Abstract: The text of Das Kapital reveals that the “association of free individuals” essentially constitutes a genuine return to the “socialized community”. In terms of ontological clarification within theoretical categories, the concept of “Gemeinschaft” (community) employed by Marx bears both similarities and differences from that of “Assoziation” (association). The concept of community is relatively broad, emphasizing the territoriality and regional character of groups; whereas association is a concept that places greater stress on voluntariness and openness. Socialization and association exhibit semantic isomorphism; the core essence of the socialized community lies in associated labor. In the narrative logic of historical philosophy, the return to the socialized community is not a simple historical retrogression; rather, in terms of productive forces, it manifests as the transformation of socialized productive forces into the property of free individuals themselves; in terms of production relations, it manifests as a leap in the social regulatory mechanism from blind natural forces to conscious planning; and in terms of individual laborers, it manifests as an essential shift from a non-subjective “combination” to a subjective “association.” Capitalist society represents an inevitable transitional phase toward the association or the truly socialized community. As a crucial theoretical resource for whole-process people’s democracy, the concept of association finds clear expression in both theory and practice through its logic of workers’ subjectivity, the conscious planning of production relations, and the characteristics of the free and comprehensive development of human beings. Its contemporary theoretical vitality in China is also demonstrated through its integration with traditional Chinese culture, reflecting the profound cultural power of the “second integration”.

Key words: Das Kapital, association, socialization, community, whole-process people’s democracy, the second integration