Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No.11, 2013

Understanding Scientifically the Historical Role of Productivity from the Materialistic View of History

(Abstract)

Ma Yun and Wei Xinghua

Productivity is man’s ability to produce material goods. The constitutive elements of productivity include labor force, means of production, management, coordination of work, science, natural force, etc. Labor is the major motive for the development of productivity, and the laborers take advantage of the means of production, scientific technologies, productive organizations and natural forces to advance the development of productivity. The innovation-driven development underway in China is to rely on the primary productive force of scientific technologies to promote and lead the transformation and coordinated development of other factors of production. As the most active and revolutionary factor, productivity can develop in its own course; it has its own intrinsic mechanism and follows its own laws of development. The inherent contradiction and resolution of the various elements of productivity constitutes an important source for the development of productivity. Changes in the relations of production are not and cannot be the fundamental motive for the development of productivity. In addressing such issues as what is socialism and how to build socialism, we should integrate the socialist criteria of productivity with those of values. That is, we should promote greatly the development of productivity and handle properly the socialist relations of production at once, so as to achieve common prosperity.