关键词: 恩格斯；历史唯物主义；政治经济学批判 

Abstract: Since the Second International, Engels has been one of the focal points of political and intellectual debates about Marxism. Today, when issues such as “the knowledge relationship between Marx and Engels” have become popular academic topics, some basic principles for evaluating Engels have been obscured. They involve the new standards of character and thought evaluation brought about by the revolution of Marxism in the history of thought. Without an understanding of these issues, we cannot talk about Engels as an independent thinker. This article argues that we must start from the historical science of Marxism and emphasize the scientific socialism of Engels' evaluation, and understand its objective requirements, as well as Engels' identification with it and its historical role. On this basis, the critique of political economy is taken as an example to clarify the status and role of Engels as an independent thinker in the formation of Marxism. Finally, taking the editing and publishing of the sequel to Das Kapital as an example, it explained Engels' understanding and actual performance of the scientific spirit.

Key words: Engels, historical materialism, criticism of political economy