On The Justice Conception And Its Contemporary Significance From The Perspective Of Marx’s Labor Theory

As a value ideal in human development and important philosophy category, justicehas been highly regarded since ancient time. At present age, people are increasinglyappealing to justice. Justice has become a pronoun to refer to the request for multipleinterests and been interpreted from different perspectives. This dissertation, starting fromMarx’s labor theory and aiming at human development, tries to uncover the magic veilson justice and probe the essence of justice. The purport of my research is to find asolution to the dilemma between traditional justice ideal and social reality and thus, tofish out a proper way for China’s construction of harmonious society.Since ancient Greek, justice, as an important topic, has been drawing attention andbeen reflected on from different levels and perspectives. Various theories on justice havebeen formed. In modern time, justice theory is gradually systemized, which makesnaturalist concept, rationalist concept and liberalist concept of justice emerge. Theseconcepts, to a certain extent, play an active role in the development of human society, butthey are regarded as something eternal and as ultimate metaphysics goal, which isdisengaged from social reality. The main cause of this limitation lies in the fact that thoseconcepts ignore the great power of people’s practical activities that drives human history.It is Marx who takes material work as the basis of justice theory to transcend the originalequality maintained by French naturalist concept of justice by emphasizing the history oflabor, to transcend abstract mental labor proposed by German rationalist concept ofjustice by stressing material labor, and to transcend the economic freedom upheld bymodern British liberalist concept of justice. In a word, Marx makes the working classtranscend the capitalist class and criticizes the theoretical premise of traditional conceptof justice.Bringing the history development and justice development of labor together, Marxproves that labor not only creates material life, but also corroborates human nature andmakes people improve. Marx points out that class that do not work make every effort toerase the historical role of labor, to depreciate the position of workers and to maintain theprivate system. Marx insists on interpreting justice from the perspective of labor and posits freedom and equality, the core connotation of justice, in the progress of history.Marx points out that the labor dissimilation forms the essential cause of humandissimilation, that labor is the affirmative element to help realize man’s natural powerand that labor liberation is the essence and core of human liberation. Thereby heestablishes his justice principle of distribution on the basis of material work, whichmeans those who work will possess the product. The principle of distribution accordingto work is in favor of the just consumption under the circumstance of human liberty anddevelopment. Above all, Marx’s concept of justice maintains that productive relation hasto fit the development of productive force and that superstructure must fit economicfoundation. Only in such inter-relation, can the society be justice.With the economic crisis of capitalist society and the brutal world wars, thereflourishes the proletariat emancipation movement. The contemporary westernphilosophers reflect profoundly on justice issue from all aspects. On one hand,philosophers such as Rawls and Nozick propose their theoretical mode of justice byquestioning Marx’s concept of justice. On the other hand, they try to ease up classcontradict by providing practical system design and welfare to meliorate capitalistpolitics and economy. They try, as well, to reduce the blindness of economic circulationand crisis by exporting capital to developing countries and enlarging market. Thesemeliorations do bring about vital force for the economic development of capitalist society,therewith, people begin to doubt about Marxism and to favor the western philosophy,which aroses certain ideological confusions, even revolution, in some countries.How should we comprehend Marx’s justice theory and the various contemporarytheories on justice? Is it that Marxism has no vital force? This dissertation will make aneffort to probe Marx’s theory on justice and to evaluate and respond to thosecontemporary western theories. Through comparative study, on one hand, the dissertationwill reveal the limitation of the justice concept in contemporary west countries; on theother hand, it will critically absorb the reasonable elements of the western theories so asto enrich Marx’s concept of justice and to meet the need of the development of socialismprimary phase.China now is in the socialism primary phase. Although some areas in the east havealready arrived at the level of developed countries, the remote areas in the middle and west of China are still conditioned by their natural environment and poverty. In order tobuild up a well-off society all over the country, China has to keep on enhancingproductivity, through which man’s development could be radically fulfilled. What shouldbe emphasized is that we must not dissever the productivity development and man’sdevelopment, as if there are different standards respectively. As matter of fact, Marxconsiders the two developments as one thing. Productivity means man’s capacity forlabor and the full play of man’s essential energy in a certain historical phase. Whetherman’s essential energy could be in full use and how man’s free development could berealized are determined both by the development of productivity and by the status ofproductive relation and superstructure. That is to say whether the productive relation andsuperstructure are in favor of the full play of man’s energy is the main standard toestimate social justice. Therefore, to analyze contemporary China from the perspective ofMarx’s labor concept is helpful for the building of well-off society and going to a higherstage of socialism development.While the progress of market economy of present China provides material wealth,man’s aspiration for value is ignored. There emerge social conflict and polarization,which blemish laborers’ interest and violates Marx’s justice principle. Marx, differentfrom other philosophers, has always been paying attention to laborers’ development inactual life, taking man’s progress as the goal of productivity. Man’s development can notbe accomplished in an action, instead, it is a process of fulfillment and improvement.Human labor is practical activities, so taking the ideal of man’s complete development asguidance and the principle in favor of laborers’ interests as justice criterion conformChina’s present situation. It bears both theoretical and practical significances for thebuilding of Chinese characteristic socialism.