社會主義自其誕生之日起,就既是對當時社會現實的批判,又是對美好社會的設想。自19世紀中期以后,馬克思、恩格斯的思想路線指導了國際工人運動及各國工人階級政黨的實踐,其本質不僅是批判的,更是面向現實的一個充滿活力的思想體系,這使得社會主義可以成為科學分析的主題。本文認為,馬克思、恩格斯有關社會主義的未來設想有其歷史的演變過程,這一方面表現為其著作中對共產主義、社會主義的取舍評判,另一方面表現為面對全球社會經濟變化的積極因應。恩格斯在19世紀80年代中期之后有關社會主義所有制、發展策略等論述表明,面對工業化、城市化與全球化的諸種挑戰,社會主義理想仍然有實現之途,恩格斯本人作為社會理論家的特色亦得以充分體現。對當前社會經濟飛速發展的中國社會而言,恩格斯晚年的社會主義思想具有現實的指導意義。

Socialism from the very beginning is both a critique of reality and expectation for future good society. Since the mid-19 th century,the emergent international workers’ movement carried out under the guidance of Marx and Engels’ theory is not only critical but open to social reality. Thus socialism becomes scientific by being the object of scientific analysis. This study focuses on different stages of Marx and Engels’ literature on communism and socialism. With the emphasis shifting to socialism,Marxism faces and responses directly to the drastic change of the global economy and society. Engels’ discussion on ownership and political strategy of socialists after the mid-1880’s shows that scientific socialism can be a social theory dealing with various challenges of industrialization,urbanization and globalization. Engels himself is an open-minded social theorist in addition to the spiritual leader of the communist revolution. For contemporary China,Engels’ theory of socialism can provide insights and strategies for social governance and the economic development.