How Marxism Leads the Development of Social Ethos and Social Science Today

Tuesday, 8 July 2025
Location: ASJE026 (Annex of the Faculty of Legal, Economic, and Social Sciences)
Distributed Paper
Wanli ZHAO, Nankai University, China
As the mainstream ideology in China, Marxism plays a leading role in the development of social ethos and social science. This is due to its provision of an ideal social goal, justifying its existence. It reveals the laws of human society's development, making it reasonable. Furthermore, it speaks for and is chosen by the people, establishing its legitimacy. While any social ethos capable of producing social impact is considered a non-mainstream ideology, it's important to note that not all social ethos are inherently wrong or backward. Therefore, it is worthwhile to encourage debates and embrace diverse perspectives while guiding social ethos with the mainstream ideology. The theories of social science transform into social ethos only when they are disseminated and contribute to social impacts, and it is unrealistic to expect complete value neutrality. The spirit of social science combines scientific objectivity with ideological elements, enabling it to play a crucial role in public discourse. By adhering to the guidance of Marxism, social science can better fulfill its role. This necessitates a departure from simplistically using foreign social science as a standard and model. Instead, it calls for the utilization of both domestic and international intellectual resources to construct an independent social science knowledge system with Chinese characteristics. This endeavor aims to provide intellectual support for Chinese-style modernization and foster dialogue within the global civilization.