Yes, you are correct about Engels' assertion. The question, remains, though,
was diamat used in productive or counterproductive ways, in consonance with or
contrary to Engels' prescription, on the part of his successors? Was Engels
consistent himself in his various writings? We can examine this viz. the
critical function of diamat or the constructive function. We have the
historical examples of the Stalin and Mao disasters when it comes to
dialectical arguments in relation to the sciences, mathematics, etc.
-----Original Message-----
From: Charles Brown <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Dec 5, 2005 2:04 PM
To: 'Forum for the discussion of theoretical issues raised by Karl Marx and
the thinkers he inspired' <marxism-thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu>
Subject: [Marxism-Thaxis] Critique of pragmatism
............
[RALPH] I would say that the diamat perspective proved most useful in
criticizing bourgeois philosophy and social theory, not so much in coming up
with constructive ideas. You can see that for example in Cornforth's works.
The criticisms of positivism and pragmatism are incisive, but the positive
exposition of diamat is horrendous.
^^^^^^^
CB: I don't know if this addresses your thought, but don't forget, Engels
announced the winding up of Old Philosophy in _Ludwig Feuerbach and the End of
Classical German Philosophy_, classical German philosophy being the high point
of the history of all philosophy. After Marx, there is only dialectics, formal
logic and the positive sciences. Contrary to any claims that diamat is a
metaphysics, it ends metaphysics before the logical positivists ended it.
Anyway, the positive productions in diamat are not from "philosophy" , but from
the positive sciences. Anthropology is one of the sciences. It covers a lot of
the old philosophy's subjects.
Ralph Dumain's The Autodidact Project
http://www.autodidactproject.org
The C.L.R. James Institute
http://www.clrjamesinstitute.org
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