Xu Haiyan and Wei Chengyu: Philosophical Basis of the Modernization of Harmonious Coexistence Between Humanity and Nature
General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out that Chinese civilization has always esteemed the "unity of heaven and humanity" [1] and the principle that "the Dao follows nature" [2], pursuing the harmonious coexistence of humanity and nature. The Report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) states that Chinese-path modernization is the modernization of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature. The ecological concept of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature is the inheritance and development of the simple view of nature found in ancient Chinese "unity of heaven and humanity" and the Marxist dialectical view of nature; it is the concentrated expression of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization in the New Era.
The Simple View of Nature in Ancient Chinese "Unity of Heaven and Humanity"
Ancient Chinese reflections on the relationship between humanity and nature are summarized in the thought of the "unity of heaven and humanity." The Shuowen Jiezi [3] records: "Humanity is the most noble of the natures of Heaven and Earth." This means that humans are the most special existence among all things, distinguished from other biological entities in the natural world. The nobility of human nature lies in its being endowed by Heaven, as the Zhongyong [4] states: "What Heaven confers is called nature"; the specificity of humanity is bestowed by Heaven. Therefore, in the eyes of the ancients, humans are born with an inherent and close connection to Heaven.
The connotation of the "unity of heaven and humanity" concept is extremely rich; it is at once a world-view, a philosophy of life, and a cosmology, as well as a view of nature. When functioning as a view of nature, "unity of heaven and humanity" emphasizes that humans must adapt to and protect nature. To adapt to nature means to follow the "heavenly seasons" [5] in arranging the daily production and life of humanity. As Mencius said: "If the seasons of husbandry are not interfered with, the grain will be more than can be eaten." Following the seasonal rhythms is the basic guarantee of sustainable development. On the other hand, protecting nature requires humans to maintain a heart of benevolence and reverence toward all things in nature. Zhang Zai’s [6] idea that "people are my brothers and things are my fellows" [7] and Mencius’s proposition of "being benevolent to the people and cherishing all things" [8] are examples of ancient Chinese reflections on protecting nature. However, under the low level of productive forces of the ancient natural economy, the "unity of heaven and humanity" view of nature also had limitations. Compared to the modern era, the ancients were actually still passively adapting to nature and constrained by it, unable to fully understand the laws of nature or utilize natural resources to serve the needs of human production and life.
Marx’s Dialectical View of Nature Regarding the "Unity of Humanity and Nature"
In the history of Western philosophy, humanity and nature have mostly been placed in a subject-object relationship, where humans are either dependents of nature or rulers of nature. In the era of agricultural civilization, the level of productive forces in human society was limited, and human production and life still had to rely on the grace of nature. When the West took the lead in entering the era of industrial civilization, the view of nature formed under capitalist private ownership took the pursuit of profit as its primary objective. Consequently, it viewed everything in the natural world as property, extracting and using resources regardless of the consequences, exchanging production development and economic growth at the cost of sacrificing the environment. This view, which opposes humanity to nature, found reconciliation in the Marxist dialectical view of nature. In Marx’s view, humanity and nature do not exist in an unequal subject-object relationship; in reality, humanity is a part of nature, and the activity that links the two is labor: "Nature is... the sphere in which the worker's labor is realized, in which it is active."
Marx's perspective of understanding the relationship between humanity and nature from the standpoint of practice is a critique of Hegelian idealism and a transcendence of Feuerbach's old materialism. First, Marx believed that the natural world is generated through the formation process of human society—it is the real natural world of humanity—thereby negating the idealism of Hegelian philosophy, which regarded the "Absolute Spirit" as the origin of the world and the natural world as the externalization of that Spirit. Second, although Marx praised Feuerbach's materialism, he pointed out that old materialism failed to understand the sensory world from the perspective of practice, remaining limited to a mere intuition and perception of this world. On this basis, Marx further recognized that humanity and nature are dialectical; the natural world has its prior objectivity, but at the same time, humans possess subjective agency and can transform nature through the practice of labor. Since labor unifies humanity and nature, alienated labor breaks this relationship of unity. The more the worker appropriates the natural world through his labor, the more he loses the means of life provided to him by nature, until finally he can only maintain individual survival. In the Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, Marx pointed out that the root of this alienated labor lies in capitalist private property, while also indicating that communism is the positive supersession of private property, i.e., of human self-estrangement. Therefore, only in a communist society does humanism equal naturalism, and only then can the dialectical unity of humanity and nature truly be realized.
The Scientific View of Nature in Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization in the New Era
Since the beginning of Reform and Opening-up, while China's economy has developed rapidly, ecological problems such as resource scarcity and environmental degradation have inevitably emerged. In response, Chinese Communists, guided by the Marxist dialectical view of nature, have continuously focused on coordinating the relationship between humanity and nature in practice, developing the latest achievement: Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization.
First, Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization is scientific; it dialectically handles the relationship between economic development and environmental protection based on national conditions. At present, China is still in the primary stage of socialism, and promoting high-quality development is the top priority. To build an ecological civilization on the basis of economic development, we must establish the green development concept that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" [9], recognizing that "to protect the eco-environment is to protect productive forces, and to improve the eco-environment is to develop productive forces." We must unify economic development with environmental protection to achieve the goal of building a beautiful, great modern socialist country.
Second, Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization possesses a "people-centered" character, viewing common prosperity as an essential requirement of Chinese-path modernization. Common prosperity in the context of Chinese-path modernization includes a dual prosperity of both material and spiritual life. To achieve material prosperity, we must adhere to the principle of sustainable development and rationally utilize ecological resources to develop productive forces, creating more material wealth and raising the people's standard of living. To achieve spiritual prosperity, we must provide the masses with a sound ecological environment and improve their sense of gain, happiness, and security. Therefore, using the modernization of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature to promote common prosperity always has the people as its starting point and end goal.
Finally, Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization possesses the character of the times. Standing at the strategic global height of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the world's "unprecedented changes in a century" [10], this thought serves as a scientific guide for realizing the modernization of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature. At the same time, it promotes a new form of human civilization characterized by the harmonious coexistence of humanity and nature, opening a new path for global ecological civilization construction.