Marx’s Theory of Humanity and Nature

Department of Finance, Economics and Management, Modern College of Northwest University, Xi’an 710130, China

Abstract Marx’s theory of humanity and nature is an indispensable part of Marx’s theory of social development. The history of the development of human society is essentially a natural historical process. Human must start from certain natural premises and start from a combination of certain natural premises and human practices. This is the objective process and inevitable law of the development of human society. Grasping and understanding the scientific connotation of Marx’s theory of humanity and nature has very important guiding significance for the development of human society.

Key words Marx, Humanity, Nature

1 Introduction

Marx believes that the labor process is the process of production relations between humanity and nature and is also the process of material transformation between humanity and nature. As a natural force, humanity is in a state of opposition with natural matter. In order to possess natural matter, humanity must exercise his own natural forces. This exercise not only changes the natural matter, but also changes the natural of humanity himself, making people’s own potential constantly exerted. Therefore, nature is a prerequisite for human practice. The process by which humans change natural matter is the material basis for human existence and is an eternal natural inevitability that is not transferred by human will.

2 Basic provisions and essential characteristics of Marx’s natural category

2.1ThefirstmeaningofthenaturalcategoryIt refers to the nature of all and all the existence of the universe. This is a broad meaning of the natural category. Under this meaning, "people are directly natural beings", and "people are part of nature". The history of mankind is not a supernatural process that deviates from nature. Instead, "the history itself is a realistic part of natural history, that is, the process of becoming human beings"[1]. This process includes not only people but also human society, and it is a general category.

2.2ThesecondmeaningofthenaturalcategoryIt refers to the nature as a process of social development. This nature is the object and external conditions of the subject practice. It is a unity of opposites with the subject. Marx pointed out "the subject is humanity, the object is nature, and this is always the same"[2].

2.3ThesecondmeaningreflectstheessentialcharacteristicsofMarx’stheoryofnatureIn terms of extension, the second meaning of the natural category refers to part of the first meaning of the natural category. However, its connotation is more complex, richer, and richer in human activities. It is a kind of "humanized nature". Marx uses this natural category on more occasions, because this natural category directly affects and restricts the whole life of human beings.

2.4Marx’stheoryofnatureisgraduallyformedintheprocessofcriticizingHegelandFeuerbach’stheoryofnature

Hegel’s theory of nature has three factors. "The first factor is the metaphysically changed nature that deviates from humans,i.e., the Realistic people and realistic humanity"[3]. Hegel’s theory of nature has two flaws. One is subjectivity. That is to say, the whole nature is only the externalization of absolute spirit, and it is the negative existence of absolute spirit. The second is non-practical. That is, the whole nature is deviated from the life of humanity, especially from human practice. For Hegel’s first law, Feuerbach made a sharp criticism. However, Feuerbach believes that everything in the outside world already exists, and it has nothing to do with human activities and the development of industrialization. Feuerbach "has never talked about the human world, but always asked for help from the outside world, that is, the nature that has not yet been placed under the rule of man"[1]. This abstract research is the root cause of Feuerbach’s orientation to historical idealism. Marx believes that human history is essentially a history of practice. As one of the research objects of historical materialism, nature is by no means an abstract natural world separated from human beings. In contrast, "it is the natural world of human reality"[1]. It is in the close relationship with human practice that Marx unfolds the richness of nature. Therefore, objectivity, social historicity and practicality are the essential features of Marx’s natural category.

3 Three natural premise of humans’ creating history

3.1ThefirstnaturalpremiseisnatureMarx believes that nature is the first condition of human labor. However, "this condition is not the product of human labor but pre-existing; as a natural being, nature is the premise of human labor"[2]. Marx’s assertion shows that although land provides human beings with means of subsistence. But before human labor emerged, land existed as a target of labor. At the same time, land is also the labor material and labor place of human beings. Obviously, Marx is neither from a purely objective point of view of natural philosophy nor based on the subjective idealism of denying the independent movement of nature. Instead, it solidly proceeds from the reality of human life and practice, seeing nature not as the first objective premise of human labor created by man, thus laying the first natural foundation theory of humans’ creating history. Marx pointed out "the abstract thinking itself is nothing, the absolute concept itself is nothing, and only nature is something"[1]. The reason is simple. "Any science only from the natural world is the science of reality"[1].

3.2ThesecondnaturalpremiseisthenaturalexistenceofhumanbeingsMan is an individual of life. It is not created by people themselves, but the result of long-term evolution of organic life. After a long labor process, the people themselves are created. Marx pointed out "the original conditions of production are manifested as natural preconditions, that is, the natural conditions in which the producers survive, just like their living body. Although they reproduce and develop the body, it is not originally created by them. The body is their own premise, and their own existence (physical existence) is a natural premise that is not created by them"[2]. Obviously, "the existence of mans is the end of the previous process experienced by organic life"[4]. So, in the production process, people not only behave as natural persons but also as social people. People not only have a relationship with nature, but also have relationships with people.

3.3ThethirdnaturalpremiseistheoriginalpopulationcommunityMarx pointed out "the naturally formed tribal community (the commonality of blood, language, habits,etc.), or group, can also be said, is the first prerequisite for human beings to possess the objective conditions for their lives and the objective conditions for the labor (the labor of shepherds, hunters, peasants,etc.) that reproduce the life itself and materializes it"[2]. Because of the existence of this prerequisite, the production and reproduction of people are ensured, and the common labor and collective labor of the primitive society are formed. At the same time, any primitive person is a member of the community, and only in this community, the material transformation between man and nature occurs. Only in this community, the relationship between people can occur.

3.4NaturalhistoryandhumanhistoryaremutuallyconstrainedMarx pointed out "history can be examined from two aspects. It can be divided into natural history and human history. But these two aspects are closely related. As long as people exist, natural history and human history are mutually restrained"[5]. In the practice of continuous material transformation between human society and nature, Marx found the bond between the two. Marx believes that natural history and human history are not isolated and cannot exist alone. Instead, they are closely linked and cannot leave each other. Marx’s theory of natural premise was established from this. This natural premise is not created by man, but exists before man. However, it is essential for future human life, thus historical materialism is based on complete science.

4 Natural premise is the elements and results in the process of social practice

4.1ThenaturalpremisecannotbeseparatedfromsocialpracticeNatural premises that deviate from social practice are meaningless to economic activities of human society. In the process of social practice, these natural premises are transformed into elements of practice. Through social practice, these natural premises are translated into the premise of history. Among them, natural people gradually transform into social people, primitive natural gradually transforms into humanized nature, and original population gradually transforms into a human society, as Marx pointed out "the certain material outcome, the sum of a certain amount of productivity, and the relationship between man and nature, and between people in history"[5]. The naturalistic view ignores the transformation of nature by man in practice, and ignores the changes in nature caused by people. However, from this, it cannot be concluded that nature does not play any role in historical development or nature is external to history. In contrast, it appears as a constant factor in history. Marx pointed out that "everything that is a premise and condition will inevitably appear at the end of the process"[6].

4.2TheprocessofmaterialtransformationbetweenhumanityandnatureistheeternalnaturalnecessityofhumanexistenceIf human initial labor is caused by the natural existence of human beings, in the future society, this factor does not disappear but exists constantly. This is a kind of "natural necessity" for the development of human society[6]. Labor depends not only on "the amount of natural needs"[6], Moreover, "because of the laws governing the natural development of mankind, once a certain range of needs is met, new needs till be freed up and created"[7]. The practice of human society further illustrates that the labor process, as the subject acts on the active process of the object. It is also a natural material process first. Therefore, the history of human society is the dialectical unity of natural history and social history.

4.3HumanizednatureisachievedthroughhumancreativeactivitiesModern machines and tools are created by human labor, representing a materialized force. From a structural point of view, the nature of being an object can be divided into two parts, humanized nature and primitive nature. Humanized nature can be divided into two parts: material production materials and their products and spiritual production materials and products. At the same time, primitive nature has turned into humanized nature through humans’ creative activities. Humans "not only change the form of natural objects, but also achieve their purpose in nature"[6]. Although humans can change the form of natural matter, they cannot create natural matter itself, because natural matter has exited naturally before human creation. In addition, as the natural science of spiritual production, it is still based on nature, with respecting nature as the premise. The fundamental purpose of natural science is the development and use of natural forces. Obviously, there is no spiritual production once deviating nature.

4.4TheimpactofnatureonsocialproductionUnder the production conditions of primitive society, due to the different natural environments of the various clan tribes, the living materials and production materials produced are also different. This kind of differences in the nature of goods makes the exchange of goods in the primitive society possible. Therefore, the differences in the natural environment of clan tribes and the diversity of natural products formed the natural foundation of the original social division of labor and the diversification of labor methods. Engels thought that when analyzing the formation of Asian production methods, the fundamental reason why the various ethnic groups in the East did not realize private ownership of land was due to climate, soil and geographical location. Engels also pointed out the fact that the British invasion of India led to the abandonment of Indian agriculture. "A devastating war is enough to make a country uninhabited and civilization destroyed in a few centuries"[8]. This is also the results of the destruction of production methods based on a specific natural environment.

4.5TheimpactofthenaturalenvironmentonthedevelopmentofproductivityMarx pointed out "the external conditions of the outside world can be divided into two major categories: the rich natural resources of living materials, such as soil fertility and fish-rich water, and the rich natural resources of labor data, such as impetuous waterfalls, rivers that can sail, forests, metals and coals. In the early days of culture, the first category of rich natural resources was of decisive significance. At a higher stage of development, the second category of rich natural resources is of decisive significance"[6]. Facts show that the development of labor productivity is closely linked to the development of natural conditions. Under the production conditions of agricultural society, the development of productivity depends mainly on the first category of rich natural resources. Under industrial production conditions, the development of productivity depends mainly on the second category of rich natural resources. The ancient Egyptians were able to built pyramids. On the one hand, it was because Egypt had a large population at that time. On the other hand, it was because Egypt had the first category of rich natural resources for a large number of people to survive. "Of course, there may be extreme that the land that can’t bring any results when it comes to labor is just as bad as the land that produces rich products without any investment"[9]. That is to say, for human society, if it is possible to produce a large number of endless first-category rich natural resources, the intrinsic motivation for the advancement of human society may be affected, slowing down the pace of human social development.