Dialectical materialism

Dialectical materialism is a way of understanding reality; whether thoughts, emotions, or the material world. It is a scientific methodology developed from the principles of dialectics and materialism, and is the theoretical foundation of Marxism.

Although it was a method conceived by Marx and Engels, the term dialectical materialism was never actually used by either, but appropriately summarizes their philosophical outlook.

History

In ancient Greece, dialectics was the name given to the art of argumentation. It was considered that in the course of an argument, rich in fertile ideas, the opinions of the disputing parties underwent a change and that something new and of a higher nature resulted.

Philosopher Hegel used dialectics to describe the progress of ideas (thought) through contradiction, the process of its development toward a supreme and absolute spirit.

Marx and Engels were first inspired by Hegel's works and ideas, but later developed a better understanding of reality and its progress and development by applied the dialectical logic to material reality, observing the historical development of society.

Features

Transformation of quantity into quality and vice versa

All change has a quantitative aspect, that is, an aspect of mere increase or decrease which does not alter the nature of that which changes. But quantitative change, increase or decrease, cannot go on indefinitely. At a certain point it always leads to a qualitative change; and at that critical point, the qualitative change takes place relatively suddenly.

A classical example of this is water. If water is being heated, it does not go on getting hotter and hotter indefinitely; at a certain critical temperature, it begins to turn into steam, undergoing a qualitative change from liquid to gas. Another example is a cord used to lift a weight, which may have a greater and greater load attached to it, but no cord can lift a load indefinitely great: at a certain point, the cord is bound to break.

Unity and struggle of opposites

For all things, it can only exist in relation to an opposite or contrary thing. The two opposites are therefore united by its interdependence on the existence of the other, yet also struggle against each other. This is also known as a contradiction.

Examples include the contradiction between theory and praxis. Theory can only exist in relation to practice with the real world (praxis), and praxis cannot exist without practicing theory. Theory without practice leads to metaphysics and unreliable ideas; praxis without theory is ineffective and therefore, theory and praxis are in contradiction as they struggle to adjust to reflect each other.

See also

• Marxism
• Marxism-leninism