Core Principles of Marxist Dialectical & Historical Materialism
Dialectical Materialism
Marxism can be divided into two major themes: dialectical materialism and historical materialism. Dialectical materialism adapts the dialectical method of Hegel, but inverts his idealism. For Marx, there are two primary philosophical approaches:
Core Philosophical Concepts
Idealism
Prioritizes spirit, consciousness, or mind over material reality.
Materialism
Gives primacy to matter over spirit or mind. Marx distinguished between:
- Mechanistic Materialism: Conceives matter as inert, where particles move only due to external impact from other moving particles.
- Dialectical Materialism: Views matter as inherently dynamic.
Marx vs. Hegel on Dialectics
For Marx, his dialectical method differs fundamentally from Hegel’s method; it is its opposite. For Hegel, the thinking process (the Idea), which he conceived as an autonomous subject, is the creator of reality, with reality being merely its external manifestation. For Marx, conversely, the ideal is nothing more than the material world reflected in the human mind and translated into forms of thought. He drew from Heraclitus the concept that everything is constantly changing due to the unity of opposites.
Laws of Dialectics
Transformation of Quantity into Quality
Accumulated quantitative changes, occurring over time, eventually lead to a qualitative transformation.
Unity and Struggle of Opposites
Reality is driven by internal contradictions and the struggle of opposing forces, contrary to Aristotle’s principle of non-contradiction, echoing Heraclitus. Every state or entity contains its opposite within itself.
Negation of the Negation
Development occurs through a process where a thesis is negated (antithesis), and this negation is itself negated, leading to a synthesis. This synthesis incorporates elements of both the thesis and antithesis but represents a higher level of development, not merely a return to the original state.
Historical Materialism
This applies the principles of dialectical materialism to the study of history and society. It offers a materialistic explanation for social development. Social organization and the state are not primarily the result of individual will but emerge from the material conditions and modes of production within which people live—conditions independent of their individual desires.
Marx interpreted historical development dialectically, primarily as a history of class struggle. Throughout history, there has been conflict over control of the means of production and the resulting economic and political power. Different societal forms have emerged from this struggle. Historical materialism provides a distinct philosophical framework for analyzing history, often distinguished from purely sociological theories.
Structure and Superstructure
It seeks to explain social transformations by analyzing society in terms of its structure (economic base) and superstructure (political, legal, cultural institutions and ideas), focusing on the mode of production (the specific way production is organized in a given society).
Economic Structure (Base)
The economic structure, or base, consists of:
- Productive Forces: The means of production (tools, technology, resources, land) and labor power (the skills and capabilities of workers).
- Relations of Production: The social relationships people enter into to produce and exchange goods (e.g., owner/worker, lord/serf). These relationships are determined by the ownership and control of the productive forces.
Conflicts arise when the relations of production (e.g., property laws, social structures) hinder the development of the productive forces (e.g., new technologies). This contradiction can lead to social crises and revolutions, which ultimately transform the relations of production and, consequently, the entire social structure.