The Communist World Outlook:
Dialectical and Historical Materialism
Introduction
"The most fundamental question in philosophy is the connection between human beings and the universe in which we exist, between reality and our understanding of it, between our being and our consciousness"
Human consciousness is a truly wondrous phenomenon - sets us apart. Philosophers, writers ponder the human condition: why are we here? The meaning of life? Life after death?
Historically have perceived themselves as part of a special creation: apart from and superior to everything else in the material world; mankind at the heart of the universe; life in all its manifestations God- ordained; fixed; permanent; mind/ consciousness exists independent of matter. This philosophical stance, Marx described as idealism.
This philosophical stance was profoundly shaken by the advance of science, Galileo/Darwin; and yet the majority of people, in some form, still cling to the belief in some superior force external to nature. Do you agree? How do we explain it?
Idealism: mind/ consciousness exist independent of matter.
Marxism: mind can only reflect matter/ reality.
The Materialist View of Nature
- Matter, reality that is not conscious, existed before mind, reality that is conscious.
- Consciousness is matter organised in a particular way. Mind reflects (thro’ sensations) material reality, is a product of matter.
- Matter, external reality, exists independent of the mind and is governed by laws that are independent of our consciousness.
- These laws are capable of being used and understood by mankind, but are not directed by any mind.
- Nothing is necessarily unknowable.
Why is the controversy Materialism versus Idealism important?
· Because it is not how we view the world but how we can effectively act to change it:
"philosophers have hitherto only interpreted the world in various ways; the point however is to change it". (Marx)
· Need to understand the process and forces of change.
· Idealism by its very nature puts a brake on change.
Not all idealists are overtly religious-but they are influenced by "spiritual" concepts.
Examples of idealist / "spiritual" concepts.
Discussion: Invite students to give examples of such concepts. These might include:
- You can’t change human nature.
- The poor are feckless; justifies inequality.
- Individualism is the natural state of being.
- Competition is the driving force for progress.
- Concept of the fixed IQ.
- Original Sin: crime, just bad people.
- Gender and racial discrimination justified on alleged biological and psychological differences.
- Absolute pacifism.
- The meek shall inherit the earth.
- Harder for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven than for a camel to pass thro’ the eye of a needle.
- Turn the other cheek.
All these are philosophical concepts and all are about maintaining the status quo; all predicated on the permanence of things. Do you agree?
Aristotle, the greatest philosopher of Antiquity made out that the institution of slavery was decreed by nature, since some men were by nature slaves.
Thomas Aquinas, the greatest philosopher of the Middle Ages presented the universe as a kind of feudal system hierarchy; God and the chief archangels, reflecting the King and nobility structure on earth.
Note therefore that there is nothing permanent about ideas / philosophies—represent particular historical epochs and CLASS INTERESTS. Do you agree?
Dialectical Materialism
At the heart of Marxism is the theory of change; seeks to
Explain the forces and circumstances of change in human society.
"Communist Manifesto: the history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle". It is this which is the driving force of change.
The roots of Marxist Philosophy are to be found in the Hegelian school of German Philosophy. Hegel posited the theory that all historical change was the product of conflict and contradictions in human society, but for Hegel such conflict was but the dialectical (debate) process in the human
mind, i.e.the "Idea", was the source of all political, social and historical change.
Marx: Hegel had hit on a fundamental truth but his "spiritual" concept of change was wrong, he was standing the theory of social change on its head. Marx stood the theory on its feet. Material reality did not reflect the idea; the idea reflected material reality:
"It is not the consciousness of men that determines their being, but on the contrary their social being determines their consciousness".
Therefore, all ideas, all developments stem from material reality; cannot have an idea whose time has not come?
Discussion Points:
- How then do we explain genius? Galileo; Newton; Darwin; Einstein; Marx,-way ahead of their time. If they had not surfaced we would be living in a very different world?
- Then there is the "Great Men" theory - for good or ill ,men of action who have changed the world, Hitler, Bismack, Napoleon, Churchill, Lenin, Mandela.
Quantitative and Qualitative Change
Human society is part of the natural world and, like changes in external nature; changes in human society are not accidental but follow certain laws. The key principles of which are:
- Everything is part of the whole ,interconnected an element in the material unity of the universe, e.g. nature: food chains,
- habitats, climate change - nothing can be studied, understood in isolation.
- Everything is in flux, in motion, in the process of change; combines evolution and revolution—e.g., when a new species arrives on the scene it has been a long time in the making (evolution) but its arrival represents a revolutionary change.
- Movement and change occur through the clash of opposites.
- Evolution: the survival of the fittest:-predator and prey; and interaction with the environment.
- In human society:-clash between the exploiters who own the means of production and the exploited, those who do the work
For a long time opposing forces can co-exist (as in nature) but there comes a time in each society when the relations of production hold back society’s potential to produce vastly more, hence:
- · Primitive communal society.
- · Ancient slave society.
- · Feudalism.
- . Capitalism
Each a distinctive break with the past---i.e. a revolution, qualitative change, but preceded by incremental quantitative change.
Discussion Points :-
Identify examples of relations of production in each of the above types of society which held /hold back society’s potential to produce more.
A proper understanding of quantitative and qualitative change is a powerful weapon against reformism and left sectarianism?
Interpenetration of the Opposites.
Revolution does not wipe out everything from the past - opposing forces have an impact on each other.
Emerging from the womb of the old system, features of the old system will be carried forward -cultural, technical, scientific achievements are welcome features.
Unwelcome features, e.g.: feudalism-serfdom carries the mark of slavery.
Capitalism:-"Liberty, Equality, Fraternity", but a hierarchical system. Freedom enshrined in property rights; and Britain retains a Monarchy and House of Lords.
Discussion Point:-
What negative features of capitalism are carried forward to Socialism and what difficulties might these create?
Negation of the Negation.
That which has been negated will in time itself be negated. Initially progress can contain the unity of opposites, but the conflicts, contradictions will eventually lead to negation in order to move to a higher stage.
Discussion Point:-
Give examples of unity of opposites that exist in Capitalist society.
How long is Eventually?
The slowness of change and reversals can cause us to despair,
But our revolutionary zeal must be tempered with realism.
After all:
- primitive communal society lasted for most of human history.
- Ancient slave society lasted for some 6000 years.
- Feudalism for some2000 years.
- Industrial Capitalism has only been around for some 250 years.
Now don’t despair, we are not suggesting that Capitalism will be around for 2000 years. It is a profoundly unstable, volatile system far more so than anything that has gone before but there is a need
to temper the "left impatience" which is presently gripping the movement.
Base, Superstructure, Economic Determinism.
· Base is the economic system, mode of production.
Superstructure - the state institutions, religious, legal,
political:-the ideological and coercive instruments for
maintaining the status quo.
Organisations of the working people, trade unions, political parties, etc, are also part of the Superstructure, and it is within this Superstructure that class conflict and the Battle of Ideas is fought.
Discussion Points:-
When Marxists say Socialism is inevitable are they guilty of "Economic Determinism"?
Lenin spoke about the contradictions within the very essence
of things .What do you think he meant by this? There are
many contradictions:-gender, race, different social strata,
blue collar and white collar, big business and small business,
global conflicts, etc.
Some Additional Discussion Points:-
- · Everyone has a philosophy?
- · Pure philosophy is about the search for truth and stands above and separate from class interests?
- · Idealism, that spiritual searching for a better world, has got to be a force for good?
- · In what fundamental way does Marxist philosophy differ from that of all other philosophies?
The only thing that is constant is change.
Group Work
Discussion Points:
"The dialectical method is, indeed, nothing but the method of studying and understanding things in their real change, developments and interconnections……To think dialectically is to think concretely, and to think concretely is to think dialectically" (Conforth).
What do you think is meant by this statement?
Central to the political philosophy of Mikhail Gorbachev is his much vaunted belief in "Universal Human Values". Can you give examples of what kind of values he might have in mind?
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