On Fri, 13 Aug 1999 11:41:21 GMT "J.WALKER, ILL"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
>> Why should we, as socialists or Marxists, adopt such a perspective?
>> In what way does it contribute to the struggle for socialism?
>> Lew
>
>Lew,
>
>The importance of dialectical materialism to the struggle for
>socialism is in my opinion twofold.
>
>First, people like Engles wanted to appeal to the broad and popular
>interest in science and philosophy which - although it is not as
>important as it was in the 19th century - is still an significant
>part of the political and ideological situation. This is even more
>important if one believes the Communist Manifesto claim that:
>
>'A portion of the bourgeois goes over to the proletariat, and in
>particular, a portion of the bourgeois ideologists, who have raised
>themselves to the level of comprehending theoretically the historical
>movement as a whole.'
>
>This section (perhaps like Engels himself) clearly will not be won
>over by the economic circumstances but by the validity of Marxism as a
>
>science which is consistent, rational and comprehensive.
>
>Second, is the linked point, that Marxism is not just the same as some
>
>more moralistic socialist political ideologies which seek to win over
>sympathetic individuals who feel sorry for (or even responsible for)
>the misery of the poor. Such as Fabian socialism, social democracy,
>paternalism and forms of anarchism and liberalism.
>
>Marxism aimed to be a scientific socialism. It theories were based
>upon an actual explaination of the universe and human society which
>will operate regardless of our wishes. It does not argue what sought
>of society we OUGHT to have but what we will have. Fact replaces
>hope.
>
>Any science or philosophy (natural philosophy was still used to
>encompass both) which makes any sense and relates to the real world
>must, if it is to be accepted, be all inclusive. One cannot have a
>science of human society whose theories do not transfer correctly to
>the rest of the natural world (unless one argues that humans are
>super-natural).
I am not sure that I understand this point. It sounds like you
are saying that a science of society or history cannot be credible
unless it is somehow also a science or philosophy of the natural
world. But I would think that it should be sufficient that a putative
science of society be able to provide cogent explanations of social
phenomena in order to be credible. The first business of a
credible social science ought to be the explanation of phenomena
like the rise and fall of modes of production, the courses of class
struggles, the importance of ideologies like religion or nationalism,
the functions of law etc. It is not in any sense mandataory that
such a science should also explain the phenomena of subatomic
particles or provide us with an account of the origins and destiny
of the universe. It seems to me that you are trying to collapse
historical
materialism into dialectical materialism. Well as we say in the States,
"that dog won't hunt."
I think that perhaps what you are arguing is that historical materialism
by itself is not sufficient to win over intellectual support. I am not
sure that as an empirical matter that is necessarily true. However,
even granting that it is, I am not sure that diamat provides us with
either the best philosophical basis for historical materialism nor
is it necessarily the best basis for integrating our understanding
of History with that of Nature. The notion of a dialectics of nature
is full of ambiguities that have yet to be resolved. Probably, the
most compelling dialectical materialism around is the "weak
dialectical materialism" of Lewontin and Levins. At worst diamat
is a throwback to idealist metaphysics in the guise of materialism.
Jim Farmelant
>
>That (as perhaps a (peti-)'bourgeois ideologist' myself) is why I
>think dialectical materialism is still important to Marxism if it is
>not to be merely a utopian philosophy (which is how many still appear
>to think it is).
>
>Regards,
>
>John Walker.
>
>
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