A Study of Communist Thought in Economic & Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844

Abstract

In Economic & Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, Marx systematically expounded his communist thought. Taking alienated labor as the core of his critique, Marx analyzed and criticized crude, egalitarian communist thought, democratic or authoritarian communist thought, and communist thought advocating the abolition of the state. On this basis, he developed a relatively comprehensive and profound early communist ideology. He argues and elaborates on communist ideas from an economic and philosophical perspective, asserting that communism is the “positive negation of private property as human self-alienation,” the “true possession of human essence,” and the “fulfillment of naturalism and humanism.” In the new era of Chinese socialism with Chinese characteristics, Marx's early communist ideas remain of significant contemporary relevance, capable of contributing to the construction of a socialist market economy with Chinese characteristics, ecological civilization, and the promotion of the free and comprehensive development of humanity in the new era.