Readings on Basic Knowledge of Western Social Sciences - Revolution and Counter-Revolution

Author: (English) Kalfort / Zhang Changdong et al
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-01-01
Features: This series is jointly launched by Jilin People's Publishing House and McGraw-Hill, a global leader in educational publishing. It aims to provide the public with the most straightforward and convenient way to quickly grasp the basic knowledge of Western social sciences, serving as a "primer" in the fields of philosophy and social sciences. As a fundamental textbook in Western universities, the series has been popular for 20 years, written entirely by leading scholars from various Western disciplines, and continuously updated to keep pace with the times. It has become one of the most authoritative basic social science readers recognized in the West, serving as the first step for young scholars to enter the of social sciences. Some of its books, such as Liberalism and Postmodernism, have achieved astonishing sales, gaining both the acclaim of Western intellectuals and public favor.
We eagerly hope that this series can also win the same praise in China as it did in the West. Today in the 21st century, the term "revolution" is used so widely that even a cleaning activity can be called revolutionary, making its original meaning blurred and irrelevant. However, in the era of systematically studying social sciences, it is still necessary to critically analyze some common social science terms—this is the essential course we must in our research. Like other social science terms, differences in knowledge backgrounds lead to vastly different interpretations. Regarding "revolution" and its companion term "counter-revolution," Western scholars and Marxist theory diverge in their definitions. Clearly, the author draws heavily on Marxist revolutionary theory for many of his ideas, but his understanding contains significant errors, which in turn lead to flaws in his other explanations of revolutionary theory. Additionally, the author holds some incorrect views and insights about certain revolutionary practices, particularly the Chinese Revolution and the October Revolution in Russia, with some comments and descriptions being inappropriate. To respect the integrity of the work, we have made minimal edits and largely retained its original form. Readers are advised to approach it with a critical mindset, maintaining a balanced perspective.
From an academic standpoint, this book is a rare Western revolutionary theory work that is not based on Trotskyism, making it highly valuable for comparative study. It contributes significantly to enriching our research on revolutionary theory, and in this regard, its reference value is immense. When dealing with this book, we should adopt the same attitude toward Western studies as always—take the essence and discard the errors, read rationally, and make appropriate choices.