Zhang Yunfei: Profoundly Grasping the Scientific Logic of Xi Jinping's Thinking on Ecological Civilization
The official publication of the first volume of the Selected Works of Xi Jinping on Ecological Civilization provides us with an authoritative textbook and theoretical guide for deeply studying, researching, and interpreting Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization. In the process of vigorously promoting the construction of a socialist ecological civilization, we must profoundly grasp the historical logic, theoretical logic, and practical logic of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization and their underlying unity, striving to achieve the integration of study, reflection, and action, as well as the unification of knowledge, belief, and practice.
Consolidating the Foundation of the Historical Outlook for the Construction of Ecological Civilization
The construction of any system of thought must adhere to the principle that "theory arises from history" (论从史出). General Secretary Xi Jinping examines and grasps ecological civilization from the heights of a "Great View of History" [1], ensuring that the Party's innovative theories on ecological civilization are established upon a long and profound historical logic.
The history of human civilization is a history of practical creation by the working people, but without the natural world, the working people can create nothing. "Viewed historically, when the ecology prospers, civilization prospers; when the ecology declines, civilization declines." This scientific judgment proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping elevates the relationship between humanity and nature, and between civilization and ecology, to the level of a historical outlook. It profoundly elucidates the historical materialist fact that history is situated within nature and civilization is embedded in ecology; it profoundly reveals the power of historical dialectics generated through the interaction of history and nature, and civilization and ecology.
In response to the Young Hegelians' error of severing nature from history, Marx and Engels, while founding historical materialism, not only proposed that social being determines social consciousness but also viewed historical materialism—this "sole science of history"—as the science for studying the mutual relationship between the history of humanity and the history of nature. In doing so, they elevated the relationship between the history of humanity and the history of nature to a question of historical philosophy with the same significance as the basic question of the historical outlook. Today, the judgment that "when the ecology prospers, civilization prospers; when the ecology declines, civilization declines" points out the scientific path for achieving the unity of the Marxist view of nature and the Marxist view of history. It highlights the ecological civilization significance of historical materialism and consolidates the scientific historical foundation for the construction of ecological civilization.
The relationship between humanity and nature is a process of historical construction. Ecological factors are key variables affecting the existence and evolution of civilizations; the "Four Great Ancient Civilizations" all originated in ecologically superior regions. In prehistoric times, humanity was bound by blind natural necessity. Since agriculture is the economic form most closely related to nature, China's agricultural civilization formed simple ecological cultural ideas such as "the unity of heaven and humanity" [2] and "the Dao follows nature" [3], as well as major agricultural production practices and engineering projects like the Dujiangyan irrigation system and mulberry-dyke fish ponds. However, ecological degradation caused by human activity also led to the decline of other ancient civilizations, with the exception of the Chinese civilization. The subsequent industrial civilization raised the level of productive forces but caused a "metabolic rift" [4] between humanity and nature, resulting in ecological crises.
In Western society, industrial civilization, the market economy, and capitalism are isomorphic; the "logic of capital" is the deep-seated cause of ecological crises, necessitating a profound reflection on the flaws of the capitalist development model. Currently, a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation—characterized by green, intelligent, and ubiquitous trends—is in the ascendant. This promotes the transformation of human civilization toward digitalization and intelligence, providing new opportunities and possibilities for the construction of ecological civilization. General Secretary Xi Jinping regards ecological civilization as the "historical trend of the development of human civilization" and a "major achievement of human social progress," profoundly elucidating the historical position of ecological civilization.
Consolidating the Foundation of the View of Nature for the Construction of Ecological Civilization
General Secretary Xi Jinping requires the drawing of resources from the "sum of human knowledge"—excellent ideological and cultural resources—to innovate and develop the Party's theories, proposing a methodology of "comprehensive innovation." Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization is a scientific paradigm of comprehensive innovation, resulting in a broad and profound theoretical logic.
The construction of ecological civilization takes Marxism, especially Marxist thought on the relationship between humanity and nature, as its "soul-vein" (魂脉) [5]; it takes five thousand years of Chinese civilization, especially fine traditional Chinese culture, as its "root-vein" (根脉); and it incorporates the achievements of world civilizations, especially the ideas of human sustainable development. This theoretical innovation is the crystallization of the Communist Party of China's unremitting exploration and practical sublimation of ecological civilization construction, possessing distinct characteristics of comprehensive innovation.
The mechanistic view of nature formed in the modern West, characterized by the subject-object dichotomy, was the ideological cause of the ecological crisis. In reflecting on this crisis, although anthropocentrism and ecocentrism argued their respective values, both failed to see the organic connection between humanity and nature. Looking back at history, the organic view of nature in ancient China (the unity of heaven and humanity), the dialectical materialist view of nature in Marxism (viewing humanity and nature as an integrated existence), and the ecological and systems views of nature formed in modern philosophy (based on the concepts of ecosystems and systems science) all reveal that humanity and nature are a single whole. Building on the scientific synthesis of existing theoretical results, General Secretary Xi Jinping creatively proposed the thesis that "humanity and nature are a community of life," viewing humanity and nature as an organic ecosystem. This achieved a major innovation in the view of nature and consolidated the scientific foundation of the view of nature for the construction of ecological civilization.
Totality is a distinctive feature of Marxism. Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization relates to all aspects and the entire process of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. It is intrinsically linked with Xi Jinping's economic, legal, cultural, military, and diplomatic thoughts, as well as the Overall State Security Outlook, forming a theoretical system endowed with totality. This is another important aspect of its profound theoretical logic. For example, "Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" is a shared basic thesis and hallmark of both Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization and Xi Jinping economic light. It contains the idea that protecting the ecological environment is equivalent to protecting natural value and increasing natural capital. It reveals the logic that protecting the environment is protecting the productive forces, and improving the environment is developing the productive forces. It points to the path of transforming ecological advantages into economic ones—such as ecological agriculture, ecological industry, and ecotourism—requiring that lucid waters and lush mountains continuously yield ecological and socio-economic benefits, thereby becoming a major principle that must be upheld in both socialist economic construction and ecological civilization construction.
A Scientific Integration of Practical Wisdom in Ecological Civilization Construction
Practical experience produces true knowledge; practice must be included in the complete "definition" of things—this is the Marxist logic of practice. Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization is a scientific integration of the practical wisdom of ecological civilization construction.
General Secretary Xi Jinping has applied the concept that "humanity and nature are a community of life" to the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation. He regards the construction of ecological civilization as a plan of fundamental importance for the Chinese nation's sustainable development for millennia to come, proposing the goal of building a "Beautiful China." "Beautiful China" is the concrete form of ecological civilization construction in contemporary China, requiring the coordinated promotion of carbon reduction, pollution reduction, green expansion, and growth, while planning development from the height of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature.
Western modernization followed the old path of "polluting first and cleaning up later." Ecocentrism took avoidance of modernization as the ultimate choice for "Global South" countries to protect nature. Meanwhile, Western ecological modernization, as a reflexive modernization model, attempts to achieve a "win-win" for modernization and ecology within the capitalist framework. Differing from these, General Secretary Xi Jinping requires that promoting the harmonious coexistence of humanity and nature be treated as an essential requirement of Chinese-path modernization. This is integrated proactively into all aspects and the entire process of Chinese-path modernization, coordinating the advancement of material, political, spiritual, social, and ecological civilizations, and balancing the promotion of new-type industrialization, urbanization, marketization, agricultural modernization, and "greenization." Thus, Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization has become a scientific theory of practice for building a Beautiful China.
General Secretary Xi Jinping has applied the concepts of a "community of life for humanity and nature" and a "community with a shared future for humanity" to global sustainable development, creatively proposing the concept of a "community of life for Earth" and calling for the construction of a "clean and beautiful world." Building such a world means scientifically resolving global challenges such as environmental pollution, loss of biodiversity, desertification, and global warming; it means strengthening global environmental governance and building Earth into a beautiful shared home for all humanity. As a responsible major developing country and a socialist country, China has independently proposed to actively and steadily promote carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. It vigorously promotes the dissemination of advanced and applicable green technologies and industries in "Global South" countries and works with the international community to create concrete practices for a community with a shared future for humanity and a community of life for Earth. China has become an important participant, contributor, and leader in global ecological civilization construction, fully demonstrating the open vision and broad mind of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization.
Facing the New Era and the new journey, we must base ourselves on the great practice of socialist ecological civilization construction, profoundly grasp the unity of the historical, theoretical, and practical logics of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, scientifically comprehend the great power of truth and practice within this thought, and fully display its global contribution to the progress of human civilization.