On the Mental Intercourse : The Communication Theories of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels

This book meticulously examines the works of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels (including numerous letters) to present their thoughts on communication and media studies from the perspective of “world intercourse” to reveal their spread in all areas of social information dissemination of ideas. The scope of the book ranges from language, writing and printing to newspapers, and from religion, literature and art, public opinion, and publicity to news, the communication revolution, communication policy, communication psychology, and the free exchanges of workers in the party. It is intended for readers with a college degree or above, especially those concerned about the dissemination of information and social interaction as well as intercourse. Preface Contents 1 The Mental Intercourse of Historical Materialism 1.1 Mental Intercourse and Material Activities 1.2 Intercourse in the “Parallelogram of Forces” 1.3 “System of Needs” and Mental Intercourse 1.4 The Continuity of Intercoursal Content and Forms of Intercourse 1.5 The Thought and Spiritual Intercourses of the Ruling Class Reference 2 From National to World Intercourse 2.1 National Intercourse 2.2 World Intercourse References 3 Human Nature and Mental Intercourse 3.1 The Essence of Human Nature and Mental Intercourse 3.2 The Nature of Human Society and Mental Intercourse 3.3 Man’s Complete Possession of Their Own Natures 3.4 The Human Nature of Need and Intercourse Reference 4 Medium of Intercourse—Verbal Language 4.1 The Production of Verbal Language 4.2 The Common Trajectory of Language and Thoughts 4.3 Language as a Mark of Mankind 4.4 The Differentiation and Fusion of Language 4.5 The Formation of Modern Civilized Language References 5 Communication Media—Written Text and Print 5.1 The History of the Written Text 5.2 The Evolution of Text 5.3 The Significance of the Invention of Print 5.4 The Limitations of Textual Intercourse References 6 Intercourse Revolution 6.1 The Process of Intercourse Revolution 6.2 The Spread of Intercourse Revolution and Civilization 6.3 Annihilating Space with Time 6.4 Foreseeing the Age of Information 7 Religion as a Form of Intercourse 7.1 Characteristics of Religious Intercourse 7.2 Conditions for the Spread of Artificial Religions 7.3 Religious Propaganda References 8 Medium of Intercourse—Literary Arts 8.1 Characteristics of Literature 8.2 The Unbalanced Relationship Between the Development of Material and Literary Production 8.3 Creative Methods and Literary Criticism 8.4 World Literature References 9 Public Opinion as a Form of Intercourse 9.1 The Evolution of Public Opinion 9.2 Characteristics of Modern Public Opinion 9.3 The Power of Public Opinion 9.4 Social Control Over Opinion 9.5 Newspapers and Public Opinion Reference 10 Propaganda as a Form of Intercourse 10.1 The Theoretical “Pillars” and Social Foundations of Socialist Propaganda 10.2 Propagators and Media 10.3 Object of Propaganda 10.4 Methods and Effects of Propaganda 11 News as a Form of Intercourse 11.1 Facts and the Generation of News 11.2 The Newspaper as a Carrier of News 11.3 The Social Role of News 11.4 The Timeliness of News 11.5 The Organic Newspaper Movement 12 Newspapers as a Form of Communication Media 12.1 The Types and Basic Functions of Newspapers 12.2 The Social Status and Role of Newspapers 12.3 Newspapers and Politics 12.4 Proletarian Newspapers and Workers’ Movements 12.5 Common Fairness and Objective Reports 12.6 Newspaper and Periodical Supervision Duties 12.7 The Business of Newspapers 12.8 In Regard to “Internal Laws of Newspapers and Periodicals” 13 The Policy of Intercourse 13.1 Book Inspection 13.2 Knowledge Tax and Deposit 13.3 The Expression of Freedom and Market Economy 13.4 On the History of Freedom of Expression in the 19th Century 13.5 The Freedom of Expression and Workers’ Movement 13.6 Communication Policy and Law 13.7 A Few Specific Communication Laws and Practices Reference 14 The Psychology of Intercourse 14.1 The Relationship Between External Environment and Intercourse Psychology 14.2 The Psychology of Identification in Intercourse 14.3 Psychological Barriers to Intercourse 14.4 The Formation of “Attention” in Intercourse 14.5 Gossips or Rumours 15 The Mental Intercourse of Workers 15.1 Large Industries and the Mental Development of Workers 15.2 The Historical Form and Characteristics of Workers’ Mental Intercourse 15.3 Newspapers as the Essential Living Materials of Workers 15.4 The Spirit of the Paris Commune 15.5 The Mental Intercourse of Marxist Workers’ Party Reference 16 The Three Social Forms of Intercourse 16.1 The Dependency Form of People Engaged in Intercourse 16.1.1 Primitive Times 16.1.2 Ancient Greek-Roman Era 16.1.3 Middle Ages 16.1.4 Asiatic Society 16.2 The Dependency Form of Objects in Intercourse 16.2.1 The Civilized Role of Capital 16.2.2 Alienation in Intercourse 16.3 Forms of Comprehensive Development of People in Intercourse Reference Postscript