Exploring the History of Technological Science in Marx’s London Notebooks and Its Theoretical Significance

During the London Notebooks, reflections on the practical relationship between technological science and communism and the attention given to the First World Industrial Exposition held in London in 1851 largely formed the immediate practical background to Marx’s turn to the study of the history of technological science. Through his study of the works of Poppe, Ure, Beckmann and others, Marx grasped in a holistic way the changes in modes of production as the basis of the historical development of human society and the resulting changes in social relations and social consciousness. This not only reaffirmed the scientific validity of the historical materialist worldview, but also provided the most important theoretical support for Marx’s further comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the historical origins and inner mechanisms of the capitalist mode of production. In this sense, technological science constitutes a fundamental theoretical resource for Marx to deepen his critique of political economy and historical materialism. Based on the texts of the notebooks and the context of the intellectual history, rediscovering the profound implications and contemporary value of Marx’s philosophy of science and technology in the context of historical materialism is an important inspiration for us to accurately grasp the spirit of the time and the historical orientation of the present age of intelligence, and to deeply promote scientific and technological innovation in the new era.