MARX’S THEORY OF DIALECTICAL MATERIALISM

The doctrine of Dialectical Materialism is considered to be the philosophical foundation of Karl

Marx’s thought. It was popular with the first generation Marxists because they were guided by
the ‘CAPITAL’, the core work of Marx and ‘ANTI-DUHRING’ of Engels. The Capital
represented the basic economic science of Historical Materialism and Anti-Duhring presented
the final shape of Dialectical Materialism.

Dialectical Materialism is the cross-breed of two philosophies--- Hegel’s idealist dialectics and
Materialism of Feuerbach. The dialectic may be called the theory of ‘Union of Opposites’. The
meaning of the term ‘dialectic’ is ‘to debate’ or ‘to discuss’. The dialectic process is one
characterized with the presence of thesis, anti-thesis and synthesis. The thesis is a proposition.
The anti-thesis denies or negates it and out of the contradiction of both these opposite forces,
synthesis comes out which combines the truth present in both the forces. But synthesis is not
something permanent. As soon as it is subjected to close inspection, it is found defective and the
whole process begins again. This process of negation of negation continues so long as the
absolute truth is achieved. Now what is truth? Hegel says that State is the march of God on earth
and as such is the expression of ultimate truth. He considers mind or spirit as primary (thesis)
and matter as secondary (anti-thesis) and there is always a contradiction of these two forces. The
synthesis comes from the contradiction which is one step nearer to the absolute truth. But as this
is not final, hence the entire process for searching the truth continues through the contradiction of
two opposite forces until and unless the final truth, i.e. the State is achieved.

Thus, the essence of dialectics is that the process of change occurs through contradictions. The
development to higher and complex stages occurs through the struggle of opposites.

Materialist school, on the other hand, believed that matter is primary and idea is secondary. Idea
is the product of matter. In its broadest sense, materialism means that everything in the world is
material; there is nothing supra-natural in the universe. There is no world outside this material
world and knowledge is the understanding of the nature and laws of this world. Feuerbach,
advocate of highest stage of materialism, goes even to say that God is the creation of man.
Instead of basing society on religion, he based society of humanism. But like the mechanical
group of materialists, Feuerbach too studied human nature and behavior in isolation which was
one of the greatest limitations of the materialist school of thought.

Karl Marx amalgamated two principles of Hegel and Feuerbach and formulated the doctrine of
Dialectical Materialism as the philosophical foundation of his theory. To him, everything in this
universe is material. There is nothing super-natural and supra-natural in this earth. Matter is all
pervading; hardly there is any space which is without matter. It does neither have a beginning
nor does have any ending. Neither can it be created, nor destroyed. It just continues by changing
forms only.
Matter is never static, it is always in motion. It is always in the process of development and
change. Unlike Hegel, Marx refuses to recognize ‘idea’ as the real force behind social evolution.
He rather goes on to say that the real motive forces in the history are the material conditions of
life which are determined by the mode of production and exchange. Like Feuerbach, Marx too
radically rejects religion and placed humanism over it. Again, unlike Hegel, he believes that state
is the symbol of injustice and as such, his dialectical materialism preaches for a new and more
far-reaching revolution through which the State would be superseded by a classless and stateless
society.

Further, Marx’s dialectical materialism takes nature not as agglomeration of unconnected things.
Rather, it takes the world as something characterized by inter-dependence of things. According
to Engels, dialectics is nothing more than the science of the general laws of motion and
development of nature, human society and thought. The fundamental laws or general principles
of dialectical materialism that govern the material world are three in number.

1. The law of the transformation of quantity into quality: According to this principle,
gradual quantitative changes give rise to qualitative changes. Any change may begin with
small revolts which may be few in number (quantitative change); but at a point of time,
all small revolts are accumulated and there is the outburst of people in the form of
revolution (qualitative change) which augments the change of society to a historically
developed one compared to its predecessor.
2. The law of unity of opposites or contradictions: It holds that the unity of concrete
reality is a unity of opposites or contradiction. Every matter is composed of opposite
characters or contradictions. It is the internal contradiction within the matter which is the
real cause of motion or change.
3. The law of negation of negation: This principle holds that everything in this universe
comes into being by negating something. In the clash of opposites, one opposite negates
the other and in turn, is also negated by a higher level of historical development that
preserves something of both the forces. This process is commonly known as thesis, anti-
thesis and synthesis.

Thus, the entire approach is dialectic based on the theory of materialism. Matter is always in
motion or change that happens through dialectical principle.

Critical Assessment:
The doctrine of dialectical materialism undoubtedly gives us a valuable insight into the
history of human development, but the claim of the Marxists that it is the only scientific
approach to understand the reality cannot be accepted.

Secondly, C E M Joad expresses doubt about the value of dialectical materialism as a way of
understanding the process of history.

Thirdly, Marx holds that every stage is a stage of progress to its predecessors. But this is
untrue. There are many examples of dissolution and decay in the course of human history.
Finally, both Marx and Hegel contend that the resulting synthesis represents a dialectical
development from a lower to a higher level. But the point why the clash must result in
reconciliation in every time and that too in a right direction has never been systematically
explained.