Qi Si and Li Yuan: The "Second Integration" and the Remolding of the Spiritual World in Chinese Modernization
The Report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC explicitly stated: "Chinese-path modernization is the modernization of material and cultural-ethical advancement in coordination. Material abundance and spiritual enrichment are fundamental requirements of socialist modernization." Promoting the comprehensive abundance of things and the well-rounded development of people is an intrinsic requirement of Chinese-path modernization. This is not only a matter of theoretical construction and practical exploration; it is also of great significance for breaking the binary opposition between material prosperity and spiritual poverty. As the social structure of China undergoes profound changes, the interests and demands of various social groups have become increasingly diverse and complex. General Secretary Xi Jinping has noted that "the social structure of our country is undergoing profound changes... social concepts, social psychology, and social behavior are undergoing profound changes," and "only when a nation stands firm and steady in spirit can it stand tall and remain at the forefront of the tide in the torrent of history." To comprehensively advance the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization, spiritual enrichment must be achieved. In the context of Chinese-path modernization, the "Second Integration"—characterized by its orientation toward the people, the nation, and the times—demonstrates a conscious cultural subjectivity within the developmental process of Chinese-path modernization. It provides a fundamental anchor for cultural confidence and manifests the historical logic of Chinese civilization across the past, present, and future. It is the crystallization of wisdom in the process of Chinese-path modernization and serves as a powerful spiritual source and pillar for comprehensively advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Scientific socialism establishes the well-rounded development of the individual as the ultimate value of socialism. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee once again emphasized that "Chinese-path modernization is the modernization of material and cultural-ethical advancement in coordination," which resonates with Marx's view that "the free development of each is the condition for the free development of all." Socialism with Chinese characteristics bears not only the contemporary responsibility of comprehensively building a modern socialist country but also the historical mission of realizing the "well-rounded development of the individual"—where the person is the subject of practice, the subject of value, and, moreover, the ultimate end. The "Second Integration" is of great significance not only for the dimensions of path, system, politics, and history in Chinese-path modernization but also exerts a profound influence on the dimension of the human spiritual world. From the standpoint of the individual’s spiritual world, the "Second Integration" observes and reflects upon the present era, elucidates the spiritual orientation of Chinese-path modernization, demonstrates the spiritual self-awareness of Chinese-path modernization, and reshapes the human spiritual world within it. This article attempts to advance the reflection on the human spiritual world in the process of Chinese-path modernization through historical, theoretical, and cultural dimensions, using the "Second Integration" to reshape the spiritual world and resolve human spiritual loss and confusion.
I. The "Second Integration" Elucidates the Spiritual Orientation of Chinese-path Modernization
Chinese-path modernization is socialist modernization with Chinese characteristics, built by the Chinese people under the leadership of the CPC. Every step of its development is the product of combining the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with its fine traditional culture. The formal proposal of the "Second Integration" indicates that the CPC’s understanding of the theory of persisting in and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics has reached a new height. It provides ideological, theoretical, and operational self-awareness for the realization of cultural subjectivity within Chinese-path modernization. Viewed from the historical process, the Chinese nation has moved from the passive initiation of modernization in the modern era to the active exploration of a socialist modernization path suited to China’s national conditions under the leadership of the CPC, ushering in the great leap from standing up and becoming prosperous to becoming strong. Throughout this process, the CPC has consistently combined the basic tenets of Marxism with China's fine traditional culture, integrating the essence of Marxist thought with the spiritual characteristics of China’s fine traditional culture. In the development of Chinese-path modernization, fine traditional culture has enriched the cultural vitality of Marxism, providing it with deep historical foundations and a mass base, thus enabling the Sinicization and popularization of Marxism. Simultaneously, Marxism has organically connected fine traditional culture with the contemporary era, modernizing it and creating a "new cultural lifeform" through the "Second Integration." This reflects a more fundamental, broader, and deeper cultural confidence, forming a more essential, profound, and lasting spiritual force.
(1) Examining the "Second Integration" through Historical Self-Awareness
The "Second Integration" has elevated historical self-awareness, solidified historical confidence, and enhanced historical initiative within the process of Chinese-path modernization. Marx noted: "All social and state relations, all religious and legal systems, all theoretical views which arise in history can only be understood if the material conditions of life of the epoch to which they belong are understood and the former are derived from these material conditions." Fei Xiaotong [1] pointed out: "Our 'modernization' is closely linked to the impact of foreign cultures on our country." The exploration and choice of paths and "isms" in modern China manifested historical self-awareness. At that time, people of vision in China all attempted to solve the difficult problem of "whither China," reflecting on and practicing at the levels of material implements, institutions, and culture. However, none could change the semi-colonial and semi-feudal nature of Chinese society. The fundamental reason was the failure to find a path belonging to China itself until the introduction of Marxism solved this practical predicament. The deepest problem of old China was a lack of spiritual independence, autonomy, and liberation. "Marxism brought advanced ideological theories to China, activating the genes of Chinese civilization with the light of truth, leading China into the modern world, and promoting the renewal and modern transformation of Chinese civilization." By combining the basic tenets of Marxism with China's specific realities and fine traditional culture, the CPC transcended the two extremes of "Chinese learning as the substance, Western learning for application" [2] and "total Westernization." By stimulating emotional resonance and ideological liberation, the Chinese people moved from passivity to initiative, achieving spiritual independence and autonomy, embarking on the socialist road, and completing national independence and liberation. As Li Dazhao [3] said, "I believe the foundation of all liberation lies in spiritual liberation." The truth of Marxism injected a "living soul" into Chinese civilization, closely linking cultural development with issues of national independence, social construction, and development. This gave Chinese civilization an extremely strong adaptability in facing the torrents of modernization, initiating the process of socialist modernization on the foundation of spiritual liberation.
"In human history, no nation or country can achieve strength and rejuvenation by relying on external forces or following in the footsteps of others. The result of doing so is either inevitable failure or becoming an appendage of others." While "Marxist-izing" China, it is also necessary to Sinicize Marxism, which requires upholding the principle of confidence in Chinese history. Mao Zedong pointed out: "Marxism must be integrated with the specific characteristics of our country and achieved through a definite national form... To make Marxism concrete in China, so that in every manifestation it bears the necessary Chinese characteristics—that is to say, to apply it according to China's characteristics—becomes a problem that the whole Party urgently needs to understand and solve." Mao Zedong Thought, as the first historic leap in the Sinicization of Marxism, laid the practical and realistic foundation for the integration of Marxism and China's fine traditional culture.
At different stages, Chinese Communists have worked to resolve different contradictions: "Standing up" focused primarily on achieving national independence and liberation, providing the political foundation for socialist construction; "Becoming prosperous" focused on liberating productive forces and improving the people's standard of living, accumulating the material basis for the full realization of modernization; "Becoming strong" is dedicated to achieving the comprehensive building of a modern socialist country and advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, leading China toward a new form of human civilization where "the free and well-rounded development of the individual" is realized. Proposing the "Second Integration" in the process of comprehensively advancing the building of a strong country and national rejuvenation through Chinese-path modernization demonstrates that we have solidified our historical confidence, elevated our historical self-awareness, and enhanced our historical initiative. It allows Marxism and China's fine traditional culture to jointly constitute the unique spiritual markers of the Chinese nation, representing its most fundamental spiritual pursuits.
(2) Examining the "Second Integration" through Theoretical Self-Awareness
The "Second Integration" provides the ideological, theoretical, and operational self-awareness for the realization of cultural subjectivity in Chinese-path modernization. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "We must both follow the general laws of modernization and, more importantly, conform to our own realities and possess our own national characteristics." Chinese-path modernization is socialist modernization led by the CPC; it is the modernization of the person. After the Chinese nation has accumulated a certain amount of material wealth and achieved "becoming prosperous," it must work hard on the path of "becoming strong," achieving human spiritual liberation and reshaping the spiritual world of the person within Chinese-path modernization. The "new cultural lifeform" created by Chinese-path modernization contains Marxist, traditional Chinese, and excellent global cultural elements, and it fits with today’s world and China’s specific realities. The civilizational form of Chinese-path modernization has both developed the "ethical-type civilization" based on agrarian civilization and transcended the "capital-type civilization" based on the logic of capital, forming a people-centered "minben-type civilization" [4] through the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan. This process manifests ideological, theoretical, and operational self-awareness.
First, Chinese-path modernization follows the general laws of modern development. On one hand, it contains the general elements of modernization, emphasizing industrialization, urbanization, the market economy, and science and technology, and strives for prosperity, democracy, the rule of law, freedom, equality, and justice. On the other hand, it follows the laws of historical development, focusing initially on stimulating the internal drivers of economic and social development, focusing on balance and social harmony during the stable development stage, and achieving the unity of momentum and balance through state governance when development momentum is insufficient.
Second, Chinese-path modernization is socialist in nature and has Marxism as its underlying color. First, Marx affirmed the contribution of capitalist society to productive forces and social development, acknowledging that capitalism "has played a most revolutionary part" in history and has "created a world." Second, as capitalist society developed further, situations arose where economic development was sought at the expense of society, the environment, and the development of the person; the balance mechanism of society was broken. In the Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, Marx took "the well-rounded development of the individual" as the logical starting point, using humanism and alienation theory to discuss and critique the distorted development of man caused by capitalism, proposing that the way to solve this problem is through proletarian revolution. Finally, Marx believed that "modernization" is holistic rather than one-sided, covering all social fields. The "Five-Sphere Integrated Plan" of Chinese-path modernization is a powerful practice of Marx's "comprehensive modernization." One-sided modernization can only satisfy material needs, whereas comprehensive modernization can satisfy the various social needs of the person.
Third, Chinese-path modernization demonstrates a unique spatial logic, reflecting China’s actual conditions and developmental characteristics. First, a primary feature is its massive population. The base of over 1.4 billion people exceeds the combined population of all current developed countries. Therefore, in advancing Chinese-path modernization, we must rely closely on the creative power of the masses while resolving various imbalances. Second, the goal is common prosperity—modernization for all people rather than a few. This is an essential requirement of socialism with Chinese characteristics, differing from Western modernization characterized by vast wealth gaps or polarization; thus, we must take the people’s aspirations for a better life as the starting and ending point. Third, the implementation path is the coordination of material and cultural-ethical civilizations—a multi-dimensional modernization rather than one where wealth is supreme, differing from the one-dimensional modernization of the West. Fourth, the civilizational orientation is the harmony between humanity and nature, rather than "pollute first, treat later"; thus, we must follow a path of sustainable and high-quality development. Finally, Chinese-path modernization follows the path of peaceful development, giving rise to a new form of human civilization. It transcends the discourse of "Western-centrism" and follows a path of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation.
(3) Examining the "Second Integration" through the Birthing of a "New Cultural Lifeform"
The purpose of the "Second Integration" is to make Marxism Chinese and to make fine traditional Chinese culture modern. The introduction and development of Marxism in China occurred against a backdrop of multiple crises—national stagnation, a backward populace, and the aggression and partition by Western powers—emerging as a political faith for national salvation. For this reason, for a long time, the majority of Chinese people viewed Marxism as an ideology without probing deeply into its cultural connotations.
Regarding the understanding and practice of Marxism by the Communist Party of China (CPC) in different periods, Mr. Cheng Chung-ying [5] believes it can be divided into three stages. The first stage, from the introduction of Marxism to China until before the founding of New China, emphasized the ontological rather than the instrumental aspect—awakening the Chinese people's focus on, understanding of, and exploration of reality, and helping the CPC lead the people to find answers to overcome difficulties and change the status quo. The second stage, from the 1950s to the 1980s, saw an understanding of Marxist philosophy centered on its instrumentality: Marxism served as the ideology for state governance, helping the CPC and the Chinese people master reality, aiding China’s move toward modernization and the world, and fostering an understanding of the West. The third stage spanned from Reform and Opening-up to the period before the 18th Party Congress; during this time, the CPC led the Chinese people in expanding the ontology of Marxism while innovating its instrumentality, achieving a further self-consciousness in the understanding of Marxism, which helped us achieve self-development in the processes of modernization and globalization.
The authors believe that the understanding and application of Marxism since the 18th Party Congress can be regarded as the fourth stage: predicated on a high degree of compatibility between the two, with Marxism in the leading position, it emphasizes using the fine elements of traditional Chinese culture to promote theoretical and practical innovation in Marxism. The proposal of the "Second Integration" is, in essence, the self-renewal and perfection of Chinese culture while persisting with the basic principles of Marxism as the "soul-vein" [6]. It consolidates the cultural confidence of the Chinese nation through the fusion of the two, drives the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism with fine traditional Chinese culture, and demonstrates Chinese characteristics and "Chinese style" [7] in the process of independently realizing modernization.
To answer the question of which elements of fine traditional culture should be inherited and promoted, we must clarify what kind of traditional Chinese culture is needed by contemporary China. In other words: which parts of fine traditional culture are worth our inheritance and promotion? Currently, the academic definition of "fine traditional culture" within Chinese culture is relatively complex and can be roughly divided into three levels. First are those that can be directly inherited, such as the ideas of "sacrificing one's life for righteousness" (shèshēng qǔyì), "hard struggle" (jiānkǔ fèndòu), and "the benevolent person loves others" (rénzhě àirén). Second is the traditional culture that currently possesses both positive and negative influences, typical of which is the ethical culture under the background of the "differential mode of association" [8] formed by blood ties, such as the cultures of "ruler-subject," "father-son," and "husband-wife." Third is the traditional culture proposed in the past to which new meaning can be endowed in the New Era, such as the ideas of "harmony between humanity and nature" (tiānrén héyī) and "Great Unity under Heaven" (tiānxià dàtóng). Fine traditional Chinese culture has a significant impact on the path, system, and goals of Chinese-path modernization—for instance, the idea of a community with a shared future for humanity, which embodies "appreciating the beauty of others and sharing beauty together for Great Unity"; the Socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics, which integrates with China's "civilization of rites and music"; and the "people-centered" outlook on development, which integrates with the traditional "people-as-the-root" (mínběn) thought.
Exploring the compatibility between Marxism and Chinese culture requires examining the similarities and differences among Chinese philosophy, Western philosophy, and Marxist philosophy. First, the deep-seated logics of Eastern and Western cultures differ: the West takes the "will to power" as its starting point, while China emphasizes the "will to virtue." Second, Marxist philosophy substantially coincides with the yin-yang thinking and dialectics of traditional Chinese philosophy. Marx focused on social reality and human liberation, emphasizing the importance of practice and history. He believed that the relationships between subject and object, reason and sensibility, and freedom and necessity must be treated with dialectical thinking—that they are interconnected and interdependent—thereby breaking the dualistic opposition inherent in traditional Western culture. In traditional Western philosophy, subject and object are considered separate, whereas Marx argued that the subject knows and transforms the object through practice, and the object is the target and result of the subject's practice. Traditional Western philosophy views reason as the primary way for humans to understand the world, whereas Marx emphasized that sensibility is the basis for understanding the world, and reason develops on that foundation. Traditional Western philosophy regards freedom as the essence and purpose of humanity and sees necessity as a limitation on freedom; Marx, however, believed that freedom is realized on the basis of necessity, and necessity is the premise and condition for freedom.
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Through long-term efforts, we are better positioned than at any time in history to resolve the 'dispute between the ancient and the modern, the East and the West,' and we feel a more urgent need than ever for cultural achievements that fuse the ancient and the modern and bridge the East and the West." The new cultural lifeform created through the "Second Integration" provides a new logical starting point for resolving this dispute. That is, by adhering to the "soul-vein" and the "root-vein" [9], inheriting and promoting the essence of fine traditional Chinese culture, and continuing to advance the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism—while simultaneously absorbing and drawing on all the achievements of human civilization—we can build an advanced socialist culture based on the present and looking toward the future, allowing fine traditional Chinese culture to radiate new vitality in the New Era.
II. The "Second Integration" Demonstrates the Spiritual Self-Consciousness of the Individual in Chinese-path Modernization
The core of modernization is the modernization of people. As Alex Inkeles pointed out, a country that can truly be called modernized is one where the people within it have acquired a certain modernity corresponding to modern development. Academic expositions of Chinese-path modernization are usually conducted from theoretical, historical, or cultural dimensions, yet lack interpretation from the dimension of the construction of the individual's spiritual world. The "Second Integration" should manifest a concern for the "person" in the process of Chinese-path modernization—that is, it should offer a reflexive critique of the state of "man" in modern society, guide the direction of the human soul, and stimulate spiritual self-consciousness.
(i) The "State of Man" in Western Modernization
Since the Enlightenment began the prelude to Western modernization, the light of reason, tasked with the mission of disenchantment, shone upon Europe, producing instrumental reason and value reason. However, the Enlightenment eventually degenerated into myth. The social progress brought about by the continuous valorization of capital caused instrumental reason to gradually occupy the dominant position. People often pay more attention to efficiency and benefit, while the Enlightenment ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity are cast aside. As Marx pointed out, "all our invention and progress seem to result in endowing material forces with intellectual life, and in stultifying human life into a material force." People are reified (wùhuà), becoming tools without intrinsic value or meaning, possessing only external functions and utility. So-called modernization degenerates into the continuous extension and expansion of instrumental reason, pursuing material wealth and interests. The starting point of all behavior is merely to maximize interests, while ignoring human faith and ideals, thereby constraining the free and comprehensive development of the individual. Man is subjugated to technical rule, and pervasive secularization makes the modern pursuit of vulgar "happy-ism" appear dignified. Through various channels, society emphasizes the importance of money, cloaking the worship of money in a garment of rationality and treating it as the only way to solve problems, leading to a refusal to do, or a lack of heart in doing, anything that does not maximize economic value. The reified person loses their humanity, freedom of decision, and freedom of action, as well as the meaning and dignity of life. According to Hegel's rational conception of man, the critique of the social state should continue as times develop; yet the reality is that modern people are powerless to critique, forced into a high degree of conformity with the existing society dominated by instrumental reason, ultimately losing their spiritual attributes within the "iron cage" of modern society.
(ii) Pursuing Spiritual Self-Consciousness through the Awakening of Species-Life Consciousness
Undoubtedly, we are in the era of capital—it defines those at the heights of capital as the "strong." This value scale causes people's pursuit of capital to reach a point of obsession and becomes the yardstick for human struggle. But the human heart's pursuit of desire is infinite; material abundance cannot fill spiritual emptiness. As an innovative cultural theory, the "Second Integration" promotes the awakening and pursuit of "species-life consciousness" (lèi shēngmìng yìshí) among modern people. Chinese scholars, represented by Gao Qinghai [10], believe that species-life consciousness arises spontaneously from fine traditional Chinese culture, breaking through the single dimension of "man as a biological being." It focuses on broadening the breadth and depth of species-life—human beings possess nationality, culturality, and even worldliness and cosmic nature. This is the "transcendence" of man, manifested in three levels: understanding oneself, understanding society, and understanding the world. Mr. Gao Qinghai described the "species-nature" (lèi běnxìng) as "no longer being satisfied with the instinctive life given by nature, but beginning to use one's own wisdom to strive for and create an intellectual life and a human world suited to the nature of man." Therefore, the pursuit of species-nature is mainly reflected in three aspects: the person and their inner self, the person and others, and the person and nature.
Man possesses a "logic of materiality" (wùxìng luójí) but also a "logic of humanity" (rénxìng luójí). The awakening of species-nature is the awakening of humanity. A free and conscious species-nature must be completed through conscious reflection and the accumulation of wisdom. When man escapes the control of nature over the physical body through production and creation, achieving a "freedom" capable of self-development, the life previously bound by it achieves self-transcendence. It becomes an "open system" capable of dialogue with nature—that is, man moves from the state of "being-for-itself" (zìwèi) to the realm of "being-in-itself" (zìzài), creating infinite life-value within a finite lifespan. This is the significance of species-nature for the individual. By recognizing the existentiality and specificity of the self and using objective facts and laws to grasp self-consciousness, one truly activates "species-nature," achieving the unity of "materiality" and "species-nature."
In Marx's view, man is "socialized humanity," and the ideal state of communist society is to realize an "association of free individuals." This association is not an illusory community established on the "logic of materiality," because the isolation and closed nature of that logic ignores human difference and individuality, restricting freedom and requiring people to survive and develop according to the logic prescribed by the group. This association is the activation of human species-nature—the realization of a community after the unification of the "small self" (xiǎowǒ) and the "great self" (dàwǒ). Reconstructing a "society of humans"—that is, a community with a shared future for humanity—through species-nature theory means society becomes an organic whole where the fate and development of the individual are inseparable from others, thereby realizing harmony between people.
III. The "Second Integration" Reshapes the Spiritual World of the Individual in Chinese-path Modernization
Modernity "is an extremely complex cultural process full of internal contradictions, a paradoxical practical value orientation, an existential structure interwoven with internal tensions and conflicts, a lifestyle that seems transparent but contains many ambiguities, and a human spiritual state mixed with optimistic imagination and pessimistic complexes, conviction and distress." Marx pointed out that a person is first a natural being, second a being with species-characteristics, third a being within different social relations, and finally a being with a unique personality; however, the "spirit" of man "is afflicted from the start with being ‘burdened’ with matter." Tu Weiming [11] believes that "secular humanism has in fact become the dominant global ideology"; Mr. Lou Yulie [12] believes that modern people have reached a state of being "disoriented and soul-lost" (diūhún luòpò); Fromm lamented that the problem of the 19th century was that God died, while the problem of the 20th century is that man is dead, with all spiritual content disappearing.
The impact of modernization has increasingly highlighted the question of where our souls are heading. Individual life ideals have become detached from the environment of the times, and no single cultural thought seems able to guide modern people out of this predicament. This is a profound and urgent contemporary issue. We constantly ask ourselves: What has happened to "me"? Where is the meaning and value of "my" life? What should "my" spiritual world look like? Facing these deep self-interrogations, the authors attempt to explore how to reshape the spiritual world belonging to contemporary people from the cultural perspective represented by the "Second Integration."
(i) Cultivating the Root and Molding the Soul: Constructing a Spiritual World that "Manifests the Substance and Reaches the Utility"
With the rapid development of artificial intelligence and high technology, coupled with the flattening of social interaction and the complexity of information exchange, we are facing the collapse of traditional values and a pervasive social pathology of "reification." The values of rationalism, individualism, liberal thought, and multiculturalism have challenged the beliefs and ideals of modern people, leading to erroneous values, unrealistic fantasies, or an excessive pursuit of power, wealth, and fame. Therefore, a "spiritual world of virtue" must be constructed:
First, we must "refuse the reification of spiritual life"—enabling individuals to possess subjective consciousness and to freely and autonomously choose their practical activities. This means that individuals no longer realize self-worth through the acquisition of "possessions"; rather, grounded in historical materialism, they are liberated from dependence on things. Through the thoughts and reflections of the "heart-mind" (心), they engage in active practice and holistic development. This "activeness" refers not only to an active attitude toward external or physical activities but even more so to the internal activity of creatively applying human power: "Man appropriates his comprehensive essence in a comprehensive manner, that is to say, as a whole man." This "comprehensive essence" refers to all elements constituting the essential powers of man—including will and potential—free from oppression or hijacking. It involves attaining freedom and full development within the relationship between the person and the object, letting go of false needs, and pursuing true needs that originate from the heart. On one hand, we must develop our own comprehensiveness, strengthening integrated qualities by exercising various abilities to achieve the holistic development of the subject in practical activities. On the other hand, while creating and pursuing wealth, we must also attend to the practical activities of the spiritual world to escape the "dilemma of reification."
Second, constructing a life of virtue requires elevating the moral cultivation of the subject. Zhao Tingyang argues that "morality (道德) is a pre-normative concept; dao (道) signifies the inherent way of existence for any thing, as in Laozi’s phrase 'Way follows nature' (道法自然). De (德), then, is the possible way dao develops, or the best manifestation of dao." [13] In other words, morality should manifest the radiance of humanity without taking self-interest as its starting point, allowing the ontological heart-mind to reveal itself. On one hand, this requires the self-awakening and self-cultivation of the individual. Huang Zongxi proposed that "the heart-mind has no original substance; its original substance is found where one's effort (功夫) reaches." [14] This aims, through self-knowledge and self-awareness, to continuously advance the understanding and transformation of the subjective world in the process of understanding and transforming the laws of the objective world. By transforming the principles of things into the principles of understanding, one achieves the perfection of personality as a cognitive subject. Only then can one "know Heaven" and "serve Heaven," and by "rectifying the destiny and nature of each" (各正性命), hope to "illustrate bright virtue" (明德). [15] While Marx criticized exogenous Western views of morality in his works, he proposed that "the basis of morality is the autonomy of the human spirit," emphasizing the interiority of morality and advocating that it be established upon human dignity or the pursuit of value, focusing on moral spontaneity. On the other hand, both Mencius’s theory of "original goodness" and Xunzi’s theory of "original evil" emphasize that when individuals are defiled by the outside world—leading to behaviors such as "divergence of hearts" (人心相背) or "becoming alienated and divided" (离心离德)—moral cultivation must be realized through the secular norms of ethical relationships. Ancient thinkers proposed that "the human heart is perilous, the heart of the Way is subtle" (人心惟危，道心惟微) to distinguish between the "human heart" and the "heart of the Way." [16] They pointed toward a cultivation orientation of guiding individuality with sociality and constraining private interest with the public mind. These ethical norms can be seen as the "passive behavior" of human beings; they are formed by the combined action of various forces in social development and constitute moral behavior under the governance of "free will," which can overcome the necessity of egoism. In other words, this means unifying social "virtue" and individual "virtue" to the greatest extent possible, which is also the ought of social development. Its significance lies in its ability to restrain egoistic behavior in contemporary society, fostering the conscious observance of public order, the maintenance of public interests, and the fulfillment of social responsibilities, accompanied by a strong sense of social responsibility and historical mission. That is to say, the "virtue" of the state and society must be established upon the foundation of "establishing virtue" (立德) by the person as an individual agent.
Third, we must emphasize the unification of the development of individual morality with the requirements of social public ethics, pursuing a virtuous life where individual interests and collective interests are intrinsically aligned. Marx pointed out that the essential attribute of man is sociality; the essence of man can only be manifested within social relations. That is to say, a society is established based on satisfying individual needs; to satisfy these needs, interaction between people occurs—this is a necessity. From the beginning, human society was organized in this way; in such a society, everyone has full freedom, and individuals cooperate with one another to satisfy their own needs. Marx pointed out that a true collective is an "association of free individuals," which existed in human history from the start. However, it was the emergence of the division of labor and private property that caused individual interests to become polarized and antagonistic. With the development of the division of labor, a huge contradiction also arose between individual and collective interests, generating a moral outlook that satisfies individual interests and desires. Only when individual interests and public interests reach a certain consistency—that is, when individual interests can be transformed into universal interests after eliminating the material roots of antagonism, essentially developing into common interests—can individual freedom and independence truly be realized. In this way, the society-centered moral outlook established by the Marx is distinguished from the God-centered or individual-centered moral outlooks of the West. Excellent traditional Chinese culture also promotes a society-centered moral outlook. Confucius emphasized that a gentleman (君子) should "cultivate the self, regulate the family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world." [17] Mencius emphasized that a gentleman should possess "benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness." Zhang Zai proposed that a gentleman should "establish the heart-mind for Heaven and Earth, establish a life for the people, continue the lost teachings of the past sages, and establish peace for ten thousand generations." [18] Xunzi proposed that "learning reaches its limit in the rites." These perspectives coincide with the "true human morality" advocated by Marx; both emphasize that morality must achieve the unity of internal and external, personal and social, and ensure that collective interests are superior to individual interests. In other words, when individual interests conflict with collective interests, one can sacrifice the "small self" to fulfill the "great self."
(2) Enlightning Wisdom and Nourishing the Heart to Build a Spiritual World of Luminous Nature
Admittedly, Marx revealed the general laws and developmental trends of human society and proposed the beautiful ideal of building a communist society, but the time and space we inhabit today differ from Marx’s. Marx treated man as a species-being, noting that man's ideals and beliefs always "shrewdly and always calculatingly submit to inhuman, refined, unnatural, and imaginary appetites." The common demands of politics and economy deprive man of both labor time and free time, rendering him unable to actively reflect on how his life should be spent. This repressiveness leaves modern society lacking a universal, healthy ideal or belief system, or even leads to the distortion of such beliefs. From this perspective, the significance of the "Second Integration" as another "emancipation of the mind" lies precisely here: by combining the basic tenets of Marxism with excellent traditional Chinese culture, we can, on one hand, supplement the explanations of Marxism regarding the human heart-nature (心性) to enrich the connotations of Sinicized Marxism. On the other hand, through the rich spiritual and cultural resources contained in excellent traditional Chinese culture, we provide Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions for contemporary people to solve spiritual dilemmas and build a community with a shared future for humanity.
Marx proposed that man should realize "free and comprehensive development" according to the "human scale," thereby becoming "individuals with different personalities." When humans have solved basic survival problems, attained species-characteristics, and live reasonably within different social relations, they will inevitably yearn for and pursue a higher level of the spiritual world. Unlike the "struggle thought" (斗争思想) advocated by Marx, the Chinese nation has always placed extra emphasis on the "realm of life" (人生境界). In excellent traditional Chinese culture, the universe is a vast living organism containing Heaven, Earth, and Man. Born between Heaven and Earth, humans converge and gather with them, co-existing and influencing one another to form a living whole. Ancient Chinese sages believed that "Heaven" (天) is the master of all things and can govern everything. "That which Heaven mandates is called nature" (天命之谓性); this "Heaven" can be understood as the Heaven of Principle (Yili), which Daoists call the "Way" (道), the supreme truth of the universe. The emphasis on "the unity of Heaven and Man" and "the Way follows nature" actually reflects the hope that humans can communicate with Heaven and the Way, pointing out that the connection between Man and Heaven relies on "nature," specifically "heart-nature." Qian Mu pointed out: "In the universe, the value of the mind is highest, life comes second, and material value is lowest." The heart-mind is the master of life; the fundamental reason human life can be expressed is that the human heart-mind plays its role.
The so-called "enlightening wisdom and nourishing the heart" (启智润心) means "observing real life with a spirit of realism and a sense of romanticism, using light to dispel darkness, using beauty and goodness to overcome ugliness and evil, and letting people see beauty, hope, and the dream ahead." First, one's heart must be entrusted to the common people. Laozi pointed out, "The sage has no constant heart; he takes the heart of the people as his own." Zhuangzi proposed, "The sage's heart is still; it is the mirror of Heaven and Earth, the glass of all things." That is, through the cultivation of the heart-nature of the individual, one achieves a selfless heart. Combining ancient Chinese thoughts such as "the people as the foundation" (民本), "the Way follows nature," and "Great Harmony" (天下大同), under the era-background of building Chinese-path modernization, taking the people as the foundation and pursuing the "correct path of the world" (人间正道) represents the historical materialist standpoint of persisting in the people-centered approach and the materialist practice of seeking liberation for humanity. Second, the heart must belong to nature. The ancients believed that the "heart" belongs to the center of the Five Elements; "all things pertaining to the heart follow the heart." The "heart" possesses an ontological nature that governs the other four elements; that is, the "heart" exists as the ontology of the individual agent, serving to guide the behavior of the individual. The "heart" has transcended its own function; it generates emotions and thoughts, playing a role in understanding and transforming both the subjective and objective worlds. Wang Yangming believed that the "heart" belongs to the "body," but the "body" follows the "heart." It is precisely the dominant role of the "heart" that enables humans to see, hear, speak, and move. Because of this, the "original substance of the heart" (心之本体) is the "living principle of nature" (性之生理), which can also be understood as the "true self" (真己)—the authentic self. "Enlightening wisdom" to "nourish the heart" allows the "heart" to transcend the "body," making the "heart" a "public mind" or "heart of the Way" rather than a "private mind" or "human heart." Unrestricted by time and space, the heart endows the body with culture and soul, creating an eternal existence. It allows the heart to govern life with the attribute of the "Way of Life," reaching a trans-temporal realm to pursue the ultimate concern of life.
Pursuing "luminous heart-nature" first involves living with an optimistic attitude that follows the trend of nature. External things such as life and death or fame and fortune do not change according to human will. A meaningful and fulfilled life requires seeing clearly the objective fact that the heart decides things, rather than things deciding the heart. Only by shaking off the troubles of "desire," sticking to the "original heart" (本心), and merging with nature—pursuing what Daoists call "non-contention" (不争)—can one realize spiritual freedom and obtain the value of one's own life without being burdened by the secular world. At the same time, a truly natural life must also explore the cultural attributes of humans within real society. Only when humans possess cultural attributes can they create their own history; only then is it a truly natural life. This is precisely the greatest concern of the "Second Integration" for heart-nature. Material abundance cannot stop human reflection on ontological existence or the yearning for the spiritual world; the pursuit of the wholeness of life persists throughout. Chinese society is currently in a period of rapid transition. The beliefs and morality that supported Chinese people in the past are insufficient to solve the spiritual dilemmas of contemporary, real-world Chinese people. Thus, the significance of the "Second Integration" for the individual lies in reshaping the individual’s inner world. To properly handle the dialectical relationship between the material and the spiritual, and between the ideal and the reality, we must use the combination of Marxism and excellent traditional Chinese culture to build a spiritual world consistent with the essence of socialism, pursuing the ultimate existence and value of humans as a "species."