POL 315
THEORY AND PRACTICE OF MARXISM
MODULE 1
KARL MARX DIALECTICS
Unit 1
Unit 2
Unit 3
Unit 4
Unit 5
Laws of Transformation of Quantity to Quality
Law of Unity and Conflict of Opposites
Law of Negation of Negation
Historical Materialism
Historical Epochs
UNIT 1
LAW OF TRANSFORMATION OF QUANTITY
TO QUALITY
CONTENTS
1.0 Introduction
2.0 Objectives
3.0 Main Content
3.1 Law of Transformation of Quantity to Quality
4.0 Conclusion
5.0 Summary
6.0 Tutor-Marked Assignment
7.0 References/Further Reading
1.0 INTRODUCTION
One need not be a Marxist to believe in economic determinism. Indeed,
all modern people do, though few rely on it to the extent Marx did.
However, one must believe in economic determinism to be a Marxist
since it is fundamental to the German philosopher's theories. It is a
theory of history and it is the basis for the belief by his followers that
Marx created a "scientific" theory of socialism. Dialectics means
different things to different philosophers. No single definition can cover
all the definite uses of the term. Marxists use the dialectical method in
order to clarify perspectives. All realities have more than one side to
them.
The concept of dialectics reaches back to the ancient Greeks. Originally,
the term was employed by Zeno of Elea from the 5 th Century BC to
show that the positions of his opponents gave rise to paradoxes. It
suggests that progress is achieved through the creative tension
engendered by competing phenomena.
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