“布伦纳辩论”及其马克思主义思想史效应

"Brenner Debate" and Its Effect on the History of Marxist Thought

20世纪70年代发生、持续近20年的“布伦纳辩论”,是当代马克思主义发展史上的重要事件。其发起人布伦纳赓续英国史学马克思主义重视历史经验的传统,在著名的“多布-斯威齐之争”的基础上,对历史唯物主义中的一个重要问题即封建社会向资本主义过渡,进行独特阐析,强调地主、自耕农、佃农之间的阶级斗争及其形塑的社会财产关系,才是“过渡”发生、完成的关键。由此,布伦纳左右开弓,既和诸如人口决定论、商业或贸易决定论等非马克思主义观点争辩,也和主张生产力决定论的正统马克思主义争辩。“布伦纳辩论”使很多马克思主义者卷入其间,直接催生了当下颇有影响的“政治马克思主义”,也同时使马克思主义思想史、阐释史上的一些重要问题进一步凸显出来,如如何理解“资产阶级革命”、资本主义最初形态到底是农业的还是工业的;在更深层次上,则牵涉如何对待生产力决定论、历史唯物主义的理论归属。对之仔细梳理和认真挖掘,对建构和发展21世纪中国马克思主义,颇具启发意义和借鉴价值。

The “ Brenner debate”, which occurred in the 1970s and lasted for nearly 20 years, is an important event in the development history of contemporary Marxism. As the initiator Brenner continued the tradition of British historical Marxism that attaches importance to historical experience, and made a unique analysis of an important issue in historical materialism, that is, the transition from feudal society to capitalism, on the basis of the famous “Dobb-Sweezy dispute”. He emphasized that the class struggle among landlords, self-employed peasants and tenant farmers and the social property relationship shaped by the struggle were the key to the occurrence and completion of the “transition”. Thus, Brenner argued not only with the non-Marxist views such as population determinism and trade determinism, but also with the orthodox Marxism advocating productive force determinism. The “Brenner debate” involved many Marxists,directly gave birth to the current influential “political Marxism”, and further highlighted some important issues in the history of Marxist thought and interpretation, such as how to understand whether the“bourgeois revolution” and the initial form of capitalism were agricultural or industrial;At a deeper level, it involved how to treat the theoretical attributes of productive force determinism and historical materialism.Carefully sorting out and digging into it will have inspiring significance and reference value for the construction and development of Chinese Marxism in the 21st century.