Studies on Marxist Methodology
Reviewing the history of the Communist Party of China, one might ask why it was able to gradually grow and strengthen from such a weak position, recover from the brink of destruction time and again amidst "storms of wind and blood" [1], and continuously advance from victory to victory while overcoming formidable challenges. A vital reason is its adherence to the scientific worldview and methodology of Marxism. This book provides a rigorous academic analysis of the primary components of essential Marxist methodologies, including the concrete analysis of concrete conditions, class analysis, analysis of basic social contradictions, analysis of laws, trend analysis, the analysis of links, spatio-temporal analysis, and the method of seeking truth from facts. Furthermore, it offers a systematic exposition of how these methodologies are applied in close integration with China's actual reality.
Author Profile: Xin Xiangyang, born in March 1965, is a member of the Communist Party of China and a Doctor of Laws. He graduated from Renmin University of China in 1991 with a doctoral degree in Law. He formerly served as the Deputy Director of the Bureau of International Cooperation (Information) of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). He currently serves as the Deputy Director of the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies, Deputy Director of the Research Center for the Theoretical System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, Executive Deputy Director of the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and Deputy Director of the World Socialism Research Center. He is a Grade-2 Research Fellow and a doctoral supervisor. In 2012, he was awarded the Special Government Allowance by the State Council. In 2015, he was recognized as one of the "Four Batches of Talents" [2] within the propaganda and culture system by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee (CCPD). In 2016, he was selected for the "Ten Thousand Talents Program" [3] as a leading talent by the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. He serves as a judge for the National Social Science Fund of China and the National Publication Foundation. His social appointments include: Special Research Fellow of the China Society for Study of Ideological and Political Work, Specially Invited Research Fellow of the National Party Building Research Association, and Vice President of the Beijing Political Science and Administrative Science Society.
Table of Contents: Preface: The Marxist Worldview and Methodology I. The Method of Analyzing Basic Social Contradictions (1) The scientific connotation of the method of analyzing basic social contradictions (2) The basic contradictions of capitalist society (3) The basic contradictions and principal contradiction [4] of socialist society
II. The Method of Class Analysis (1) Class analysis is a scientific method proven by countless historical facts (2) The method of class analysis is not obsolete in contemporary society (3) The value of class analysis also lies in its development of stratum analysis
III. The Method of Analyzing Laws (1) The basic connotation of the method of analyzing laws (2) The modes and methods by which the founders of Marxism revealed laws (3) The understanding of objective laws within Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era
IV. The Method of Trend Analysis (1) The method of trend analysis and classic cases from the Marxist classics (2) Types of economic and social development trends (3) How to grasp trends and foresee the future
V. The Concrete Analysis of Concrete Conditions (1) The concrete analysis of concrete conditions is the living soul of Marxism (2) Chinese Communists have always attached importance to "the concrete analysis of concrete conditions" (3) The basic connotation of the concrete analysis of concrete conditions (4) Several issues to note when applying this method
VI. The Method of Analyzing Links [5] (1) Lenin’s analysis of key links from 1917 to 1923 (2) The three aspects of links grasped by Lenin (3) The practical significance of the method of analyzing links
VII. The Method of Unifying Logic and History (1) Current views in Chinese academia regarding this methodology (2) The basic meaning of the "consistency of logic and history" methodology in the Marxist classics (3) The practical significance of the "consistency of logic and history" methodology
VIII. The Method of Spatio-Temporal Analysis (1) The spatio-temporal analysis of the movement of capital (2) The spatio-temporal analysis of the free and well-rounded development of individuals (3) Spatio-temporal dialectics in the practice of Marxist political parties
IX. The Method of Seeking Truth from Facts (1) The method of seeking truth from facts possesses a profound tradition in fine traditional Chinese culture (2) The interpretation of "seeking truth from facts" by Communists (3) Several methods for achieving the practice of seeking truth from facts
References Postscript