历史唯物主义的竞争相与教学相——论晚年恩格斯

Engels’Late Years:Competing Phase and Teaching Phase of Historical Materialism

晚年恩格斯阐发的历史唯物主义是引人瞩目的,这表明历史唯物主义有其时代性的环境条件。一如水因应环境条件而发生相变,呈现为液体、固体、气体三相,历史唯物主义也有其相变,呈现为不同的相。创立时期的历史唯物主义是竞争相的历史唯物主义,在众多社会历史学说中格外强调物质生活的生产方式制约全部社会生活。晚年恩格斯书信中的历史唯物主义是教学相的历史唯物主义,在归根到底的意义上坚持经济因素的决定性,同时在相互作用的意义上接纳和肯定了其他因素。教学相的历史唯物主义取代竞争相的历史唯物主义,并不意味着两种不同的历史唯物主义,而只是历史唯物主义自身的相变。

The elucidation of Historical Materialism by Engels in his late years is very impressive,showing the Historical Materialism has some conditions with features of time.Under different conditions,water will undergo phase transformation include liquid,solid and gas.So is Historical Materialism which has its own phase transition:competing phase in its establishing period and teaching phase in its prevalent period.The former,among numerous competitive doctrines of society and history,specially stresses that the mode of production of material life determines the whole social life.The latter,emerging in letters by Engels in his late years,insists that the determining factor in history is,in the final analysis,the production and reproduction o factual life,recognizing and affirming other factors in the sense of interaction at the same time.That the teaching phase replaces the competing phase embodies the phase transition of Historical Materialism itself rather than two incongruous kinds of Historical Materialism.