The concept of （这一理念）communism pre-dates (早在···之前就出现）Marx by more than two thousand years. In PLATO's Republic（理想国） private property （私有制，私人财产）is prohibited to（被禁止的··） the ruling Guardians. Plato's reason for forbidding property, and even that possessive relationship, marriage, was that rulers could not take disinterested decisions if they had vested interests. Early Christians practised community of possessions ('primitive Christianity'), not only because they lived in enclaves, under constant threat, but also because Christ's own teachings enjoined them to abjure possessions. Although this phase of Christianity was short-lived, the idea of community of possession re-emerged in medieval monasteries, where personal poverty was the first vow. The reasons were similar to Plato's: monks and nuns could not properly dedicate themselves to God's service while encumbered by worldly goods and cares. Furthermore the ownership of necessities and other resources by the monastery ensured a closer binding of individual members to the community and prevented individual independence and rivalry. (The vow of chastity likewise prevented sexual distraction and competition.) The abolition of private possession has two grounds: the purifying of the individual from material concerns, and the greater social cohesion of the community, best promoted by eliminating economic independence and conflict.
The concept of （这一理念）communism pre-dates (早在···之前就出现）Marx by more than two thousand years. In PLATO's Republic（理想国） private property （私有制，私人财产）is prohibited to（被禁止的··） the ruling Guardians. Plato's reason for forbidding property, and even that possessive relationship, marriage, was that rulers could not take disinterested decisions if they had vested interests. Early Christians practised community of possessions ('primitive Christianity'), not only because they lived in enclaves, under constant threat, but also because Christ's own teachings enjoined them to abjure possessions. Although this phase of Christianity was short-lived, the idea of community of possession re-emerged in medieval monasteries, where personal poverty was the first vow. The reasons were similar to Plato's: monks and nuns could not properly dedicate themselves to God's service while encumbered by worldly goods and cares. Furthermore the ownership of necessities and other resources by the monastery ensured a closer binding of individual members to the community and prevented individual independence and rivalry. (The vow of chastity likewise prevented sexual distraction and competition.) The abolition of private possession has two grounds: the purifying of the individual from material concerns, and the greater social cohesion of the community, best promoted by eliminating economic independence and conflict.
