Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No. 11, 2025

The Transcendence of Historical Materialism over “Historical Teleology”

(Abstract)

Shen Jiangping

“Historical teleology” is essentially a variant of fatalism, theological determinism, and the theory that reason governs the world. Its core concepts include nature, God, reason, and absolute spirit. This theory strictly presupposes the goals of history, attributing historical motivation to mysterious forces beyond human control, thereby turning history into an impersonal rationality or idea—a history of thought rather than of reality. The essence of history, however, lies in human practical activity. Historical goals are based on certain laws, and human practice does not always realize its intended purposes. As a scientific theory that profoundly reveals the laws of human social development, historical materialism denies the existence of any form or meaning of purpose in history. It critiques the metaphysical and transcendental linear thinking of historical teleology while recognizing that purpose, as a methodological category, is vital to human practice. Grounded in the contradictions of capitalist society, historical materialism integrates the historical process with the vision of goal realization, thus presenting a rational theoretical form of historical purpose.