Abstract:
Friedrich Engels extensively discussed the ecological issues of capitalism in his early works. Among them,
The Condition of the Working Class in England, based on Engels' "personal observations and reliable sources," situates ecological problems within an empirical investigation and theoretical critique of the proletariat's overall condition. In this work, the young Engels revealed the main characterization, ideological fallacies and institutional reason of capitalism’s ecological nullification through his awareness of problem and critical perspective. The young Engels pointed out the deficiency of ecological concern, the paradox of bourgeois ecological views, and the obscuring of ecological civilization by private ownership. These critiques played a key role in shaping his new worldview while providing methodological insights for today's analysis, critique, and overcoming of capitalism's ecological nullification.