恩格斯对人的意志自由的唯物史观考察

On Engels’Historical Material Examination of Human Freedom of Will

意志自由是哲学探讨的一个热点和难点问题。在唯物史观创立以前,哲学家们对意志自由的探讨众说纷纭,唯物史观的创立为考察意志自由提供了崭新的理论视阈。与从理性与欲望的关系出发探讨意志自由不同,唯物史观从现实的人、人们的社会存在与人们的社会意识的辩证关系以及人与自然、人与社会的双重关系出发考察意志自由。在恩格斯看来,人的意志自由可以被理解为人借助于对事物的认识作出决定的能力,也可以被理解为人在认识自然规律和历史规律的基础上实现一定目的的自由状态。从人与动物的区别来看,使人类从动物界摆脱出来的自由,体现为人能够按照自己的想法和计划行动。此外,恩格斯明确反对基于资产阶级的抽象的意志自由观追究工人的道德责任,并站在唯物史观的立场上为工人辩护。

Freedom of will is a hot and difficult problem in philosophical exploration.Before the establishment of historical material⁃ism,philosophers had different opinions on freedom of will.The establishment of historical materialism provides a new theoretical hori⁃zon for the examination of freedom of will.Unlike exploring freedom of will from the perspective of the relationship between reason and desire,historical materialism examines freedom of will from the dialectical relationship between real people,their social existence,and their social consciousness,as well as the dual relationship between humans and nature,humans and society.In Engels’view,human freedom of will can be understood as the ability of people to make decisions through their understanding of things,or as a state of free⁃dom in which people achieve certain goals based on their understanding of natural and historical laws.From the perspective of the dif⁃ference between humans and animals,the freedom that frees humans from the animal kingdom is reflected in the ability of humans to act according to their own ideas and plans.In addition,Engels clearly opposed the abstract view of freedom of will based on the bour⁃geoisie to hold workers accountable for their moral responsibility and defended them from the perspective of historical materialism.