Sunday, August 07, 2022

Xi Jinping's Semiotics of Marxism (名实) and the Coding Languages of Knowledge Platforms: Tian Xinming, "Do a good job in philosophy and social sciences as a fundamental principle: the inheritance and development of Marxism by General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions on philosophy and social sciences" [田心铭, 做好哲学社会科学工作的根本遵循——习近平总书记关于哲学社会科学重要论述对马克思主义的继承和发展]

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Human grunt at each other in systematic ways.  An individual's grunting is self satisfying. It is especially satisfying if the individual developed a system of grunting that served an internal objective. But if that is the case, grunting would be unnecessary since the individual would have only themselves as both speaker and audience. Grunting becomes a more interesting phenomenon when it is directed to others.  Grunting becomes a system of communication. Communication itself becomes an object, the objectification of which is to develop an identity between the grunt pattern and its object. 

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That process of identification itself requires a number of predicate steps. Among them the consciousness of a thing that is apart form other things, the premises under which an object is identifiable as something apart from others,  One can differentiate between a stone and a leaf on the basis of all sorts of conceptually identifiable distinctions, yet one need not distinguish between stones. Stones are all the same unless there is a further refinement : gold is different from quartz. All these differences acquire significance not in and of themselves  but because of the value invested in their difference.  And then at last one can return to the grunting of an individual now in a community of individuals. The individuals must somehow arrive at a consensus of how they approach the objects around them, how they invest them with qualities and how that relates to the ordering of the world.  As grunting turns to communication, it refines complex systems of values that determine what can be seem how it can be identified and where it can be placed withing systems of principles and premises around which the collective of grunting individuals  can share meanings. To grunt in a way that others understand is to embrace the world view of those to whom one grunts. 

Homer was able to construct (or imagine) a closed form because he had a clear idea of the agricultural and warrior culture of his own day. He knew his world, he knew its laws, causes, and effects. That is why he was able to give it form.. There is, however, another mode of artistic representation, one where we do not know the boundaries o what we wish to portray. . . We cannot provide a definition by essence and so, to be able to talk about it, to make it comprehensible or in some way perceivable, we list its properties. . . . (Humberto Eco, The Infinity of Lists (Alistair McEwen (trans); NY: Rizzoli, 2009), p. 15).

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Cultures tied to the tradition of Abrahamic religions encounter this semiotic reality of signifying the world around the central figure of humanity under the leadership of God (Gen 2:118-19 (Adam naming all of the creatures brought before him by God), and lists.  Lists are found throughout the Bible and provide a detailed description of historical connection, of pedigree, of the passage of time, and of the thing that is listed by reference to the quality the lists chronicle in common (eg, Gen 5:1-32 (the generations separating Adam from Noah and the first destruction of humanity). Guiguzi speaks of Ming  ()--of naming, of defining accurately, and of drawing distinctions, a concept that itself  was closely though controversially tied to that of shi () of actuality, truth, or essence of the thing names (Guiguzi, Guiguzi: China’s First Treatise on Rhetoric: A Critical Translation and Commentary (Hui Wu (trans) (Carbondale: Southern Illinois Universit Press, 2016), p. 156; 60 n. 26.

Consciousness of the ideological foundations of meaning is critical to the role of the priest, the guide, the vanguard, the teacher, or any sub-collective charged with the preservation of orthodoxy. It is the role of the priest as the critical factor in the protection of language-meaning against the power of which Nietzsche  wrote (e.g., Abed Azzam, Nietzsche Versus Paul (Columbia University Press, 2015)). It is this same power that animates--and vindicates--the role of the Leninist vanguard in its struggle to guide the masses toward the establishment of a communist society and thus shape the ideology of language and its instrumental qualities for class struggle (first) and in a Chinese Leninist sense all historical contradictions thereafter) (for an early Soviet text on Marxist semiotics, Valentin N. Voloshinov [Mikhail Bakhtin], Marxism and the Philosophy of Language (Ladislav Matejka & I. R. Titunik (Trans); Harvard University Press 1986 (1928))

That this process of conscious semiotics in the service of the vanguard is well understood at least among some advanced intellectual circles in China is underscored by Tian Xinming's quite interesting essay just circulated 5 August 2022:  "Do a good job in philosophy and social sciences as a fundamental principle: the inheritance and development of Marxism by General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions on philosophy and social sciences" [田心铭, 做好哲学社会科学工作的根本遵循——习近平总书记关于哲学社会科学重要论述对马克思主义的继承和发展]. Tian attempts to view Marxism through a semiotic lens as the meta rationalizing premise against which human understanding and the organization of human collectives can be understood and evaluated.

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事物的质是其本身所固有的、使它成为该事物而同其他事物区别开来的规定性。“根本标志”所体现的,是一个事物成为该事物的根本特征。坚持“根本标志”,就是坚持事物的根本性质。这一重要论断指明了,马克思主义是当代中国哲学社会科学本身所固有的指导思想、理论基础。一个学科或一种学术体系、话语体系,如果不以马克思主义为指导,不具备这一根本性质、根本标志,就丧失了作为当代中国哲学社会科学之构成部分而存在和发展的资格。[The quality of a thing is the determinacy inherent in itself that distinguishes it from other things. What the "fundamental sign" embodies is that a thing becomes the fundamental characteristic of that thing. To adhere to the "fundamental sign" is to adhere to the fundamental nature of things. This important conclusion points out that Marxism is the guiding ideology and theoretical basis inherent in contemporary Chinese philosophy and social sciences. If a discipline or an academic system or discourse system is not guided by Marxism and does not possess this fundamental nature and symbol, it will lose its qualification to exist and develop as an integral part of contemporary Chinese philosophy and social sciences.] (田心铭, 做好哲学社会科学工作的根本遵循, supra)
And that is the point ascribed to the underlying framing premise of Leninism in its New Era.

哲学社会科学作为上层建筑的一部分,是由一定社会的经济基础决定的。不同社会中哲学社会科学的根本区别,归根到底取决于不同社会形态、社会制度之间的区别。Philosophy and social sciences, as part of the superstructure, are determined by the economic base of a certain society. The fundamental differences between philosophy and social sciences in different societies depend in the final analysis on the differences between different social forms and social systems. [田心铭, 做好哲学社会科学工作的根本遵循, supra)

Tian quotes Xi: "If you do not adhere to the guidance of Marxism, philosophy and social sciences will lose their soul, lose their direction, and ultimately fail to play their due role." (“不坚持以马克思主义为指导,哲学社会科学就会失去灵魂、迷失方向,最终也不能发挥应有作用。”). To that end a theory of fundamental signs (“根本标志”论) is deployed. It's object is to rationalize the value of the lens through which knowledge is organized and extracted from the tangible and intangible world around.

这就要求当代中国哲学社会科学各学科的研究和建设,在充分吸收其他国家哲学社会科学有益成果的同时,决不可失去自己所特有的马克思主义立场、观点、方法,在世界观、历史观、方法论和重大原则问题上必须划清马克思主义与非马克思主义的界限。(This requires that the research and construction of various disciplines of contemporary Chinese philosophy and social sciences, while fully absorbing the beneficial achievements of other countries' philosophy and social sciences, must not lose their own unique Marxist standpoints, viewpoints, and methods. In terms of methodology and major principles, the boundaries between Marxism and non-Marxism must be drawn.) (田心铭, 做好哲学社会科学工作的根本遵循, supra)
It is not the grunting, then, that is critical to collective constructions of knowledge; it is grunting in unison that is key--where the key to the grunting is well managed.  From here it is a direct step to a semiotic theory of knowledge and its organization into academic fields as sub disciplines of Marxism applied to the social contradictions the overcoming of which are the principal duty of the leading social forces organized in the form of a Leninist Party.

 知识和理论是用概念来表达的。概念是反映事物特有属性的思维形态,它以语词的形式表达思想的内容。概念就其内容来说是理论和知识的表达,就其语言形式来说就是话语。一个学科表达其知识和理论的概念,构成了该学科的话语体系。知识、理论和概念的关系,就是学术内容和表达学术内容的话语的关系。一个学科成体系的理论、知识和概念的统一,就是学术体系和话语体系的统一。学术体系和话语体系是不可分割的。学术体系是揭示本学科对象的本质和规律的成体系的理论和知识;话语体系是理论和知识的语词表达,是学术体系的表现形式和语言载体。(Knowledge and theories are expressed in concepts. Concept is a thinking form that reflects the unique attributes of things, and it expresses the content of thoughts in the form of words. Concepts are expressions of theory and knowledge in terms of their content, and discourses in terms of their linguistic form. The concepts of a discipline expressing its knowledge and theories constitute the discourse system of the discipline. The relationship between knowledge, theory, and concepts is the relationship between academic content and the discourse that expresses the academic content. The unity of the theory, knowledge and concept of a discipline is the unity of the academic system and the discourse system. The academic system and the discourse system are inseparable. The academic system is a systematic theory and knowledge that reveals the essence and laws of the subject object; the discourse system is the verbal expression of the theory and knowledge, and the manifestation and language carrier of the academic system.) (田心铭, 做好哲学社会科学工作的根本遵循, supra)
Marxism is thus understood an both endogenous and exogenous to the ordering and disciplining of knowledge--but it is not a mere field of knowledge discipline itself.  In this way, Marxism is object, symbol, and interpretant--it is a thing and its signification. "So, the way that smoke generates or determines an interpretant sign of its object, fire, is by focusing our attention upon the physical connection between smoke and fire." (Peirce’s Theory of Signs, §1.3). 

 指导思想和学术资源是两个不同的问题,既不能将它们截然分开,又不能把二者混同起来。指导思想是一元的,学术资源是多样的。. . . 把马克思主义作为学术资源,不是替代或否定它作为指导思想的地位,不是把指导思想降低为学术资源,而是在坚持指导思想的同时,又把它作为最重要的学术资源。[Guiding ideology and academic resources are two different issues, which can neither be completely separated nor confused. The guiding ideology is unified, and the academic resources are diverse. . . . Taking Marxism as an academic resource is not to replace or deny its status as a guiding ideology, nor to reduce the guiding ideology to an academic resource, but to regard it as the most important academic resource while adhering to the guiding ideology.] (田心铭, 做好哲学社会科学工作的根本遵循, supra)

It is also the object within which signification is possible and within which objectification, signification and interpretation may occur. It is only within the self-reflexive framework of New Era Marxism, Tian suggests, that the academic disciplines may function , under the guidance of the vanguard tasked with the proper cultivation of the system of knowledge itself.  The object here is to provide a semiotic approach to the core Leninist concept of Marxism as a guiding ideology. "方法成为贯穿整个学科的灵魂。[Method becomes the soul of the whole discipline.] (田心铭, 做好哲学社会科学工作的根本遵循, supra). Tian then bends a number of excerpts from the speeches and remarks of Xi Jinping to underline and support this thesis. 

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At its base, one encounters here a semiotics of objectification. It is the object--Marxism--that is the central element on which knowledge may be properly built, curated, and deployed.  Objectification here is not to be understood in the sense of reducing an abstraction to an incarnation.  Rather, the better analogy is to an interactive platform--where the self-reflexive conceptual universe of Marxism, as coded by the leading forces political vanguard, is itself the comprehensive platform within which knowledge can be produced and consumed. That platform, of course, may be connected to others--those for example of liberal democratic or theocratic knowledge universes.  But the platforms are interactive, not fused, and the quality of knowledge is not transposable without conversion to the language of the operating system that drives each platform.  Marxism is the platform, as well as the coding language of that platform. It is the programming language designed not to communicate to computers but to the social actors who constitute its users and producers.  What is produced by other coding systems is unusable within the Marxist platform unless it is translated--the way that one computer language may require translation for use on a platform run on a different language. That language is not merely the communication or description, but the character of the knowledge universe itself, its communicative and symbolic significance, and its digestibility by consumers.  Here one moves from the semiotics of closed systems to the semiotics of the catalogue (Humberto Eco, The Infinity of Lists, supra) and an ordering that in the form of the list which is the detritus of platform activity, serves to give it shape, that is to define and contain it by the recognition of characteristics worth listing.

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Tian, effectively, suggests the increasingly comprehensive nature of Chinese Leninist detachment from systems with which until 2013 or so, it appears to converge. This is a semiotics of difference, to be sure; but also one of communicative and coding variation that is meant to reflect the tastes and core premises on which communicative platforms are constructed and operate.  It lastly suggests that such platforms are unlikely to be compatible any time soon. The semiotics of Marxism, then, is also one not merely of detachment, but of necessary incomprehensibility between systems without a class of well regulated (and monitored) translators. Where globalization posited a movement toward a singular platforms (with many sub-platforms); New Era Leninism suggests--with Marxism as the coding language. The issue of translation, of course, remains.  And where translation becomes a key element of platform utility--as it must be in the production of knowledge--the primary challenge for the coding language as the incarnation and instrumentalization of ideology, translation (inbound and projected outward to other platform-coding-knowledge/language systems), becomes the primary problem for a communicative theory of Marxism (or liberal democracy for that matter).

The text of the essay follows in the original and a crude English translation.


Do a good job in philosophy and social sciences as a fundamental principle: the inheritance and development of Marxism by General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions on philosophy and social sciences
Tian Xinming Party History 2022-08-05 07:51 Posted on Beijing

General Secretary Xi Jinping's important exposition on philosophy and social sciences is an important part of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. The important speech at the symposium on philosophy and social sciences comprehensively and systematically expounded a series of major issues in the scientific research and construction of contemporary Chinese philosophy and social sciences. It is a representative work of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important exposition on philosophy and social sciences. This article focuses on several important thoughts and judgments in this important speech, combined with the important expositions of General Secretary Xi Jinping on philosophy and social sciences on different occasions, to discuss how to study and understand the spirit of the important speech, and accelerate the construction of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics.

The "fundamental mark" theory answers the question of why and how to insist on being guided by Marxism

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Adhering to the guidance of Marxism is the fundamental symbol that distinguishes contemporary Chinese philosophy and social science from other philosophical and social sciences, and must be adhered to with a clear-cut stand." A new angle clarifies that contemporary Chinese philosophy and social sciences must adhere to the guidance of Marxism.

The quality of a thing is the determinacy inherent in itself that distinguishes it from other things. What the "fundamental sign" embodies is that a thing becomes the fundamental characteristic of that thing. To adhere to the "fundamental sign" is to adhere to the fundamental nature of things. This important conclusion points out that Marxism is the guiding ideology and theoretical basis inherent in contemporary Chinese philosophy and social sciences. If a discipline or an academic system or discourse system is not guided by Marxism and does not possess this fundamental nature and symbol, it will lose its qualification to exist and develop as an integral part of contemporary Chinese philosophy and social sciences.

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Contemporary Chinese philosophy and social sciences started from the entry of Marxism into my country, and gradually developed under the guidance of Marxism." The stipulation and inevitability endowed by the course.” Philosophy and social sciences, as part of the superstructure, are determined by the economic foundation of a certain society. The fundamental differences between philosophy and social sciences in different societies depend in the final analysis on the differences between different social forms and social systems. Contemporary Chinese philosophy and social sciences are accompanied by the development and victory of China's new democratic revolution guided by Marxism and the founding of the People's Republic of China, the victory of the socialist revolution and the establishment of the basic socialist system, reform and opening up and socialism with Chinese characteristics. The opening of the road and the historical process of socialism with Chinese characteristics entering a new era are produced and developed as part of the Chinese revolution, construction, and reform under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, and are part of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics. Philosophy and Social Sciences. It is this historical process and historical status that gives it the fundamental nature and characteristic of taking Marxism as the guide, and also determines that only by insisting on Marxism as the guide can it follow the development of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. and prosperity and development. "If you do not adhere to the guidance of Marxism, philosophy and social sciences will lose their soul, lose their direction, and ultimately fail to play their due role."

The theory of "fundamental signs" reveals the fundamental characteristics of contemporary Chinese philosophy and social sciences that are not only different from other historical eras, but also from other countries in the world, enriching and deepening our party's commitment to upholding Marxism in philosophy, social sciences and consciousness. The theory of the guiding position in the morphological field points out the direction of the development of my country's philosophy and social sciences. This requires that the research and construction of various disciplines of contemporary Chinese philosophy and social sciences, while fully absorbing the beneficial achievements of other countries' philosophy and social sciences, must not lose their own unique Marxist standpoints, viewpoints, and methods. On issues of major principles and major principles, we must draw a clear line between Marxism and non-Marxism. At the same time, the majority of philosophical and social scientists adhere to the guidance of Marxism, "first to solve the problem of true understanding and trust", "the core of which is to solve the problem of who is a person", and "finally to implement how to use it".

The "Three Systems" Theory Answers the Overall Strategic Question of the Development of Contemporary Chinese Philosophy and Social Sciences

The development of contemporary Chinese philosophy and social sciences requires an overall design from a strategic perspective. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Continuously promote the construction and innovation of the discipline system, academic system, and discourse system, and strive to build an all-round, all-field, and all-element philosophy and social science system." The task of constructing the contemporary Chinese philosophy and social science system is highly summarized as the three major systems of "discipline system", "academic system" and "discourse system", which indicates the general task of my country's philosophy and social science research and construction.

Philosophy and social science with Chinese characteristics is first and foremost a disciplinary system. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, "Philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics should cover various fields such as history, economy, politics, culture, society, ecology, military affairs, party building, etc., including traditional disciplines, emerging disciplines, frontier disciplines, interdisciplinary disciplines, unpopular disciplines and many other disciplines. ". It can be seen that this is a systematic and professional organic unity system composed of multiple disciplines interrelated and divided into different levels. The systematic and holistic features of this system are ultimately determined by the inherent properties of the objective objects it reflects.

Each discipline in this discipline system is constituted by its academic system and discourse system. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Each discipline must build a systematic discipline theory and concept." "Different disciplines have their own knowledge systems and research methods." The academic system of a discipline is composed of its "own knowledge system" and It consists of a "systematic disciplinary theory". During his inspection at Renmin University of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping further explained "own knowledge system" as "China's independent knowledge system". Knowledge and theories are expressed in concepts. Concept is a thinking form that reflects the unique attributes of things, and it expresses the content of thoughts in the form of words. Concepts are expressions of theory and knowledge in terms of their content, and discourses in terms of their linguistic form. The concepts of a discipline expressing its knowledge and theories constitute the discourse system of the discipline. The relationship between knowledge, theory, and concepts is the relationship between academic content and the discourse that expresses the academic content. The unity of the theory, knowledge and concept of a discipline is the unity of the academic system and the discourse system. The academic system and the discourse system are inseparable. The academic system is a systematic theory and knowledge that reveals the essence and laws of the subject object; the discourse system is the verbal expression of the theory and knowledge, and the manifestation and language carrier of the academic system. A discipline can only be a mature and sound discipline if it is constructed as a unity of academic system and discourse system.

Academic system and discourse system, as two aspects that constitute a discipline, their unity is the unity of opposites with inherent differences, not the same without difference. This difference makes the construction of the academic system and the discourse system become inseparable, relatively independent and irreplaceable tasks in the discipline construction. Therefore, the construction of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics includes the construction of the discipline system, the academic system and the discourse system. system tasks.

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "We must pay attention to strengthening the construction of the discourse system." The confrontation between different ideological and theoretical systems in philosophy and social sciences and the struggle in the field of social ideology are manifested not only in the contradictions in ideas and theoretical content, but also in the discourse system. antagonism and struggle for the right to speak. Adhering to the "fundamental sign" of contemporary Chinese philosophy and social sciences is reflected not only in the academic system, but also in the discourse system, including adherence to the Marxist discourse system.

The theory of "three major systems" is a guide for comprehensively planning the cause of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics, doing a good job in overall design, and promoting coordinated development. It is also a complete and scientific system for the discipline in the research and construction of each discipline. An organically unified guide.

The theory of "combination generation" answers the problem of academic resources in the development of philosophy and social sciences

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that "the reality of philosophy and social sciences is the result of the integration of various knowledge, concepts, theories, and methods from ancient times to the present. We must be good at integrating various resources from ancient and modern times, both at home and abroad." The theory of "combination and generation" is the inheritance and development of the Marxist thought on the development law of social ideology and philosophy and social sciences.

The development of philosophy and social sciences has its own laws, and these laws must be followed in advancing the discipline construction. Marxism reveals that "it is not people's consciousness that determines people's existence, but, on the contrary, people's social existence determines people's consciousness", which realizes a fundamental change in the view of social history, clarifies the relative independence of social consciousness, and points out that ideology Each department has its own historical inheritance and relatively independent development. Taking philosophy as an example, Engels pointed out: "The philosophy of each era, as a specific field of division of labor, has as a premise specific ideological materials passed on to it by its predecessors and from which it starts." He pointed out that in politics , law, philosophy, theology, etc. "all fields belonging to society and not simply to nature", "in every field of science there is a certain amount of material which has been formed independently from the thinking of previous generations, and In the minds of these successive generations have passed their own independent paths of development". All disciplines of philosophy and social sciences must inherit the achievements handed down by this discipline in their development, and reflect the new changes in real social life through the processing of existing ideological materials, and form new ideas and new viewpoints. Engels summed it up: "Once any ideology is produced, it develops in combination with the existing conceptual material, and further processes these materials; otherwise, it is not an ideology."

The theory of "combination and generation" inherits and develops the idea of ​​historical materialism on the relative independence of social ideology and historical inheritance, and profoundly reveals the development law of philosophy and social sciences. General Secretary Xi Jinping summarizes the knowledge, concepts, theories, and methods inherited in various disciplines as the concept of "resources", and the relationship between the "reality" of philosophy and social sciences and the various resources of philosophy and social sciences "from the past to the present" is represented by the concept of "resources". The concise and clear language is summarized as "integration and generation", which requires that in the research and construction of philosophy and social sciences "good at integrating various resources from ancient and modern China and foreign countries", and answers the question of what resources are available and how to grasp these resources.

The resources for the development of contemporary Chinese philosophy and social sciences are "first, the resources of Marxism," "the second, the resources of Chinese excellent traditional culture," and "the third, the resources of foreign philosophy and social sciences." Marxism is the primary resource of contemporary Chinese philosophy and social sciences, which includes not only the basic principles of Marxism, but also the achievements and cultural forms formed by the sinicization of Marxism. This is the main content of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics and the largest increment of development. . The resources of Chinese excellent traditional culture are very valuable and rare resources for the development of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics. We must strengthen cultural self-confidence, strengthen the excavation and elucidation of Chinese excellent traditional culture, promote its creative transformation and innovative development, and promote it. Excellent traditional culture is combined with Marxist standpoints and methods. The resources of foreign philosophy and social sciences are the positive achievements of the philosophy and social sciences of all countries in the world, and can be the beneficial nourishment of the philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics, but they must be critical, analytical, and discriminating. Use what is applicable, not applicable. Don't be rigid.

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that it is necessary to adhere to the principle of serving the past for the present and the foreign for the Chinese, integrating various resources, and continuously promoting knowledge innovation, theoretical innovation, and method innovation. The theory of "combination and generation" is not only a profound disclosure and a concise summary of the general law of the development of philosophy and social sciences, but also an elucidation of how to actively use this law in the construction of contemporary Chinese philosophy and social sciences.

The theory of "unification of guiding ideology and academic resources" answers the question of how to deal with the relationship between guiding ideology and academic resources in the development of various disciplines

The research of philosophy and social sciences not only has certain guiding ideology, but also is inseparable from various resources. The relationship between guiding ideology and academic resources is a universal and important issue in the research and construction of various disciplines, and a fundamental theoretical issue on the development of philosophy and social sciences.

General Secretary Xi Jinping put forward the theory of "fundamental signs" guided by Marxism, and at the same time listed "resources of Marxism" as the first among various resources in the theory of "integration and generation", which shows that Marxism has a great influence on contemporary Chinese philosophy. Social science is both a guiding ideology and a primary resource. This theory of "unification of guiding ideology and academic resources" is of great significance for guiding the development of philosophy and social sciences. To construct philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics, we must fully and accurately understand and deal with the relationship between Marxism as a guiding ideology and as an academic resource.

Guided by Marxism, it is to use the basic principles, positions, viewpoints, and methods of Marxism to study and solve all important theoretical and practical problems in the discipline, so that the entire discipline is built on the theoretical basis of Marxism, and the Marxist position, viewpoints and methods are used. , method has become the soul of the whole discipline.

Taking Marxism as an academic resource, in addition to insisting on and applying the basic principles, it is also necessary to study, sort out, absorb, and use the ideological achievements, specific conclusions and specific methods formed by Marxist classic writers to study various specific things and problems. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Marxist classic writers have a broad vision and rich knowledge, and the Marxist theoretical system and knowledge system are broad and profound, covering all fields of nature, human society, and human thinking, and involving history, economy, politics, culture, society, ecology, science and technology. Various disciplines of philosophy and social sciences should systematically and deeply excavate and sort out, master the relevant Marxist resources of the discipline, and integrate them into the discipline system, academic system and discourse system. Attaching great importance to these resources is also an important manifestation of the guidance of Marxism.

Guiding ideology and academic resources are two different issues, which can neither be completely separated nor confused. The guiding ideology is unified, and the academic resources are diverse. To integrate ancient and modern Chinese and foreign academic resources, it is necessary to be inclusive to achieve comprehensive innovation. Taking Marxism as an academic resource is not to replace or deny its status as a guiding ideology, nor to reduce the guiding ideology to an academic resource, but to regard it as the most important academic resource while adhering to the guiding ideology.

Guided by Marxism, not citing individual expositions in classic works or specific conclusions about certain issues in the discipline, but looking for positions, viewpoints, and methods from Marxism to study and solve all major issues in the discipline. If you think that as long as you find and quote the specific expositions about the subject object in the classic works, you will insist on the guiding position of Marxism. In fact, you are taking Marxism only as an academic resource, not as a guiding ideology.

The expositions and specific conclusions of Marxist classic writers on specific issues, as an academic resource, cannot and cannot replace our research on specific objects in this discipline; Marxism, as a guiding ideology, can guide our research on various issues. The basic principles and the standpoints, viewpoints, and methods that run through them are applicable to all research objects.

The theories and methods are the basis of the world outlook and historical outlook for all research work and the construction of the entire discipline. Marxism can guide various disciplines, but it cannot replace the research of any one discipline. Only by adhering to the guiding ideology of Marxism, fully integrating various resources, occupying the materials in detail, and deeply studying the problems in this discipline, especially those problems that the new classic writers born in social life have not encountered, can the construction of the The "three systems" of various disciplines.

To properly handle the relationship between guiding ideology and academic resources, we must use Marxism as a guide to integrate academic resources, that is, to build a philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics in accordance with the idea of ​​"based on China, learning from foreign countries, excavating history, grasping the present, caring for human beings, and facing the future" .

Grasp the spirit of important speeches in the overall research, and effectively enhance the self-consciousness of practice

General Secretary Xi Jinping's important exposition on philosophy and social sciences is a systematic and complete scientific ideological system. Whether it is directly discussing the content of philosophy and social sciences or its various disciplines, or the overall situation of the work of the party and the country, the overall situation of socialism with Chinese characteristics, or one of these aspects, they all contain important ideological viewpoints that guide the development of contemporary Chinese philosophy and social sciences. , should be clarified and implemented through in-depth study.

For example, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that "strengthening and improving the Party's leadership over philosophy and social sciences is the fundamental guarantee for the prosperity and development of my country's philosophy and social sciences." Adhering to the overall leadership of the party is an important part of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions on philosophy and social sciences, and it is also the core essence of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. To study and understand and strengthen the Party's leadership over the work of philosophy and social sciences, it is necessary to understand and grasp by studying all the writings and expositions of General Secretary Xi Jinping.

Another example is that General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly expounded in depth that Marxism is a scientific theory, a people's theory, a practical theory, and a continuously developing open theory, and insists on combining the basic principles of Marxism with China's concrete reality and the excellent traditional Chinese culture. Combined, adhere to the theoretical innovation based on practice, continuously promote the modernization of Marxism in China, adhere to and apply the Marxist view of practice, the view of the masses, the view of class, the view of development, and the view of contradiction, read the classics of Marxism, and understand the principles of Marxism Wait. Only by in-depth and systematic study of relevant works can we fully and accurately understand and grasp how to uphold and apply Marxism in philosophy and social sciences.

Another example is that the construction of ideological and political theory courses in schools and the scientific research of philosophy and social sciences are two different and closely related tasks. Teachers of ideological and political courses in colleges and universities are also researchers of philosophy and social sciences, and their teaching and research are related to each other. . In March 2019, General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the symposium of teachers of ideological and political theory courses in schools, comprehensively and systematically summarizing the construction laws and successful experiences of ideological and political courses. The basic content of this important speech is also applicable to guiding philosophy and social science research. For example, its expositions of "adhering to the unity of political and academic rationality", "adhering to the unity of value and knowledge", "adhering to the unity of constructiveness and criticism", and "adhering to the unity of theory and practice" are both good ideas. The guiding principles of political courses should also be followed by the scientific research and construction of philosophy and social sciences; it proposes to teachers that "politics should be strong", "feelings should be deep", "thinking should be new", "vision should be broad", "self-discipline should be strict" and "personality should be strict". It answers the question of what kind of comprehensive quality teachers of ideological and political courses should have, and is also fully applicable to philosophy and social science workers, pointing out the direction for the construction of philosophy and social science teams and the personal growth of scholars.

Another example, General Secretary Xi Jinping attaches great importance to the study and research of history. He proposed that "history is the best textbook" and "history is the best teacher", emphasizing that "historical research is the foundation of all social sciences", and hoped that historical researchers "adhere to the position, viewpoint, and method of historical materialism, based on China, looking at the world, establishes the trend of the times, connects the changes of the past and the present, and makes the first voice of thought.” This is the guiding ideology for the construction of the discipline of history, and it also plays an important guiding role in other disciplines of philosophy and social sciences.

To study and study General Secretary Xi Jinping's discourses on philosophy and social sciences, we must base ourselves on the great practice of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, link philosophy and social sciences and the actual research and construction of various disciplines, and thoroughly and systematically study General Secretary Xi Jinping's treatises, sort out and elucidate them. Comprehensive and accurate understanding and mastery of the important ideas, viewpoints and judgments related to philosophy and social sciences.

(Author: Tian Xinming, member of the Academic Steering Committee of the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)
("Guangming Daily" August 5, 2022, version 11)


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做好哲学社会科学工作的根本遵循——习近平总书记关于哲学社会科学重要论述对马克思主义的继承和发展

田心铭 党的历史 2022-08-05 07:51 Posted on 北京

习近平总书记关于哲学社会科学的重要论述,是习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的重要内容。在哲学社会科学工作座谈会上的重要讲话,全面系统阐述了当代中国哲学社会科学研究和建设的一系列重大问题,是习近平总书记关于哲学社会科学重要论述的代表作。本文以这篇重要讲话中的几个重要思想、论断为主轴,结合习近平总书记在不同场合关于哲学社会科学的重要论述,谈谈如何学习、领会重要讲话精神,加快构建中国特色哲学社会科学。

“根本标志”论回答了为什么和如何坚持以马克思主义为指导的问题

习近平总书记指出:“坚持以马克思主义为指导,是当代中国哲学社会科学区别于其他哲学社会科学的根本标志,必须旗帜鲜明加以坚持。”这一以“根本标志”为关键词的重要论断,从一个新的角度阐明了当代中国哲学社会科学必须坚持以马克思主义为指导。

事物的质是其本身所固有的、使它成为该事物而同其他事物区别开来的规定性。“根本标志”所体现的,是一个事物成为该事物的根本特征。坚持“根本标志”,就是坚持事物的根本性质。这一重要论断指明了,马克思主义是当代中国哲学社会科学本身所固有的指导思想、理论基础。一个学科或一种学术体系、话语体系,如果不以马克思主义为指导,不具备这一根本性质、根本标志,就丧失了作为当代中国哲学社会科学之构成部分而存在和发展的资格。

习近平总书记指出:“当代中国哲学社会科学是以马克思主义进入我国为起点的,是在马克思主义指导下逐步发展起来的。”“我国哲学社会科学坚持以马克思主义为指导,是近代以来我国发展历程赋予的规定性和必然性。”哲学社会科学作为上层建筑的一部分,是由一定社会的经济基础决定的。不同社会中哲学社会科学的根本区别,归根到底取决于不同社会形态、社会制度之间的区别。当代中国哲学社会科学是伴随着以马克思主义为指导的中国新民主主义革命的发展、胜利和中华人民共和国的成立、社会主义革命的胜利和社会主义基本制度的建立、改革开放和中国特色社会主义道路的开辟、中国特色社会主义进入新时代这一历史进程而产生和发展起来的,是作为中国共产党领导下中国革命、建设、改革事业的一部分而不断前进的,是中国特色社会主义制度下的哲学社会科学。正是这一历史进程和历史地位,使它具备了以马克思主义为指导这一根本性质、根本特征,同时也决定了它只有坚持以马克思主义为指导,才能随着中国特色社会主义事业的发展而繁荣、发展。“不坚持以马克思主义为指导,哲学社会科学就会失去灵魂、迷失方向,最终也不能发挥应有作用。”

“根本标志”论,揭示了当代中国哲学社会科学既区别于其他历史时代、又区别于世界其他国家的哲学社会科学的根本特征,丰富和深化了我们党关于坚持马克思主义在哲学社会科学和意识形态领域指导地位的理论,指明了我国哲学社会科学发展的方向。这就要求当代中国哲学社会科学各学科的研究和建设,在充分吸收其他国家哲学社会科学有益成果的同时,决不可失去自己所特有的马克思主义立场、观点、方法,在世界观、历史观、方法论和重大原则问题上,必须划清马克思主义与非马克思主义的界限。同时,广大哲学社会科学工作者坚持以马克思主义为指导,“首先要解决真懂真信的问题”,“核心要解决好为什么人的问题”,“最终要落实到怎么用上来”。

“三大体系”论回答了当代中国哲学社会科学发展的总体战略问题

发展当代中国哲学社会科学,需要以战略眼光作出总体性设计。习近平总书记指出:“不断推进学科体系、学术体系、话语体系建设和创新,努力构建一个全方位、全领域、全要素的哲学社会科学体系。”这一重要论断,把我们发展哲学社会科学、构建当代中国哲学社会科学体系的任务,高度概括为构建“学科体系”“学术体系”“话语体系”三大体系,指明了我国哲学社会科学研究和建设的总任务。

中国特色哲学社会科学首先是一个学科体系。习近平总书记指出,“中国特色哲学社会科学应该涵盖历史、经济、政治、文化、社会、生态、军事、党建等各领域,囊括传统学科、新兴学科、前沿学科、交叉学科、冷门学科等诸多学科”。可见,这是一个由多门学科相互关联构成的,具有系统性、专业性的,分为不同层级的有机统一体系。这一体系的系统性、整体性特征,归根到底是由其所反映的客观对象固有的性质决定的。

这个学科体系中的每一个学科,各自又是由其学术体系和话语体系统一构成的。习近平总书记指出:“每个学科都要构建成体系的学科理论和概念。”“不同学科有自己的知识体系和研究方法。”一个学科的学术体系,是由它“自己的知识体系”和“成体系的学科理论”构成的。在中国人民大学考察时,习近平总书记进一步把“自己的知识体系”解释为“中国自主的知识体系”。知识和理论是用概念来表达的。概念是反映事物特有属性的思维形态,它以语词的形式表达思想的内容。概念就其内容来说是理论和知识的表达,就其语言形式来说就是话语。一个学科表达其知识和理论的概念,构成了该学科的话语体系。知识、理论和概念的关系,就是学术内容和表达学术内容的话语的关系。一个学科成体系的理论、知识和概念的统一,就是学术体系和话语体系的统一。学术体系和话语体系是不可分割的。学术体系是揭示本学科对象的本质和规律的成体系的理论和知识;话语体系是理论和知识的语词表达,是学术体系的表现形式和语言载体。一个学科只有构建成学术体系和话语体系的统一体,才是成熟的、健全的学科。

学术体系和话语体系作为构成一个学科的两个方面,其统一是包含着内在差别的对立面的统一,不是无差别的等同。这种差别性使学术体系建设和话语体系建设成为学科建设中既不可分割又各自相对独立、不能相互替代的工作,所以构建中国特色哲学社会科学包括了构建学科体系、学术体系和话语体系三大体系的任务。

习近平总书记强调:“要注意加强话语体系建设。”哲学社会科学中不同思想理论体系之间的对立,社会意识形态领域的斗争,既表现为思想、理论内容上的矛盾,也表现为话语体系的对立和话语权的争夺。坚持当代中国哲学社会科学的“根本标志”,既体现在学术体系中,也体现在话语体系中,包括坚持马克思主义的话语体系。

“三大体系”论是全面规划中国特色哲学社会科学事业,做好总体设计、协同推进的指南,也是在各学科的研究和建设中构建本学科完整、科学的体系,把学术体系和话语体系有机统一起来的指南。

“融通生成”论回答了哲学社会科学发展的学术资源问题

习近平总书记指出,“哲学社会科学的现实形态,是古往今来各种知识、观念、理论、方法等融通生成的结果。我们要善于融通古今中外各种资源”。“融通生成”论是对马克思主义关于社会意识形态和哲学社会科学发展规律思想的继承和发展。

哲学社会科学发展有其自身规律,推进学科建设必须遵循这些规律。马克思主义揭示了“不是人们的意识决定人们的存在,相反,是人们的社会存在决定人们的意识”,实现了社会历史观上的根本变革,同时阐明了社会意识的相对独立性,指出意识形态各部门有其自身的历史继承性和相对独立的发展。恩格斯以哲学为例指出:“每一时代的哲学作为分工的一个特定的领域,都具有由它的先驱传给它而它便由此出发的特定的思想材料作为前提。”他指出,在政治、法律、哲学、神学等“一切属于社会而不是单纯属于自然界的领域”,“在每一科学领域中都有一定的材料,这些材料是从以前的各代人的思维中独立形成的,并且在这些世代相继的人们的头脑中经过了自己的独立的发展道路”。哲学社会科学各学科在其发展中都要继承本学科传承下来的成果,通过对已有思想材料的加工来反映现实社会生活的新变化,形成新思想、新观点。恩格斯概括说:“任何意识形态一经产生,就同现有的观念材料相结合而发展起来,并对这些材料作进一步的加工;不然,它就不是意识形态了。”

“融通生成”论继承并发展了唯物史观关于社会意识形态相对独立性、历史继承性的思想,深刻揭示了哲学社会科学的发展规律。习近平总书记把各学科中传承的知识、观念、理论、方法等概括为“资源”这一概念,把哲学社会科学的“现实形态”同“古往今来”各种哲学社会科学资源之间的关系以简捷明快的语言概括为“融通生成”,要求在哲学社会科学的研究和建设中“善于融通古今中外各种资源”,并且回答了有哪些资源、如何把握好这些资源的问题。

当代中国哲学社会科学发展的资源,“一是马克思主义的资源”“二是中华优秀传统文化的资源”“三是国外哲学社会科学的资源”。马克思主义是当代中国哲学社会科学的首要资源,其中既包括马克思主义基本原理,又包括马克思主义中国化形成的成果及其文化形态,这是中国特色哲学社会科学的主体内容和发展的最大增量。中华优秀传统文化的资源是中国特色哲学社会科学发展十分宝贵、不可多得的资源,要坚定文化自信,加强对中华优秀传统文化的挖掘和阐发,推动其创造性转化、创新性发展,并把弘扬优秀传统文化同马克思主义立场观点方法结合起来。国外哲学社会科学的资源是世界所有国家哲学社会科学取得的积极成果,可以成为中国特色哲学社会科学的有益滋养,但要有批判精神,有分析、有鉴别,适用的就拿来用,不适用的不要生搬硬套。

习近平总书记强调,要坚持古为今用、洋为中用,融通各种资源,不断推进知识创新、理论创新、方法创新。“融通生成”论既是对哲学社会科学发展普遍规律的深刻揭示、简明概括,又是对当代中国哲学社会科学构建中如何能动地运用这一规律的阐发。

“指导思想和学术资源统一”论回答了在各学科发展中如何处理指导思想和学术资源的关系问题

哲学社会科学的研究既有一定的指导思想,又离不开各种资源。指导思想和学术资源的关系问题,是各学科研究和建设中具有普遍性的重要问题,是关于哲学社会科学发展的一个基础性理论问题。

习近平总书记在提出以马克思主义为指导的“根本标志”论的同时,又把“马克思主义的资源”列为“融通生成”论各种资源之首位,这就表明,马克思主义对于当代中国哲学社会科学,既是指导思想,也是首要资源。这一“指导思想和学术资源统一”论对指导哲学社会科学发展具有重要意义。构建中国特色哲学社会科学,必须全面、准确地认识和处理马克思主义作为指导思想与作为学术资源的关系。

以马克思主义为指导,是运用马克思主义基本原理和立场、观点、方法研究和解决本学科中一切重要理论问题和实际问题,使整个学科建立在马克思主义理论基础之上,使马克思主义立场、观点、方法成为贯穿整个学科的灵魂。

以马克思主义为学术资源,除了坚持和运用基本原理外,还要学习、梳理、吸收、运用马克思主义经典作家研究各种具体事物、问题形成的思想成果、具体结论和具体方法。习近平总书记指出:“马克思主义经典作家眼界广阔、知识丰富,马克思主义理论体系和知识体系博大精深,涉及自然界、人类社会、人类思维各个领域,涉及历史、经济、政治、文化、社会、生态、科技、军事、党建等各个方面。”哲学社会科学各学科应通过系统、深入地挖掘、梳理,掌握同本学科相关的马克思主义资源,将其融通在学科体系、学术体系和话语体系之中。高度重视这些资源,也是以马克思主义为指导的重要体现。

指导思想和学术资源是两个不同的问题,既不能将它们截然分开,又不能把二者混同起来。指导思想是一元的,学术资源是多样的。融通古今中外学术资源,要兼容并包,实现综合创新。把马克思主义作为学术资源,不是替代或否定它作为指导思想的地位,不是把指导思想降低为学术资源,而是在坚持指导思想的同时,又把它作为最重要的学术资源。

以马克思主义为指导,不是引用经典著作中的个别论述或关于本学科某些问题的具体结论,而是从马克思主义中找立场、找观点、找方法来研究、解决本学科中一切重大问题。如果以为只要找出并引用了经典著作中有关本学科对象的具体论述,就是坚持了马克思主义的指导地位,那实际上是把马克思主义仅仅当成了一种学术资源,而不是当作指导思想。

马克思主义经典作家对特定问题的论述和具体结论,作为一种学术资源,没有、也不可能代替我们对本学科具体对象的研究;马克思主义作为指导思想,能够指导我们对各种问题的研究,它的基本原理和贯穿其中的立场、观点、方法,是适用于所有研究对象的理论和方法,是全部研究工作和整个学科构建的世界观、历史观基础。马克思主义能指导各个学科,但是不能代替任何一个学科的研究。只有既坚持马克思主义指导思想,又充分融通各种资源,详细地占有材料,深入研究本学科中的问题,尤其是那些在社会生活中新产生的经典作家没有遇到过的问题,才能构建起各学科的“三大体系”。

处理好指导思想和学术资源的关系,要以马克思主义为指导融通学术资源,也就是按照“立足中国、借鉴国外,挖掘历史、把握当代,关怀人类、面向未来”的思路构建中国特色哲学社会科学。

在整体性研究中把握重要讲话精神,切实增强实践自觉

习近平总书记关于哲学社会科学的重要论述,是一个系统完整的科学思想体系。无论是直接论述哲学社会科学或其中各学科的内容,还是关于党和国家工作全局、中国特色社会主义事业全局或其中某一方面的论述,都包含着指导当代中国哲学社会科学发展的重要思想观点,应该通过深入研读加以阐发和贯彻。

例如,习近平总书记指出,“加强和改善党对哲学社会科学工作的领导,是繁荣发展我国哲学社会科学事业的根本保证”。坚持党的全面领导,是习近平总书记关于哲学社会科学重要论述的重要内容,更是习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的核心要义。学习、领会加强党对哲学社会科学工作的领导,要通过研读习近平总书记全部著作和论述来理解和把握。

又如,习近平总书记多次深入阐述马克思主义是科学的理论、人民的理论、实践的理论、不断发展的开放的理论,坚持把马克思主义基本原理同中国具体实际相结合、同中华优秀传统文化相结合,坚持实践基础上的理论创新、不断推进马克思主义中国化时代化,坚持和运用马克思主义的实践观、群众观、阶级观、发展观、矛盾观,读马克思主义经典、悟马克思主义原理等。只有深入、系统研读相关论著,才能完整、准确地理解和把握如何在哲学社会科学中坚持和运用马克思主义。

再如,学校思想政治理论课建设同哲学社会科学研究是各不相同又密切相关的两项工作,高校思政课教师同时也是哲学社会科学研究者,所承担的教学和研究是彼此相通的工作。2019年3月,习近平总书记在学校思想政治理论课教师座谈会上发表重要讲话,全面、系统总结思政课建设规律和成功经验。这个重要讲话的基本内容,对于指导哲学社会科学研究也是适用的。例如,其阐述的“坚持政治性和学理性相统一”“坚持价值性和知识性相统一”“坚持建设性和批判性相统一”“坚持理论性和实践性相统一”,既是上好思政课的指导原则,也应当为哲学社会科学研究和建设所遵循;其对教师提出的“政治要强”“情怀要深”“思维要新”“视野要广”“自律要严”“人格要正”的要求,回答了思政课教师应具备什么样的综合素质的问题,对于哲学社会科学工作者也完全适用,为哲学社会科学工作队伍建设和学者个人成长指明了方向。

再如,习近平总书记高度重视对历史的学习和研究。他提出,“历史是最好的教科书”,“历史是最好的老师”,强调“历史研究是一切社会科学的基础”,希望历史研究工作者“坚持历史唯物主义立场、观点、方法,立足中国、放眼世界,立时代之潮头,通古今之变化,发思想之先声”。这是历史学学科建设的指导思想,也对哲学社会科学其他学科具有重要指导作用。

学习、研究习近平总书记关于哲学社会科学的论述,要立足新时代中国特色社会主义伟大实践,联系哲学社会科学及其各学科研究和建设实际,深入、系统研读习近平总书记论著,梳理、阐发其中有关哲学社会科学的重要思想、观点、论断,全面、准确理解和掌握这一科学思想体系。

(作者:田心铭,系中国社会科学院习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想研究中心学术指导委员)

(《光明日报》 2022年08月05日 11版)

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