马克思的“需要”概念及其当代意义

Marx’s Concept of Need and Its Contemporary Relevance

需要概念是马克思的一个核心概念。在马克思那里,“人需要什么”的问题与他的共产主义人性观密切相关。需要是处于不断发展之中的,且为特定社会所特有。在近代阶级社会里,不同阶级之间的需要对立可转化为颠覆现有社会的主观力量。马克思对劳动是否为一种关键性需要这个问题持有矛盾态度。马克思的需要概念取代了平等、权利等概念,或者至少使这些概念相对化了,所以马克思的共产主义观没有给分配正义留下空间。面对环境危机等当代挑战,合作型的社会主义显然是最能应对挑战的社会和政治框架。

“Need”is a central concept for Marx.For Marx,the answer to the question of what human beings might need depends ultimately on his conception of the sort of human nature that would be prevalent in the future communist society.Needs constantly develop,and there is a limit in any particular society to what people need.In recent class societies founded on a division of labour,opposition of needs between different classes can be transformed into subjective forces which are to overturn this given society.We can also note here Marx’s ambivalence as to whether labour itself is a vital need.The concept of need displaces-or at least relativises-concepts such as equality and rights,therefore leaving no room in his conception of communism for the idea of distributive justice.A co-operative socialism would obviously be the best social and political framework to meet contemporary challenges such as environmental crisis.