马克思论现代文明的基本品格

Marx's View on the Basic Attribute of Modern Civilization

马克思对现代文明予以历史性的高度肯定,因为现代文明第一次创造出了大规模、快速生产物质财富的制度与技术方法,带来物质福祉的极大改善,使越来越多的人得以摆脱苦不堪言的繁杂劳役,健康和寿命得到大幅度改善。他也揭示了现代文明在对外的殖民掠夺和战争、对内的阶级和性别压迫、野蛮地对待自然、陷入物化、庸俗化等方面存在的野蛮和蒙昧,期待通过进一步发展而不是回到前现代文明来解决现代性问题,希望进一步完善和提升现代文明,使其固有的潜力得到进一步释放。现代文明在必须发展生产力、改善生产关系从而具备向未来新文明过渡的物质基础方面,在未来新文明必须超越资本主义方面,都具有普遍性,是一种普遍主义的文明。现代文明的普遍主义品格意味着倾向于更大的视野,更大的开放、包容、交流和互鉴,也意味着一种社会主义新文明的建构。

Given that modern civilization for the first time in history spawned a slew of institutional and technical means for large-scale and rapid material production,bringing predominant improvements for social well-being,lifting people in ever-increasing numbers out of excessive servitude,ameliorating their living conditions and longevity,Marx puts a premium on the historical significance of modern civilization,but he also unmasks its crisis that modern civilization spells disaster of colonial expansion,class and gender oppression,nature exploitation,reification and vulgarity.To keep these detriments at bay,as Marx points out,is to further develop modern civilizationinstead of return and restore itand maximize its potentials.Modern civilization thus denotes a certain kind of universality,in the sense that it must bridges itself to new civilization through the development of productive forces and refinement of productive relations,and in the sense that such new civilization must transcend capitalism.Such universality harbors greater openness and inclusiveness,nurturing a new form of socialist civilization.