Marx’s Concept of the “Naturally Formed Community” and the Chinese National Community

JOURNAL OF ETHNOLOGY， VOL. 15， NO.03， 10-18， 2024 （CN51-1731/C， in Chinese）.

DOI：10.3969/j.issn.1674-9391.2024.03.002

Abstract：

The form of community represents a way of connecting people， and how people are connected is the key to every form of community. At the stage of “naturally formed community”， early human societies exhibited limited ownership of productive resources. The “land”， which contains the relationship between humanity and nature， provided food and clothing for human beings as well as a communal arena. At the same time， due to the relatively simple interpersonal dynamics， families， clans， and others linked by the inherent “interpersonal ties” of “blood” became the basic units within communal structures.In addition， the bonds of these “naturally formed communities” revolved around “land” and “blood relationship”， often intertwining these elements. Shifting to China today， on the one hand， the Chinese national community actually carries the relationship between humans and their natural environment in its origins， hereby forming an objective mechanism underlying the formation and evolution of the Chinese national community. On the other hand， the formation of the Chinese national community followed a path of human differentiation from animals in terms of labor activities： In fact， all humans not only have a biological scale distinct from other species but also an internal scale defined by human nature itself. Human interactions with nature at these two scales therefore have concretely shaped the specific form and content of the Chinese national community .

Turning again to contemporary China， this piece further posits that Marx’s insights into the “naturally formed community，” highlighting the dependence of humans on objective material conditions for survival and the objective laws governing human relations， likely is still objectively present in the Chinese national community. The form of a “naturally formed community” remains conducive to providing a theoretical and practical framework for the Chinese national community to understand the human-nature relationship and advancing an ecological civilization. The Chinese national community has formed a new content of the time in the ideological consensus， practical logic， and a value orientation that the nation and the country share the same destiny， surpassing the understanding of human universality as the innate form of the natural world. In terms of addressing contemporary issues， common value lineages， and holistic developmental strategies， the Chinese national community has provided an era blueprint to achieving multi-dimensional sustainable progress and comprehensive human flourishing from the perspective of the national community. Moreover， it has furnished a theoretical basis and era space for generating more diverse interactions between different groups， social strata， ethnicities， and countries.

To conclude， both the “tangible” existence and “intangible” existence of the Chinese national community has been aiming to secure the people’s survival and production， and improve their living conditions through the means of “mission history” and “historical mission”. Based on historical， theoretical， and practical definitions of humankind and nature， as well as senses of human fulfillment， the Chinese national community has been seeking to provide value and significance for human realization beyond mere survival. As the world is constantly evolving， human society likewise is to pursue evolution and progress. The Chinese national community is departing from a merely “naturally formed community” and， with its tangible disintegration and intangible form and purpose， has been contributing to greater justice consistency， common progress， and integrated universality in shaping a practical form and value content of human social development in the evolution of a civilized community.

Key Words：

Marx;“naturally formed community”;typical form; human liberation; the Chinese national community