HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIALISM1

Tran Tuan Phong2 1. Human nature and human develo ment In Marxs account of human nature we can see both the universal and specific aspects. While the universality of human nature could be understood as the existence of human nature as the original ground and inner source of all human development, the very element that unifies all cultural developments, the specificity of human nature can be see in its various manifestations in different forms of cultural development. For Marx human nature has both constant and mutable elements that is, he maintains that human beings are characteri!ed not only by universal "ualities, constant across history and between cultures, but also by variable "ualities, reflecting general and as %human nature as modified in each epoch. &'uman nature in general( could be understood that all human beings share a common human nature, but it does not mean that human nature as something fixed or a priori given or a potential to be made actual. )n contrary, human nature should be understood ontologically as the original source and infinite potentiality for human development. *s such human nature offers both possibility and commonality for human development. It is the point of reference and shared bac$ground of all $ind of human existence and offers both a dynamic feature and unity of the whole process of human development. +he full development of human nature, or the full reali!ation ,or unfolding- of
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historical and

cultural diversity. #o in the Capital Marx tal$ed about %human nature in

This work was supported by JSPS Asia Core Program, Japan

.eputy 'ead of .epartment of /olitical /hilosophy, Institute of /hilosophy, 0ietnam *cademy of #ocial #ciences. 1

human nature could serve as the ideal and ultimate meaning for human striving. +he idea of all1round human development mentioned in Marx writing also means the full development of human powers and capacities &+he cultivation of all the "ualities of the social human being, production of the same in a form as rich as possible in needs, because rich in "ualities and relations2production of this being as the most total and universal social product for, in order to ta$e gratification in a many1sided way, he must be capable of many pleasures, hence cultured to a high degree.(3 *s infinite potentiality, human nature is open for human beings to interpret and choose. +he variety of interpretation means the expressions of human creativity in development of human nature in different cultural contexts or traditions. 'ere we can see about how human nature is developed and &modified in each epoch( or culture * cultural tradition is both the manifestation of human creativity and the particuli!ation of human nature in concrete historical contexts.. 'uman creativity here is much to do with human self1awareness, the very awareness of the potentiality of human nature and the ability to choose a particular option and act in particular situation to unfold further ,the potentiality of- human nature. )f course self1 awareness is not given to human beings at the moment of birth but the result of education and sociali!ation in the form of social life of a certain community. *s such human creativity is the cultivation and manifestation of human nature in a given community but it also the driving force contributing to further developing of human nature and transforming of the cultural tradition in which is was formed. #o, it is the openness of human nature as infinite potentiality that contributes to the dynamic character of human development and the diversity of cultural traditions.
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K. Marx. Grundrisse, trans. Martin Nicolaus, Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1973. p. 409

+hus, through the creative process of human development, human nature is made defined and concreti!ed in the various forms of culture ,or cultural tradition-. In other words, human nature does not exist apart from cultural traditions but reali!es or embodies in them through the creative activity of concrete human agencies. +he concrete reali!ation or embodiment of human nature in a specific cultural tradition can be seen in the way people of a community organi!e their collective life. *s such the embodiment of human nature is the emerging quality in the life of a community. It serves as a pattern of organi!ation that gives order, co1ordination and stability to the life of the people of that community and conse"uently to help the people of the community to develop their talents and abilities to the fullness. *s the pattern or form of organi!ation of a given community, the manifestation of human nature offers both opportunities and limitations for the people of the community to develop their potentiality. #o we can see that human development, as the process of unfolding of human nature, is mediated through different stages and in different historical contexts of cultural traditions. 4ultural traditions here serve as the historical and social space, within which human individuals are born and they become human persons during the process of sociali!ation, through education and training that initiate and engage them into the social life of the community. +hus the formation of human beings as social beings is conditioned by traditional cultures but once they are ,more or less- formed, they can continue to develop further the potentiality of human nature and transform the traditional culture in which they are born and being sociali!ed. 'uman beings, therefore, are in a constant dialogue with their own traditions to be formed and educated as well as in a dialogue with human nature to transform their own traditional culture. While being located between a given cultural tradition and human nature,
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human beings are both the passive receiver of that tradition and the active agencies who can change and transform the given tradition. 'ere we can see the dialectical relation between cultural tradition as a normative system (structure) of values, customs and norms5and cultural tradition as a living social practice for human development. +hus system determines the formation of man6 in order to become a member of a given cultural community, an individual has to undergo a process of learning and training ,cultivation and self1cultivation- to obtain necessary social s$ills and faculties. 7ut only through the course of the social practice of these very members the system can exist and renewed or changed. *s 4. +aylor writes &#ocial tradition can continue to exert an influence through individuals only to the extent that it is continually renewed by them 8 li$e all structures, it continues to exist by virtue of practice.(9 +hat practice, as 4. +aylor rightly points out, &relies on a never exhausted bac$ground which can simultaneously be the source of innovative statements and articulations(:. +hus in order to maintain and develop further cultural tradition human beings must be properly cultivated and developed through the process of learning and training, through the practical engagement in real life. +he real $nowledge or standards of truth based on which one can strive to cultivate and improve oneself can only be given, accepted and transmitted by cultural tradition in which one lives. +hrough the self1cultivation man can learn to $now how to relate meaningfully and properly to other human beings and things to the world around him. It is the cultural tradition that serves the foundation for individuals to cultivate themselves and engage in the world but only through
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C. Taylor . Language and Society, in Communicative Action. Edited by Axel Honnet and Han! "oa!. #$T C. Taylor . Language and Society, in Communicative Action. Edited by Axel Honnet and Han! "oa!. #$T %re!!,

%re!!, Cambridge, 1&&1, '. 2(

(

Cambridge, 1&&1, '. 2(

the active engagement of human individuals that cultural tradition is transformed and renewed constantly. +he renovation and transformation of cultural tradition is, at the same time, the further unfolding and development of human nature, which serves as the original source and the ultimate purpose for human striving. *s ;. <rondin rightly says, &What distinguishes our humanity, is not a rational capacity that would catapult us into a divine world of pure ideas. =ather it is the ability to go beyond our particularity by ta$ing account the heritage that can help us grow above and beyond our limited selves(>. #o we can see how human development as the unfolding of human nature is mediated through different cultural traditions. While being located within that dynamic process of human development, cultural traditions are the concreti!ations of human nature. #o here we can see the dialectical relationship between human development and cultural traditions6 without cultural traditions human nature remains potential and formless, only through the formation of cultural traditions that human nature is given shape and form ,or being determined-, however, human nature serves as the source and condition of possibility for cultural traditions to be developed. +he concrete contents of cultural traditions are the manifestations of human nature in different contexts. +he human character of cultural traditions is the product of the creative interpretation of human beings about human nature. ?. So!"al"#m and human develo ment 'uman development as the development of human essence can be seen in many levels6 as an individual with its animal instincts for survival or as a member of a specific community with a distinctive form of life or culture or as a member of a larger community of humanity. *s a member of any community and culture, formation of man as a social being is a process of
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". *rondin. Source! o+ Hermeneutic!. State ,niver!ity o+ -e. /or0 %re!!, -e. /or0, 1&&(

sociali!ation, in which human individuals engage with the world and participate in the living social practice. It is a continuous process of transformation of the self both ethically and ontologically, the very process in which self1openness ,self1discovery- and the disclosure of the things and the world around are ta$en place simultaneously. 4ultural development ,education or cultivation- is the &properly human way of developing ones natural talents and capacities(@ and thus through the process of human development man overcomes his own particularity and rise to the universal. #o human development is the process of gaining both the sense of himself and the sense of the world around him. +he sustainability of human development should be founded on cultural traditions, not only on a specific cultural tradition but also on the very culture of humanity. In this context, human development is also the process of learning from others, the process of dialogue aiming at sustaining and further unfolding of human potentiality. +he <ood Aife or the Aife in /eace as the goal of human life that serves as the guiding principle for human development understood as a $ind of growing about and beyond ones limited selves. +his is a $ind of self1transcendence can be archived through an active activity of human development understood both in moral and ontological senses. We can say that the noble goal of good life, the life in peace determines the formation and development of human beings but only through the active self1cultivation of human beings that the concept of good life can be reali!ed. #o far we can see that cultural traditions serve as the historical and social space, within which human individuals are born and they become human persons during the process of sociali!ation, through education and training that
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H. *adamer. Trut

and #et od. Second 2evi!ed Edition3Tran!lated by

".4ein! eimer and

5.*.#ar! all, Continuum , -e. /or0. 26637 '. 16 )

initiate and engage them into the social life of the community. +hus the formation of human beings as social beings is conditioned by traditional cultures. 'ere for man to develop his human nature some necessary conditions to be made. Man as a social being always lives in a concrete community, concrete society. 'uman development thus always ta$es place in concrete conditions. +he ideal or humane society is the society when conditions are provided for man to develop fully its nature. In this context we can understand the relation between human development and socialism. 7ecause while capitalism is a society when human development is alienated, man can only has a &dehumani!ed life(, a life does not corresponding to the human nature. 4apitalism is the society in which &complete wor$ing out of the human content appears as a complete emptying1out, this universal obBectification as total alienation, and the tearing1down of all limited, one1 sided aims as sacrifice of the human end1in1itself to an external end( C 4apitalism, therefore is being &condemned for its inhuman effects6 for stunting human life and hindering the development of human powers and capacities ,particularly but not exclusively those of the wor$ing class-(D. In Marx thought of socialism we can see that socialism is the society that could provide opportunity for human to develop, the society that meets the re"uirement of a meaningful human life, the life in accordance to human nature. *s Marx says in the Grundrisse &What is wealth other than the universality of individual needs, capacities, pleasures, productive forces etc., created through universal exchangeE +he full development of human mastery over the forces of nature, those of so1called nature as well as of humanitys own natureE +he absolute wor$ing out of his creative
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K. Marx. Grundrisse, trans. Martin Nicolaus, Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1973. P. 488

#. #ayer, Marxism and 'uman Fature, Aondon, 1DDC, p. 1>: 1

potentialities, with no presupposition other than the previous historic development, which ma$es this totality of development, i.e. the development of all human powers as such the end in itself, not as measured on a predetermined yardstic$E(1G . +hus socialism is the place in which all human potentials and essential powers are used for the satisfaction of human needs and to serve the all1round development of human nature, because socialism &5is higher form of society, a society in which full and free development of every individual forms the ruling principle(11

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H. Marx. Grundrisse ,p. 9CC H. Marx. Capital 0ol. 3. Id. F. Ingels. p. :D? 8