Dialectical materialism is the scientific methodology developed by Marx and Engels for the interpretation of history. Here, Marx has borrowed heavily from his predecessors, particularly, the German philosopher Hegel. Dialectics is a very old methodology, employed to discover truth by exposing contradictions, through a clash of opposite ideas. Hegel refined it by developing the trilogy of thesis, anti-thesis and synthesis. It is popularly known as the Dialectical Triad. Progress or growth takes place through the dialectical process. At every stage of growth, it is characterised by contradictions. These contradictions induce further changes, progress, and development. The thesis is challenged by its anti-thesis. Both contain elements of truth and falsehood. Truth is permanent, but falsehood is transitory. In the ensuing conflict of the thesis and the anti-thesis, the truth remains, but the false elements are destroyed. These false elements constitute contradictions. The true elements of both the thesis and the anti-thesis are fused together in a synthesis. This evolved synthesis during the course of time becomes a thesis and so, it is again challenged by its opposite anti-thesis, which again results in a synthesis. This process of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis continues until the stage of perfection is reached. In this evolutionary process, a stage will come, when there will be no false elements. These will be destroyed at different stages of evolution. Ultimately, only the truth remains, because it is never destroyed. It will constitute the perfect stage and there will be no contradictions and so, there will be no further growth. The dialectical process will come to an end after arriving at the perfect truth. It is the contradictions, which move the dialectical process and a complete elimination of contradictions marks the end of the dialectical process itself.
For materialism, Marx is highly indebted to
the French school of materialism, mainly the French materialist thinker Ludwig
Feuerbach. It is the matter, which is the ultimate reality and not the idea.
The latter is a reflection of the former. How we earn our bread determines our
ideas. It is not the consciousness of men that determines their existence but,
on the contrary, it is their social existence that determines their
consciousness. Marx has observed that “Hegel’s dialectics was standing on its
head and I have put it on its feet”. Hegel has developed dialectical idealism.
For him, it is the idea, which ultimately matters. Idea lies in the base or the
sub-structure, which determines everything in the superstructure. Society,
polity, economy are in this superstructure which is shaped by the prevalent
dominant ideas of the age. Ultimately it is the idea, which matters, and the
other things are only its reflection. Marx replaced idea with matter. According
to Marx, the material or the economic forces are in the substructure and the
idea is a part of the superstructure. Idea is the reflection of material
forces. The economic forces determine the idea and not vice-versa.
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