The Concept of Nature in Marx’s Early Thought on Human Emancipation

Nature is a key concept in Marx’s early comprehension of human emancipation. The dual liberation of nature and humanity constitutes a core thread in understanding Marx’s early texts. In Marx’s early texts, the concept of nature’s content support and value implications for human emancipation generally went through four developmental stages of understanding: from the Enlightenment perspective on nature, nature was viewed as a spiritual weapon for “ideal individuals” to achieve the liberation of free will; from Feuerbach’s humanistic materialist perspective on nature, nature was viewed as a key link for “material individuals” to achieve the restoration of their essence; from the historical materialist transformation of the view of nature, nature was viewed as the material conditions for the liberation of “real individuals”; and finally, from the world historical theory of the capitalization of nature, nature was viewed as the inherent ecological dimension for “humanity” under capitalist production conditions to achieve communist revolution and human liberation. Marx’s early thought on nature and human emancipation provides a theoretical foundation and historical inspiration for achieving the Chinese path to modernization characterized by harmony between humanity and nature.