马克思的社会形态理论是其唯物史观的重要组成部分，是马克思对于人类社会发展的构想。梳理经典文本，可以发现他的社会形态理论存在“两个向度”，一个是在逻辑和历史相统一的原则下，对社会形态进行多角度的逻辑建构和逻辑构想所体现出来的“科学向度”；一个是以“人”为核心，以对现实社会进行道德批判为基点并以实现共产主义为价值理想所体现出来的“伦理向度”。同时，这两个向度又是相互区别、相互联系的。它们二者的统一构成了马克思对整个人类社会的总体思考，二者的关系正如一个“三元结构”，“科学向度”中所提出的“物质生产实践”是社会形态理论的核心，而“伦理向度”时刻围绕着“物质生产实践”这个中心，起一种辅助作用，同时，实现人的自由而全面的发展的共产主义理想始终作为一束“普照光”统领着它们。

Marx’s theory of the social formation is an important part of the Historical Materialism, which is the idea about the development of human society. To sum up, there are two dimensions in the theory of the Social Formation. One is the scientific aspect that Marx uses the multi-angle and logical ideas to build the Social Formation under the principle of the Logic and history. Another is the ethical aspect which includes the moral criticism of society , takes “human” as the core and the realization of Communism. what is more, these two dimensions are not different from each other, but they are Interrelated. These two aspects are about the overall thinking of the of human society. The relationship between them is like a “ternary structure”. That is, material production practice is the core and “ethical aspect” playing a supporting role centers around the material production practice. At the same time, the freedom and comprehensive development of people guide these two dimensions.