth edition of Principles also integrates the concept of practice throughout dialectical materialism and historical materialism. The concept of practice is the primary and fundamental viewpoint of dialectical materialism and historical materialism. From the history of philosophy, the reason Marx was able to launch a revolution that shook the history of human thought lies in his establishment of a scientific concept of practice and his correct resolution of the relationship between humans and nature, as well as between humans and society, thereby achieving the unification of materialism and dialectics, and materialist naturalism and historical materialism. In this sense, Marxist philosophy is also practical materialism. The term "practical materialism" is used to highlight the practical dimension and its primacy and fundamentality inherent in Marx's materialism. However, practical materialism and dialectical materialism (historical materialism) are not two different philosophical forms, but rather different expressions of the same philosophical form—Marxist philosophy. Marx's materialism emphasizes changing the world, and practical activity itself is "negative dialectics," and all social life is essentially practical. In Marxist philosophy, the scientific concept of practice is organically combined with the "rational form" of dialectics and the materialist historical view. Marxist philosophy is a theoretical system based on the scientific concept of practice, integrating materialism and dialectics, materialist naturalism and historical materialism into an "integration." Striving to comprehensively and scientifically elaborate practice and the relationship between humans and the world, and systematically and accurately explain the basic viewpoints of Marxist philosophy, is the guiding principle the fifth edition of Principles.
The scientific and teaching systems of Marxist philosophy are interconnected yet distinct. The teaching system focuses on elaborating the basic viewpoints of the discipline, which must be based on the scientific system of the discipline while also conforming to the laws of cognitive and educational psychology. When compiling the fifth edition of Principles, we took this into consideration, striving to design a Marxist philosophy teaching system that is both based on the scientific system of Marxist philosophy and in line with the laws of cognitive and educational psychology. Therefore, the fifth edition of Principles has made new arrangements for the structure of the teaching system of Marxist philosophy and attempts to reflect the spiritual essence of Marxist philosophy, elaborate its basic viewpoints, and recreate Marxist philosophy as the essence of the spirit of the times.
The task of any textbook is to elaborate the basic viewpoints of the discipline. Philosophy and Marxist philosophy textbooks are no exception. However, the basic viewpoints of Marxist philosophy are not fixed but are continuously enriched, supplemented, and deepened with the development of practice and scientific progress. At the same time, people's understanding of the basic viewpoints of Marxist philosophy is also an ongoing process. Accordingly, the fifth edition of Principles has handled relevant issues as follows:
First, for some basic viewpoints that have become "common sense," such as the unity of matter, determinism, and reflection theory, new content should be presented in light of contemporary scientific achievements. Therefore, the fifth edition of Principles has added content such as the hierarchical and isomorphic nature of material forms, the relationship between things and the relationship of existence "for me," and the relationship between cognition and virtuality.
Second, some viewpoints are originally basic viewpoints of Marxist philosophy, but for various reasons, they were not addressed or given sufficient attention in original Marxist philosophy textbooks. To this end, the fifth edition of Principles has added content in this regard, such as practice as the mode of human existence, institutionalized interaction, and the alienation and transcendence of humans.
Third, some viewpoints have been discussed by classical thinkers but have not been fully elaborated or argued, while the development of contemporary practice and science has increasingly highlighted these issues, making them pressing "hot" issues that urgently need resolution. For such viewpoints, in-depth discussion, full elaboration, and detailed argumentation should be conducted based on contemporary practice and science, making them mature, complete, and elevated to basic viewpoints of Marxist philosophy. To this end, the fifth edition of Principles has added content such as the relationship between traditional culture and social modernization, and the role and status of non-rational factors in cognition.
Fourth, some viewpoints are originally basic viewpoints of Marxist philosophy and remain so, but with the specialization of disciplines, these viewpoints have been differentiated from philosophy and have become important content of other disciplines, such as the theories of class, state, and revolution, which have become part of political science. For such viewpoints, the fifth edition of Principles does not list a separate chapter for detailed elaboration but touches upon them in relevant chapters. This is primarily to adapt to the specialization of disciplines, not to imply that these viewpoints are unimportant. In reality, the content of any discipline undergoes a process from uncertainty to certainty, and even after certainty, it must be continuously adjusted. The positioning of the fifth edition of Principles remains a textbook for liberal arts at higher education institutions, suitable for all liberal arts majors, including philosophy. At the same time, during the compilation process, we have fully considered the newly promulgated Basic Requirements for General Higher Education Two Courses·Principles of Marxist Philosophy by the Ministry of Education in 2002 and strived to integrate the two. Without a doubt, Marxist philosophy textbooks must be close to teachers and students and adapt to teaching practice. However, this adaptation is not simple but rather an improvement within adaptation and guidance within improvement. Therefore, the fifth edition of Principles strives to stand on the basis of contemporary practice and, within its limits, absorbs new achievements in philosophical research and scientific development as much as possible. Philosophy is not just knowledge but more importantly wisdom—a wisdom of life, reflection, and critique. Marxist philosophy textbooks cannot merely impart knowledge or simply adapt to teaching but must more importantly inspire students' reflective attitudes and critical spirit, thereby broadening their theoretical horizons, elevating their theoretical awareness, and achieving self-transcendence and self-development.
From the fifth edition of Principles to the fifth edition, the time span is 22 years. During these 22 years, Marxist philosophy research has made significant progress and breakthroughs, and the transition from the fifth edition to the fifth edition reflects and embodies this historical process and its major developments. Therefore, we have attached the table of contents of the fifth edition to the fourth edition of Principles at the end, hoping to "see a glimpse and know the whole picture."