Basic Question of the Conception of History

The question concerning the relation of social being and social consciousness. Historical materialism and historical idealism are the two basic conceptions of history.

The criteria to distinguish historical materialism from historical idealism is the different answers given to the question concerning the relation of social being and social consciousness. The question concerning the relation of social being and social consciousness is an embodiment of the basic question of philosophy, the question concerning relation of thinking and being, in the conception of history.

In The German Ideology, Marx and Engels have criticized the idealist conception of history that interpreted practice from ideas, and elaborated the materialist conception of history that interprets ideas from the practice of material production. In 1859, Marx clearly put forth in his Preface to A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy: “It is not the consciousness of men that determines their existence, but their social being that determines their consciousness.” Engels pointed out that this principle was a blow to all idealist humbug, spurn all forms of idealism, even the most concealed ones, rejecting all conventional and customary conception of historical matters. The entire traditional manner of political reasoning is upset. In Ludwig Feuerbach and the End of Classical German Philosophy, Engels put forth his theory of the basic question of philosophy, and pointed out: “The great basic question of all philosophy, especially of more recent philosophy, is that concerning the relation of thinking and being.” He has made a systematic elaboration of historical materialism and explained that all kinds of social ideology are determined, in the last instance, by economic relations. In Materialism and Empirio-criticism, Lenin emphasized that Marxist philosophy is cast from a single piece steel, and that “materialism in general recognizes objectively real being (matter) as independent of consciousness, sensation, experience, etc., of humanity. Historical materialism recognizes social being as independent of the social consciousness of humanity. In both cases consciousness is only the reflection of being.”

Social being is the totality of the conditions of the material life of society, including the natural environment (also known as “geographical environment”), the population factor and the mode of production of material means on which human society depends to exist and develop. The mode of production of material means is the determining factor in social being. Social consciousness refers to the spiritual aspect of social life. It is a reflection of the conditions of the material life of society and the objective process of social life in the human brain, including social psychology and various forms of social consciousness.

The different answers given to the basic question of the conception of history distinguish two basic conceptions of history. Historical idealism claims that social consciousness determines social being and resolved the determining factor in historical development into men’s ideological motives or a supra-natural mystical intellectual force. Historical materialism claims that social being determines social consciousness, and social consciousness is a reflection of social being. The contents of social consciousness originate from social being, and the changes and development of social consciousness are determined by the changes and development of social being. The mode of production of material life then conditions the whole process of intellectual life. However, social consciousness has a relative independence and a dynamic reaction upon social being. Social being and social consciousness are in an interaction. In the interaction, it is social being that ultimately determines social consciousness, not the other way around. Upholding the principle that social being determines social consciousness is the basic standpoint that distinguishes historical materialism from historical idealism.