No. 2, 2020

CONTENTS

Vladimir I. Lenin’s Charisma of a Leader， Vision of a Scholar， and Nature of a Fighter

Wei Jianhua（1）

Understanding the Theoretical Origin of Developing an Innovative， Open World Economy： Practical Implications of Vladimir I. Lenin’s Comments on

Conforming to and Utilizing the World Economy    Yang Chengxun（9）

Historical and Cultural Reasons for the Success of the Chinese Path    Han Zhen（45）

Toward a More Mature System： Development and Accomplishments of the

System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics    Mu Zhaoyong（50）

György Lukács’ Interpretation and Analysis of Marxism as Methodology An Qinian（65）

Whether a Society without Money Is Possible    Carl-Erich Vollgraf（102）

Probing into Herbert Marcuse’s Critical Thought on Political Economy    Zhang Xiong & Liu Qian（108）

Empire， Twenty Years On    Michael Hardt & Antonio Negri（146）

The Key Elements of Interest Transfer  Wu Zhongmin（157）

The Theory of Integrated Urban-Rural Development in the New Era and

How to Make It Happen    Han Wenlong & Wu Fenghua（166）

A New Generation of People and a Passion for the Family and Country    Luo Yuting & Ren Guanghui（174）

MAIN ABSTRACTS

Vladimir I. Lenin’s Charisma of a Leader, Vision of a Scholar, and Nature of a Fighter

Wei Jianhua

April 22, 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of V. I. Lenin, a great proletarian revolutionary teacher. Lenin was a great man rarely seen in the history of the world who possessed the charisma of a leader, the vision of a scholar, and the nature of a fighter. People cherish the memory of him because they love and have firm faith in the scientific truth he revealed, and want to defend and promote the great cause he championed. People recall him because they hold dear to heart the truth of life he exposed and yearn for the value of life he demonstrated.

As the preface to the commemorative edition of Vladimir I. Lenin in Pictures, this article reviews in detail the trajectory and revolutionary practice of Lenin, profoundly clarifies his tremendous achievements and great contributions, and fully discusses his theories and ideas, especially the core content of Leninism and its historical status. In addition, this article specifically expounds the distinctive characteristics of his theoretical research, namely, practical character, innovative spirit and fighting style.

With rich and irrefutable historical facts and deep personal emotion, the author also vividly describes the charisma of Lenin’s personality, including his rock-solid faith, indomitable will, sincere character, and high-minded and inclusive feelings. This article can thus present to the readers a respectable, credible, and lovable image of Lenin as a thinker and revolutionary they may not know; this will therefore make it possible for them to more intimately feel the power of truth and the glory of ideals based on Lenin’s writings and charisma.

Understanding the Theoretical Origin of Developing an Innovative, Open World Economy: Practical Implications of Vladimir I. Lenin’s Comments on Conforming to and Utilizing the World Economy

Yang Chengxun

As a science, the modern “market economy” refers to the entire socialized global world. Xi Jinping proposed “jointly building an innovative, inclusive and open world economy,” which is a development of the Marxist theory of the world economy and the thought of opening up to the outside world. One of this proposal’s important origins is Lenin’s exposition on the world economy and on how socialist countries can conform to and utilize it. Lenin was the first to say that socialist countries should make good use of the economic, technological and cultural achievements of the capitalist world. He also elaborated on the formation and development trend of the world economy, as well as the inevitability and specific form of the use of the world economy by socialist countries. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era has further developed these fundamental views and strategies.

Historical and Cultural Reasons for the Success of the Chinese Path

Han Zhen

The success of the Chinese path is not an accidental miracle, but an inevitable logical outcome in line with the rule of historical development. It is essentially inseparable from the strenuous creative work of the Chinese people and the selfless work of the leaders at levels; and is also closely related to the fact that the CPC and all levels of government formulate timely policies in line with realities, and alter and improve those policies in accordance with the changing situation. Apart from these practical reasons, the success of the Chinese path can also be attributed to profound historical and cultural reasons in a long-term or in-depth sense, and this may be the more philosophical, metaphysical foundation for the Chinese path.

In a certain sense, Western culture is a culture about ultimate entities, but in contrast, Chinese culture at an in-depth level is based on the metaphysical thinking about the existence of a relational system, while European culture and Islamic culture in the Middle East are rooted in certain entities as  “arche” and “origin” or single “god” (God or Allah). In the West, god is the creator of humankind, but in China, Tian (Heaven) and Di (literally “Godly Emperor,” a divine agent somewhat like a “prophet” in Christianity or Islam) were actually a symbol of some ruling relationship, and interacted with the populace. It was also a delicate interdependent relationship. This worldview on relationships infuses a special kind of time concept and the resilience of historical behaviors into Chinese society and the mental world of the Chinese people, for such relationships are adjustable, constantly generated, and always changeable.

Toward a More Mature System: Development and Accomplishments of the System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics

Mu Zhaoyong

Understanding the scientific system of socialism with Chinese characteristics is of primary importance for research on the development of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. This system was enriched and expanded at the Forth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, which broadened the horizon and field of research on this issue and defined new tasks and requirements.

On the basis of this, with the focus on the formation, development and improvement of the fundamental, basic and major institutions that underpin the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and taking the essential features of its development in different stages into consideration, we can divide the development of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics into four stages: laying the foundation of the state system and governance system of the People’s Republic of China; establishing and exploring socialism as China’s basic system; forming and developing the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics; and making the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics more mature.

The distinctive features of long-term development, gradual reform and endogenous evolution demonstrate fully that the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics grew in the soil of Chinese society and is a great achievement of the CPC and the Chinese people.

György Lukács’ Interpretation and Analysis of Marxism as Methodology

An Qinian

Interpreting Marxism as methodology was György Lukács’ important thought. The interpretation has four aspects: Marxism is methodology, and those who adhere to Marxian methods are orthodox Marxists; the methodology is materialist dialectics; with the relationship between subject and object as its core, materialist dialectics only exists in the history of human society, and human subjectivity and subjective initiative play an important role in historical development; and, in its understanding of social history, materialist dialectics highlights its totality and regards it as a whole composed of various and developing social relations.

The above thinking is a creative understanding of Marxism, and it has many aspects that should be affirmed, but it also has many misunderstandings of Marx and Engels’ thought. The similarity between Lukács’ interpretation of Marxism as methodology and Lenin’s philosophical thinking is that the former’s argument concerning the rationality of the socialist revolutions of the backward countries of Hungary and Russia, which is also a summary of the successful experience of the October Revolution. Lukács’ interpretation of Marxism as methodology has important reference value for understanding and summarizing China’s reform and opening up.

Whether a Society without Money Is Possible

Carl-Erich Vollgraf

This article mainly analyzes whether a society without money is possible. On the basis of Marx’s manuscripts, Engels edited the third volume of The Capital and pointed out that the most decaying part of capitalism is the transfer and redistribution of social wealth, which is realized aside from production and solely by means of money. Is it possible to abolish money in this context? Firstly, the analysis of the attempts of early socialists Owen, Fourier and Weitling by abolishing money in practice showed, it is impossible to eliminate money on the basis of capitalist commodity production. Secondly, on the basis of criticizing early socialists and economists, Marx proposed a systematic and complete currency theory. He pointed out that the monetary crisis under the capitalist mode of production is not a partial crisis, but a characterization of the inherent defects of the entire mode of production. Finally, this article briefly analyzes how Marx envisioned a future society without money, and introduced the attitudes and practices of socialists after Marx and of Soviet socialists on the issue of money.

Probing into Herbert Marcuse’s Critical Thought on Political Economy

Zhang Xiong and Liu Qian

For a long time, a question has been ignored by Chinese researchers working on Western Marxism: Herbert Marcuse’s critical thought on political economy. Chinese research on him is fruitful, but the Chinese have not done much when it comes to the perspective of the critical logic of Marxism’s political economics—the axis principle of the subject questioning of the human condition of opposition between capital and spirit.

As a matter of fact, the spiritual essence of Marcuse’s social critical theory is an extension of the critique of political economy in the sense of Marx, or how human society pursues the realization of the highest level of economic politics and philosophy in the late ages of capitalism. It is exactly in this sense that Marcuse was hailed as a prominent theorist of Western Marxism in the 20th century. The raising of this question not only helps further explore the theoretical value and the innovation in the views of the domestic research on Marxism, but also makes it possible to discover from it the theoretical problems which are worthy of being used as references and deliberated on concerning the growth and development of China’s modernity.　

The Key Elements of Interest Transfer

Wu Zhongmin

Whether a society can achieve mutually beneficial cooperation depends to a great extent on the realization of interest transfer among all groups of society. Three basic elements are indispensable for realizing interest transfer: necessary social consensus, diversified ways of interest transfer, and a just and effective coordinating third party. The necessary social consensus includes the general recognition of the basic concept of social justice, a widespread adoption of the secularized behavioral orientation, and the public’s confidence in and hope for future development. Its significance lies in that it is conducive to the common consistency in the basic behavioral orientation and basic will among all groups of society, and thus helps to make the transfer of mutual interests a big probability.

Choosing appropriate and diversified ways of interest transfer, such as direct interest transfer, cross interest transfer and inclusive interest transfer, can provide a feasible and accessible path to interest transfer, so as to effectively realize interest transfer.

Only by forming a fair and effective coordinating party is it possible to effectively integrate all factors conducive to interest transfer, so as to promote the emergence of interest transfer behavior. What is important is that only by effectively integrating these three basic elements can the social community realize effective interest transfer and mutually beneficial cooperation.

The Theory of Integrated Urban-Rural Development in the New Era and How to Make It Happen

Han Wenlong & Wu Fenghua

Marx and Engels’ thought on urban-rural integration provides the theoretical guidance for China’s integrated urban-rural development in the new era. Rural-urban integration in China in the new era is an innovation and development of Marx and Engels’ thought on rural-urban integration, is integral for building a great modern socialist country in all respects, and is a concrete manifestation of the need to adhere to the people-centered development philosophy and implement the new development concept.

The core of integrated urban-rural development in the new era is to balance the relationships between industry and agriculture, between urban and rural areas, between rural and urban residents, and between rural and urban markets. In essence, integrated urban-rural development is designed realize the shared development and high-quality development for industry and agriculture and for urban and rural areas.

In the new era, China already has the material, institutional and social conditions for integrating urban-rural development. In order to integrate this development, it is necessary to fully grasp two basic principles and on this basis, to innovate and explore the ideological path, methodological path, productivity path, institutional path and rights path to integrated urban-rural development.

A New Generation of People and a Passion for the Family and Country

Luo Yuting & Ren Guanghui

National rejuvenation depends on the new generation of people and cultivating a passion for the family and country is an important part of the training of a new generation of people. The new generation of people needs a passion for the family and country, and such a passion nourishes these people. Instilling this passion in the new generation of people is of great practical value for realizing national rejuvenation, building a consensus on the importance of integrating the family and country throughout society, and promoting the universal development of the new generation.

The new generation’s passion for the family and country is essentially meaningful in carrying on the spirit of integrating the family and country and maintaining the feelings toward family-country integration, and upholding the value for promoting the common prosperity of the family and country. The strategy for instilling a passion for the family and country in the new generation is to promote the “three combinations” to strengthen the awareness of the country; strengthen the “three comparisons” to promote the passion for the family and country; and deal with the “three relationships” to fulfill national missions.