Why Is “Objective Activity” the Prerequisite for Understanding “Alienated Labor”?—An Examination Based on the “Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844”

马克思早期的重要著作《1844年经济学哲学手稿》(以下简称《手稿》)是马克思主义哲学发展史上的重要文献，其对资本主义社会劳动问题的批判性分析，尤其是异化劳动理论的提出，构成了马克思主义劳动观的重要思想源头。然而，学界长期以来对《手稿》的解读多聚焦于“异化劳动”这一概念本身，将其视为批判资本主义的直接结论，却忽略了马克思在文本中隐含的深层解释原则——“对象性活动”的基础性作用。本文以《手稿》文本为依托，通过梳理马克思对“对象性活动”与“异化劳动”的双重论述，揭示二者的内在逻辑关联，即对象性活动并非与异化劳动并列的孤立概念，而是理解异化劳动的“第一原则”。并在此基础上，进一步探讨对象性活动对劳动解放的影响与意义。Marx’s early important work “Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844” (hereinafter referred to as the Manuscripts) is a crucial document in the developmental history of Marxist philosophy. Its critical analysis of labor issues in capitalist society, particularly the introduction of the theory of alienated labor, constitutes a significant intellectual source of the Marxist perspective on labor. However, academic interpretations of the Manuscripts have long focused primarily on the concept of “alienated labor” itself, treating it as a direct conclusion for critiquing capitalism, while overlooking the deeper explanatory principle implicitly embedded in Marx’s text—the foundational role of “objective activity”. Based on the text of the Manuscripts, this paper examines Marx’s dual discourse on “objective activity” and “alienated labor” to reveal their intrinsic logical connection: objective activity is not an isolated concept parallel to alienated labor but rather the “first principle” for understanding alienated labor. Building on this, the paper further explores the implications and significance of objective activity for the emancipation of labor.