Social Engineering In The Perspective Of Materialist Conception Of History

Nowadays, with the rapid development of science and technology, the interests of different groups become divided quickly, and various social problems and conflicts are twisted together, so that we are facing a more and more serious society full of social risks. Especially at such a crucial stage of reform and development of modern socialist construction, the high speed of economy has not only caused energy and resources exhausted and the eco-environment unsustainable, but also brought complicated social problems as the social development lag, the imbalance of regional development, the unfair distribution of income, some serious livelihood issues, the overspreading official corruption and moral decline. Thus it is a very important theoretical issue and an urgent practical difficulty as how to avoid social risks, resolve actual social conflicts and promote social harmony. Therefore, social engineering, as a theoretical method and practical conduct which aims to reform social relations, coordinate the social interests and conflicts, and promote social development and progress, gradually comes into the view of the academic researches. However, whether can we directly use such a natural engineering method to deal with the relationships of human society has become a very hot issue of current theoretical research and debate. Under such a situation, this thesis focuses on the current practice of constructing socialism with Chinese characteristics with an eye to Karl Marx’s materialist conception of history, so as to answer the basic theoretical questions as what is social engineering, and why is to be, how is it to act and where is its significance.First of all, the thesis proposes that social engineering is a very effective theoretical method and practical conduct to deal with complicated social problems. Social engineering has the integration of systematic method of thinking, engineering method of thinking and dialectical method of thinking into its own methodology, and synthetically applies the theories and techniques of natural science, social science and engineering science to the social practice as of adjusting the relations among the human being, nature and the society, by using the principle of engineering targeting, designing, and systematical conducting. As a result, it builds a social engineering bridge which connects the abstract theory and the concrete act, then to norm the social behaviors through the scientifically designing and effectively operating of the social practice mode, and so as to resolve the complicated social problems and promote the harmonious development of man and society.Secondly, it penetrates into the theory of materialist conception of history as to explore the Marxist theoretical support for social engineering. According to this research, it says that the theory of materialist conception of history provides broad theoretical space for the existence and development of social engineering, and contains a wealth of social engineering thoughts. For more exactly, materialist conception of history provides important theoretical foundation for social engineering in its logical premise of existence, its theoretical research space and practical theory support on the one hand, and there are rich social engineering thoughts in the its theory of social relation production, the theory of social organism, the theory of historical resultant force, the scientific conception of future society and the evolution law of the development of human society as well.Thirdly, it tries to justify philosophical foundation of social engineering from the viewpoint of social ontology, social epistemology, social methodology and social axiology. It says that social engineering is practical in nature ontologically, which is as a practical conduct to reform social relations and the social engineering paradigm is a significant epistemological innovation from the form of practice to engineering. And moreover, social engineering is a systematical theory and method to handle the complicated social problems and an important practical carrier to purse social fairness and social justice methodologically, which is also of great theoretical and practical significance to push forward the ultimate value of freedom, democracy and social harmony in an axiological way.And lastly, the article also explores the contemporary significance of social engineering, and raises that social engineering has important practical meaning for the advancement of promoting socialist construction with Chinese characteristics and the theoretical innovation of materialist conception of history. And explicitly, social engineering is a significant theory support and practice carrier to carry out socialist construction and promote the reform and development of China, which is also an important means to improve the social management level and an inevitable choice to promote the construction of the socialist harmonious society. At the same time, the article also pushes forward that social engineering not only broadens the view of materialist conception of history and enriches its practical substance in the current practice of promoting the reform and development, and thus becomes to be the new form of Marx’s historical theory in the development of socialist construction with Chinese characteristics.