Marxist Philosophy: Dialectical & Historical Materialism

Jeanne McGuire presents on Marxist Philosophy.

Presentation was given as the first session of the Summer 2020 New Members' School organized by the Communist Party of Canada (Ontario) on July 5, 2020.

The presentation notes created by Jeanne McGuire are as follows:


Dialectics and Materialism – notes:

Dialectics:
1. Everything is inter-related
2. Change is constant
3. Change goes from quantitative to qualitative
4. Principle of dynamic contradictions.

Materialism:
1. Matter develops before mind
2. Matter and mind are inter-related
3. Matter can be influenced by mind, but is prior and more important
4. Everything is potentially knowable.

Applied to history – quantitative changes in production produce qualitative changes leading to the altering of the mode of production.

Early communalism
Slavery
Feudalism
Capitalism
Socialism

This is not a complete list as it reflects a Eurocentric focus – the developments in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East share many aspects but also have specific characteristics.

Terms related to these modes of production:

Instruments of Production – the tools and machines used in the process of production. (A)

Means of Production – the instruments of production plus the land, buildings, raw materials and forms of transportation. (B)

Forces of Production – the instruments of production plus those who work in the process of production with their skills, knowledge and abilities. (C)


Relations of Production – those relations established in the process of production between each other and to the means of production. (D)

B + D = Mode of Production
C - D = primary contradiction of capitalism

Historical Materialism – is the philosophical approach which postulates a) that the material basis of all societies is the production and exchange of the means of existence, b) that the distribution of wealth and the division of society into classes is dependent on what is produced and how it is produced and exchanged, c) that changes in the forces of production necessitate – sooner or later – a corresponding change in the relations of production.

Class – a group of people sharing a similar relationship to the means of production

Five features of classes –

1. Classes are relational – (slaves/slave owners, serfs/landowners, capitalists/workers) there has to be two at least for there to be classes.
2. Classes are not static – the grow and change over time – in both composition and size, coming into being and going out of existence.
3. Classes are not monolithic – they are segmented: white collar workers, blue collar workers; public sector workers, private sector workers; manual workers, skilled workers; industrial capitalists, finance capitalists; self-employed professionals, small shop keepers, artisan producers and farmers all of whom are petite bourgeoisie.
4. Within class structured society there is always an element of structural conflict – that is conflict not based on ideas, or personality, or likes or dislikes but on one’s place in the process of production and the interests one has as a result of one’s place in production. E.g. – the interests of the slave and the slave owner are inherently in conflict regardless of how nice or not nice the slave owner is. And while there may be periods when that conflict is not apparent, it is there and will at some point manifest itself.
5. For a class structured society to continue to exist there must be an element of what we call false consciousness – that is for the dominated class not to be aware of itself as a class and not to be aware of the interests of itself as a class, to accept that the existing order of things is right and proper. The obverse is also true, in order to continue to rule, the ruling class must be aware of itself as a class and to be aware of the interests of itself as a class.