Reflection and Construction of Marx and Agamben’s “Free Man” Subjects From the Perspective of Biopolitics

The value appeal for the free and all-round development of human beings is the common point that connects Marx’s theory of “free man” with the subject theory of contemporary biopolitics. The historical appearance and contemporary development of biopolitics continue the theme of Marx’s critique of the essence of capitalist exploitation and extend the boundaries of Marx’s contemporary form of capitalism. Marx used historical materialism and political economy to critique the essence of “free man” as “homo faber”, and the Italian left-wing scholar Giorgio Agamben used the concept of subjectivity such as “whatever singularity” to open up the theoretical direction of the Western left to understand “free man” as “political man” (homo politics). The theoretical differences between the traditional and radical subject schemes not only due to the confrontation between Marx’s “practical view of history” and Agamben’s “fractured view of history”, but also related to the different references to Aristotle’s and Hegel’s conceptions of freedom. Through the dual perspectives of “using Marx to solve Agamben” and “using Agamben to solve Marx”, it is highlighted that although there are specific differences between Marx and Agamben in terms of goals, theoretical backgrounds and construction schemes, they can produce an effective dialogue between “macro subject historical science” and “micro subject political philosophy”.