Through this philosophical lens, they suggested the solution to the flaws of capitalism was to evolve human economics.ĭialectical materialism suffers from several major flaws. This process, in Marx and Engles’ view, would result in a transition from capitalism to socialism, which would then evolve into complete communism: the total elimination of all classes and inequities. Indirectly, the writings of Marx and Engels lay out the structure of what we now call dialectical materialism-an economically focused, atheistic process of thesis-antithesis-synthesis. In their view, the transition from agriculture to industry caused most people to lose ownership of their own labor, creating two major classes: the power-and-property-owning bourgeoisie and the laborers-producers of material goods, the proletariat. Through the writings of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, this became the philosophical basis of Marxism and communism.Īccording to Marx and Engels, all developments of human history have been driven by economic issues. Hegel, though Hegel’s dialectic was not materialist.ĭialectical materialism combines all of those major themes: a rejection of the non-material, a claim that economic issues drive all of human history, and the suggestion that all things are constantly evolving through the process of thesis-antithesis-synthesis.
As it applies to dialectical materialism, this idea is particularly tied to the philosophy of G. This is often referred to using the terms thesis (the initial idea), antithesis (the response or contradiction of that idea), and synthesis (the final idea formed by resolving the contradictions). In philosophy, the word dialectical refers to a pattern of interaction between ideas, where an initial idea results in a response, and these two then re-combine to form a final idea. Thus, per historical materialism, human development, government, economics, and so forth are all driven by the fundamental need to survive.ĭialectical materialism incorporates both of these uses of the term materialism. According to this idea, human life is mostly defined by “producing” the material requirements to survive, such as food and water and shelter. The interpretation of evidence or experience through a materialist mindset is referred to as naturalism.Īt the same time, materialism is also the name given to a certain approach to history. In the philosophical sense, materialism is the belief that only physical entities exist and that all ideas, thoughts, and even minds are simply an effect of physical interactions. Materialism is used to describe an approach to philosophy, as well as a lens through which to interpret history. The two words in the phrase dialectical materialism carry separate meanings. Dialectical materialism is the root assumption of Marxist and communist political theories. In short, dialectical materialism could be described as evolution as applied to philosophy instead of organisms. Initial ideas generate contradictions or struggles, which lead to changes, which lead to a new idea. According to dialectical materialism, human ideas are purely the result of physical interactions, most especially those related to economics, and are constantly in a process of change. The phrase dialectical materialism rarely comes up in conversation however, it is related to more-commonly discussed concepts such as Marxism, communism, and socialism.