Chapter 1. Philosophy As A World-View And A Methodology

[http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/spirkin/works/dialectical-
materialism/index.html]
[Spirkin, Alexander. 1983. "Philosophy as a World-view and a Methodology".
Dialectical Materialism. Moscow: Progress Publishers.]
Alexander Spirkin Dialectical Materialism [pic]
First Published: © 1983 by Progress Publishers;
Transcribed: byRobert Cymbala.
[pic] Table of Contents Introduction
1. Philosophy As A World-View And A Methodology
What Is Philosophy?
Philosophy as a World-View
Philosophy as Methodology
Philosophy and Science
Philosophy and Art
2. The System of Categories in Philosophical Thought
The Categories of Dialectics
Matter as the Substance of Everything That Exists
The Motion of Matter
Space and Time
The Principle of Universal Connection and Development
The Principle of Causality
System and Structure
Essence and Phenomenon
Quality and Quantity
Negation and Continuity
Contradiction and Harmony
3. Consciousness of the World and the World of Consciousness
The General Concept of Consciousness and Mental Activity
The Material and the Spiritual
Consciousness and Language
4. The Theory of Knowledge and Creativity
General Concept of Cognition
Cognition and Practice
What Is Truth?
The Sensuous Image of the World
Thought
5. On the Human Being and Being Human
What Is a Human Being?
The Human as the Biosocial
Man in the Realm of Nature
Man and Society
Man as a Personality
Man the Doer
Destiny, Freedom and Responsibility
Man and culture
A. Request to Readers
B. Front Matter
Colophon Introduction This book is a consideration of the essence of Marxist-Leninist
philosophy, its central propositions and problems, its historical role
and significance in the complex world of today.
We are witnessing, and participating in, enormous changes, changes
that affect the very foundations of human existence, that have drawn
into the revolutionary process peoples who one after the other are
freeing themselves from centuries of social and national oppression
and attaining high levels of national and class consciousness. These
revolutionary changes in society are moving in step with ever more
frequent and breathtaking discoveries in various spheres of science
and technology. Contemporary science has become a powerful and direct
transforming force in production and spurred into life a great
scientific and technological revolution.
Socialist society, free from exploitation of man by man, is being
built in accordance with a strictly scientific social theory-Marxism-
Leninism, whose philosophical basis is dialectical materialism.
Marxist-Leninist philosophy has throughout its history been
inseparably and openly connected with the revolutionary struggle of
the working class, of all working people for their intellectual,
social and national emancipation-in this sense it is a committed
philosophy. The philosophy of Marx was a turning-point in the
development of world philosophical thought. Its great innovation was
to make philosophy into a science, to remould the very purpose of
philosophical knowledge, which as it became established not only
explained but helped to transform the world. Marxist philosophy, as
Lenin put it, has the integrity of something forged out of a single
piece of steel. It is a harmonious, consistent system of materialist
views on nature, society and the mind, on the general laws of their
development.
This system was formed by generalising the greatest achievements of
human thought and the practice of the oppressed classes' revolutionary
struggle against their oppressors as an effective instrument for
establishing the highest ideals to which humanity had aspired
throughout the ages.
The foundations were laid by the great thinkers Karl Marx and
Frederick Engels. It was they who formulated the basic propositions of
the theory which was to become the banner of the struggle for
socialism, for true humanism, for the free development of every
individual as a condition for the free development of all members of
society.
In the new historical conditions, when capitalism had entered the
stage of imperialism, the scientific feat of the founders of Marxism
was continued by Lenin, who, proceeding from the creative principles
of their theory, analysed hitherto unknown processes, drew general
conclusions concerning their future course, and thus delineated the
road into the future. Lenin's work signalled a new stage in the
development of Marxist philosophy as an eternally living and creative
theory.
Marxist-Leninist philosophy, though essentially partisan, committed,
is at the same time consistently objective. Subjectivism, voluntarism
and dogmatism are entirely alien to it. Its propositions are based on
analysis of the objective laws of world development, of the essence
and dialectics of social processes. It defends the highest human
values in the interests of the progressive forces. The invincibility
of its conclusions is implicit in objective social development.
Communism's ideological opponents, expressing the class interests of
the bourgeoisie, have tried to discredit Marxist-Leninist philosophy
by presenting it as an obsolete, dogmatic and therefore allegedly
impotent theory when faced with the crucial problems confronting
modern man. In the final analysis these attacks are orchestrated to
win space for a reactionary world-view justifying and defending the
world of capitalism. Many of its ideologists, however, acknowledge
that they are compelled to battle with an adversary armed with one of
the greatest of world philosophies, derived from the deepest sources
of contemporary life and thought. Today, when the struggle for
democracy and socialism, for the peaceful coexistence of different
social systems stands in the forefront of the confrontation between
irreconcilable ideologies, a mastery of the scientific world-view
helps us to gain an understanding of the complex and contradictory
processes that are shaking the modern world, without which the basic
practical problems facing mankind cannot conceivably be overcome.
The significance of Marxist-Leninist philosophy further increases in
a situation where the very existence of man, of mankind as a whole, of
all civilisation is threatened. The 26th Congress of the CPSU
proclaimed, "to safeguard peace- no task is more important now on the
international plane for our Party, for our people and, for that
matter, for all the peoples of the world".[1] The Congress formulated
a concrete programme for the defence of peace, which expressed the
essential needs of contemporary social development and which can be
realised only on the basis of the creative application and development
of the principles of Marxist-Leninist theory and its philosophy by the
communist and workers' parties, by all the progressive forces.
At various international forums, in outspoken dialogues between
representatives of various spheres of knowledge and trends in
philosophy advocates of dialectical materialism speak from obviously
more advantageous positions when discussing the fundamental scientific
and social problems, the global problems of the struggle for peace and
for overcoming the ecological, energy, demographic and other crises
that threaten humanity.
The realistic ways and means of establishing a just social order
revealed by Marxist-Leninist philosophy make it a profoundly humane
philosophy. It elevates the dignity and rights of man, uncovers the
objective conditions, ways and factors that have to be considered to
achieve his social emancipation and all-round, harmonious development.
It defends humane ideals and provides a theoretical substantiation for
the peoples' struggle for peace and for the peaceful coexistence of
different social systems.
The present book is an attempt to expound the basic principles and
ideas of this philosophy in a compressed form. Its range encompasses
philosophy and art, man and his existence in the world, the creative
power of human reason, man and culture and many other problems that
are not usually examined in similar courses on Marxist-Leninist
philosophy. Notes |[1]|Documents and Resolutions. The 26th Congress of the Communist |
| |Party of the Soviet Union. Novosti Press Agency Publishing |
| |House, Moscow, 1981, p. 40. |
Chapter 1. Philosophy As A World-View And A Methodology
Table of