Reflections on the Humanistic Spirit in the Age of Science and Technology: A Deep Exploration of Marxist Dialectics
The contents of this book primarily encompass the following four aspects:
First, approaching the problems of our era through the relationship between science and technology and the humanities. “A problem is a public, fearless, world-governing cry of the age. A problem is the slogan of the age, the most practical expression of its spiritual state.” [1] Problem-consciousness determines the height of thought; only by clearly identifying the problems of the era can philosophy avoid aphasia and escape the trap of soliloquistic ivory-tower discourse. Reflections on the Humanistic Spirit in the Age of Science and Technology (hereafter referred to as Reflections) explicitly identifies science, technology, and the humanities as the fundamental problems of our time. The author argues that the truly novel things and phenomena of the present era, which distinguish it from the past, occur in the realm of high technology. The technological revolution is rebuilding ourselves, our lives, and even our world with its formidable power. The various possibilities presented by the biological sciences mean that concepts of equality and democracy, as well as the meanings of the “free will” and “progress” we envision, will be redefined. Just as the spirit of the early Renaissance swept through medieval Europe over 700 years ago, our understanding of humanity and society will undergo a transformation. At a moment when the development of science and technology has re-posed the question of “what is man,” it inevitably appears narrow-minded to critique science, technology, instrumental rationality, and modernity from the unreflective standpoint of the traditional humanistic spirit; such critiques expose the emotionalism and weak speculative capacity of the humanities. Since the Industrial Revolution, cultural critique under the banner of the humanistic spirit has never ceased, yet problems such as ecological degradation, local wars, the gap between rich and poor, and moral crises have not subsided amidst these critiques. In the movement and existence of the human world, matter determines consciousness, and productive forces determine relations of production; [2] therefore, the approach of using humanistic norms to regulate science and technology is fundamentally unfeasible. It merely demonstrates the stubbornness of subject-metaphysics. The truly viable path is to adjust and renew the humanistic side, establishing a worldview and value system with explanatory, integrative, and transformative power—that is, establishing a new humanistic spirit (a post-humanistic spirit) to suit the needs of today’s technology-driven practice and to resolve the era’s various problems in a transcendent manner.
Second, creating new concepts to express a worldview with the aid of new achievements in the natural sciences. The academic community has long complained about the lack of consensus; when one points fingers at the world based on individual concepts and interests, disputes without consensus are inevitable. To avoid the error of the "blind men touching the elephant," [3] it is necessary to utilize the new world-picture provided by the natural sciences, leap out of the old conceptual frameworks of the humanities, and establish a broader intellectual foundation for reaching "consensus." The "Spatiotemporal Evolution Theory" proposed in Reflections is precisely such a new concept for expressing a worldview created via new achievements in the natural sciences. According to Spatiotemporal Evolution Theory, spatiotemporal evolution began with the Big Bang. All types of beings in space-time coexist in a theater of interaction permeated by time and space. Time and space are not abstract forms but objective realities inseparable from all existing things; space-time and all things together form a "continuum" in the ontological sense. Compared to existing theories of evolution, such as biological evolution or generalized synthetic evolution, "Spatiotemporal Evolution Theory" is more abstract. It holds that the elements of evolution include not only surface-level objective realities—such as the universe, biology, society, and culture—but that evolution is also manifested in deep-level objective realities, such as time and space. Real time and space exceed the general thought patterns of the human brain; in fact, without the evolution of time and space, there would be no evolution of the universe, biology, society, or culture. In the process of spatiotemporal evolution, humanity and its society are not the ultimate purpose of nature; on the contrary, they are constrained by objective laws that do not change according to human will. This ultimate background is the foundation that various schools of thought should consider when seeking consensus.
Third, advancing the valuable ideas of postmodernism. Based on the reflection of the humanistic spirit by science and technology, Reflections coincides with certain postmodernist concepts, such as the clearing away of subject-metaphysics and the rethinking of humanity's position in the universe. Discussions of man as a transitional being and as a carrier of power actually push the valuable ideas within postmodernism further forward. Postmodernist thought is a mixed bag of wheat and chaff; [4] simple critique is undesirable, and overlooking the “academic innovation” of postmodernist thought is also questionable. “The philosophy which is the latest in time is the result of all the foregoing philosophies, and must therefore contain the principles of them all; and (if it is only philosophy) it must be the most developed, richest, and most concrete.” [5] Reflections argues that no moment in human history can dispense with the participation of the humanistic spirit. Even when the old humanistic spirit’s explanations of new things are stretched thin, it still exerts a residual effect. Until these residual effects are exhausted, a new system of thought will not be finally established, but we cannot "remain at a standstill" [6] or "cut the feet to fit the shoes" [7] because of this. To escape the predicament of the humanistic spirit, one must first have the courage to dissect its core, not "hide the sickness for fear of the treatment," [8] and overturn those old concepts that seem self-evident, pursuing intellectual exploration and innovation. Another new concept proposed by Reflections is the "post-humanistic spirit," though this concept is not fully expanded upon. The author argues that after the illusions of human dignity and greatness are debunked, what collapses is the limitation of the humanistic spirit, not the spirit itself. The post-humanistic spirit is built upon a new worldview, outlook on life, and values; by broadening one's horizons and facing human limitations squarely, the realms and levels of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty can be elevated.
Fourth, re-understanding Marxist dialectics. Developing Marxist philosophy is a mission bestowed upon Chinese scholars by the era. The author points out that the problem of dialectics is the fundamental issue facing the development of Marxist philosophy, and correctly recognizing the position of man in the dialectical movement of the world is the key to handling this issue. Since Hegel, although dialectics has broken through the “Absolute Spirit,” it has not broken free from the shackles of metaphysical teleology. Once the laws of dialectical movement are applied to those who claim to master dialectics and their world, they become distorted. On the one hand, everything is in motion and changing; on the other hand, man himself is treated as a fixed point (not only everlasting but eternally unchanging). This fixed point intends to reach a perfect society through dialectics (the paradox being: a dynamic society cannot be perfect, for as long as there is motion, there are contradictions and human “feelings of imperfection”). These two static points (man and the ideal society) carried by the teleology of the traditional humanistic spirit often cause dialectics to slide unconsciously into metaphysics. An imprisoned "dialectics" is nothing more than "conjuring tricks"; it opens the door for totalitarianism acting under the banner of justice. In the author’s view, the pressing task for achieving innovation in Marxist philosophy is to stand on the ground of natural science and objective practice, break the metaphysical values clouding human thought, re-understand and elucidate Marxist dialectics, and theoretically consolidate its guiding position.
Published April 2011.