What are the factors that play a decisive role in the development of society

I: The progress of society depends on the level of social productivity. The difference between the feudal society of the agrarian age and the modernized social form of the industrial age is due to the difference in the level of social productivity. In the feudal society, the basic industry is weak, only the agricultural products and handicrafts provided by the small peasant economy, so it can only maintain subsistence. In industrial societies, there is a well-developed industrial system that can provide abundant industrial products, so people's living standards are higher and their activities are richer. So the level of productivity is the most fundamental determining factor in the development of human society.

II: General Laws Governing the Development of Human Society --------- The relations of production must be adapted to the development of the productive forces

①The process of the development of production in human society is bound to take place in two aspects: the relationship between human beings and nature, which manifests itself in the productive forces; and the relationship between human beings and human beings, which manifests itself in the relations of production.

②Productivity determines the relations of production. What kind of productive forces require what kind of relations of production and it is appropriate. The development of productive forces, the relations of production should change accordingly, so that the new relations of production should replace the old relations of production to adapt to the requirements of the development of productive forces.

③The relations of production have the opposite effect on the productive forces. When the relations of production to adapt to the development of the productive forces, it will promote the development of the productive forces; on the contrary, will hinder the development of the productive forces, then, the productive forces require to change the original old relations of production, by the more adapted to the development of the productive forces of the relations of production to replace it.

4It is the interaction between the productive forces and the relations of production that pushes human society forward.

It is the interaction and mutual influence of the productive forces and the relations of production that drives human society forward.

Definition Inclusion Content Interrelation

Productive forces Relationship between man and nature Workers (determinants) Workers (symbols) Objects of work Productivity determines the relations of production Relations of production are reactive to the productive forces

Relationships of production Relationships between man and man To whom the means of production belongs (the basis) Distribution of products in the relations of man and man

Society is a society in which, from the point of view of static existence In terms of its static existence, it is the productive forces that determine the relations of production and social relations; in terms of its dynamic development, it is the development of the productive forces that changes the relations of production and all its social relations. The mode of production, as an intermediary between the productive forces and the relations of production, is both determined by the productive forces and determines the relations of production, has both the function of the productive forces and the value of the relations of production, and is the unity of ****temporality and ephemerality. The specific structure of human society and its entire historical movement is both a system based on the interaction of elements within the mode of production and a process driven by the movement of the mode of production. Therefore, the basis for the unity of social structure and social form lies in the mode of production of society. The ability of human beings to transform nature is called productive forces. At present, in many editions of the textbooks of Marxist philosophy, there is a logical problem that cannot be ignored: the definition of the productive forces contradicts the definition of the productive forces in terms of connotation and the definition of the productive forces in terms of extension. For example, "Productive force is the actual ability of people to solve the contradiction between society and nature, the objective material force of human beings to conquer and transform nature to adapt it to the needs of society." (1) And "The so-called productive force is the ability of people to conquer and transform nature in order to obtain material means of life, it is the material force of people to transform nature, and it expresses the relationship of people to the natural world in production." (2) etc. These are all definitions of the concept of "productive forces" from the aspect of connotation. The same textbooks define productive forces from the aspect of extension as follows: "The basic elements constituting the productive forces are: the means of labor, which are mainly the tools of production, the objects of labor which are introduced into the process of production, and the workers who have certain production experience and skills. laborers with certain production experience and labor skills." (3) This is also known as the "three elements of productivity". The connotation of the definition of productivity emphasizes the production capacity of the society and the material power of transforming nature, and "productivity" is the concept of attributes; 2 the definition of the extension of productivity emphasizes the three elements of entity, and "productivity" is the concept of entity. It is this non-consistency between the connotation and extension of the concept of productivity that has led to a series of debates among scholars about the connotation and substance of the category of productivity. For example, is productivity an objective entity or a capacity, a power of the production subject? If it is a capacity, is it a natural force or a social force? Does productivity reflect the relationship between man and nature or the social relationship between man and man? And so on. (4) However, despite the controversy, few people have questioned the connotation or extension of the existing concept of productive forces, and few people have noticed this contradiction between the connotation and extension of the existing concept of productive forces. It is essential to recognize that productivity is by no means an entity. Some of the errors in the conception of productivity are due to a materialized understanding of productivity. Productivity is, after all, a force. Force alone is a very important concept in physics, reflecting the phenomenon of the interaction of two or more objects, and is defined as the interaction between two or more objects, or as the ability or function of a system of two or more interacting objects to maintain the system itself by energy conversion. The ability or function of a system of two or more interacting objects to transform energy in order to maintain the system itself. "Productivity is a very important and abstract concept in the social sciences, reflecting certain social attributes of human relations. Productivity is the capacity or function of a social organism or system of people engaged in productive activities to carry out social and material transformations and to maintain society itself. The worker, the means of labor, and the object of labor do not represent the productive forces in themselves, nor are they elements of the productive forces, but the combination of the three is only a necessary factor for the realization of productive activity, i.e., the three elements of production. The traditional view of historical materialism has mistaken these three elements of production for the three elements of productivity. In fact, the combination of the worker and the means of labor then acts on the object of labor, which is the labor power of the worker, i.e., the labor force. Labor force is the ability or function of the living organism composed of the organs and limbs of the human body to carry out natural material transformations in order to maintain itself. The fundamental difference between productivity and labor is that the former is a function or capacity of the social organism and the latter is a capacity or function of the human organism. Productivity has always referred to the productive forces of society. As Marx pointed out, "The productive forces manifest themselves as something entirely independent of and separate from the individuals, as a special world existing simultaneously with the individuals, for the reason that the individuals (whose forces are the productive forces) are dispersed and antagonistic to each other, and that these forces in their own way can only be made into real forces ..." . (5) Productivity, as a capacity or force, corresponds to a definite entity or vehicle. The subject or entity of the productive forces is neither the worker, nor the means or objects of labor, nor the combination of the three elements of production mentioned above, but a social institution constituted by people with certain production relations, "a productive institution with human limbs". (6) Although the level of labor force depends on the quality of the workers, the level of productivity is not determined by the quality of the workers, nor is it determined by the advancement of the means of production (means of labor, objects of labor). The modern quality of a certain laborer, compared with the ancient people, the level of labor force can not be said to be not high, if he is isolated from the surrounding people, or in a chaotic and disorderly social environment, even if there is an advanced production machine, the combination of him and the machine can not show much production capacity, at best he can only maintain their own survival. Productivity is the ability or function of "a human body as a productive organization" to carry out social and material transformations. Or, as traditionally defined, productivity is the ability of people to conquer and transform nature in order to obtain the material means of subsistence, the material power of people to transform nature. If we leave aside the accuracy and completeness of these definitions for the time being, how should we define the extension of productivity in the sense of capacity and power? As a category of capacity, whether it is regarded as a system or a category, its constituent elements or divisions should be capacity elements or capacity items. It is a minimum logical requirement that the connotation and extension of the same concept should be harmonized. Therefore, one thing is certain, that is, the traditional concept of the three elements of productive forces is illogical, that is, the workers, the means of labor, the object of labor does not belong to the category of productive forces at all! Therefore, the productive forces is the most fundamental determinant of the development of human society.