Historical background of Dialectics
Dialectics comes from the Greek word meaning to debate. There has been a crude form of dialectics in existence for thousands of years. In ancient times, there were philosophers who believed that the way to best arrive at the truth of a statement was by revealing the contradictions in the argument, that is, the opposing, competing ideas within the argument. The clash of opposite opinions was seen as the best way of getting to the truth. This was the ancient dialectical method.
The modern materialist dialectical method developed by Marx is much more definite and therefore, able to provide us with a much clearer understanding. Materialist dialectics goes beyond just seeking the truth of a statement, beyond just understanding that contradictions are present in statements, into understanding that contradictions exist throughout nature and the whole material world. The Marxist dialectical method has four basic features. First, all phenomena of nature (or simply put, all real things) are connected. Second, everything is in constant motion. Third, all phenomena are undergoing constant change. Fourth, the change and development of things is the result of the interaction of opposing forces or internal contradictions within everything. All this is in opposition to what is called metaphysics. Metaphysics sees the world and things in it as static, isolated, one-sided. It views any change there is as simply one of magnitude, a mere increase or increase in quantity on a set stage. Metaphysics is the common philosophy advanced by capitalist thinkers and is taught in U.S. schools. In general it is the type of world outlook the capitalist system tries to foist on us so we stay in the dark about what’s really going on.
Marxism is ‘dialectical’ in its approach, its method of studying natural phenomena, while its interpretation of those phenomena, its theory, is materialistic.
Marx’s dialectics holds that:
i) All things are interconnected, organically inter-linked and therefore dependent on one another. No natural phenomenon can be understood in isolation. Conversely, any and every phenomenon can be understood if considered in its inseparable connection with surrounding phenomena.
ii) All things undergo continuous change, renewal and development. Something is always arising and developing, something always dying away. Therefore things must be viewed not as being fixed for all time, as being static and unchanging (as does metaphysics), but from the standpoint of their movement and change. Their coming into being and going out of being.
iii) Internal contradictions are inherent in all things and phenomena in nature. They all have their negative and positive sides, a past and a future, something developing and something dying away. This ‘struggle’ between opposite tendencies is the internal driving force behind the process of development. “Development is the struggle of opposites” (Lenin).
Concept of Historical Materialism
Materialism is the way of understanding or interpreting the world that sees the real, physical, or material things around us as what this planet is really made of. Many ancient philosophers used semi-materialist forms of understanding to explain the world. It wasn’t until Marx and Engels developed the dialectical method in connection with the materialist understanding though, that it became a scientific method of studying the development of humankind. In addition, it wasn’t until 1917, when the Russian people kicked out their king and corrupt nobility and set up a new form of society and economy, that the conscious application of dialectical materialism became the guiding principle of any country. (All societies develop by the laws of materialist dialectics, including capitalist countries. But the capitalists and their ideological flunkies – most economists, many college professors, etc. – either do not understand or purposely try to hide the dialectical materialist insight because this science, applied to our modern times, clearly and objectively points out the need for the end of capitalist rule and the beginning of socialism.) Since that time, many other people have gotten rid of their leeches and oppressors (phony presidents, dictators, kings). Progress has been made. The contradiction between capitalists and workers, however, has not been resolved. Neither has the contradiction between victims of imperialism and their imperialist oppressors. The accomplishments of liberation forces guided by dialectical materialism were steps in the struggle, but on a worldwide scale the capitalists still hold the dominant position. This also means that even past victories can be temporarily reversed – since 1990 many socialist and revolutionary movements and governments have suffered setbacks or have been thrown back to a capitalist dog-eat-dog system. It is up to us to build on past revolutionary accomplishments, to pick up those weapons, and carry the struggle forward.
Marxist philosophical materialism contends (contrary to ‘idealism’) that:
1) The world and all things in it are made up of matter. Interconnection of phenomena as outlined by dialectics are laws of development of that matter in motion. The material world develops in accordance with these laws and therefore stands in no need of a creator, (god or “universal spirit”) as idealist philosophy contends. That all things, to quote Engels once again, “…from the sun to a grain of rice, organic and inorganic, living and dead, in short all natural phenomena are different manifestations of matter in motion“
2) That the world really exists, independently and outside of our conception. That matter is primary – since it is the source of our thoughts, ideas and sensations. That these thoughts, ideas and sensations are secondary, derivative – since the bodily organ which thinks (the brain) is itself a complex formation of matter as indeed are the sense organs and the nervous system which feed the brain with information, allowing it to create a more or less accurate mental picture of the surrounding environment.
3) That the world and its laws are fully knowable. That our knowledge of the laws of nature, tested by experiment and practice, is authentic knowledge having the validity of objective truth. That there are no ‘unknowable’ things in the world, but only things that are not yet known.
Marx stressed, however, that this does not reduce the importance of the conscious activity of men, of social ideas, theories, political views and institutions. These, in so far as they are correct (facilitate the development of society’s material needs), have a tremendous role in organising and mobilising the progressive classes to effect great changes in society. They do not, however, arise independently and of themselves, but precisely because of the new tasks set by the changing material conditions of society.
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