POL 315 MODULE 1
Applied to society, the contradiction between the bourgeoisie and
proletariat will result in conflict that will produce a society in which
both the bourgeoisie and proletariat are transformed into a qualitatively
better set of people under a new social system called socialism. While
capitalism creates antagonism by making private ownership of the
means of production central and the defining basis of the relationship
between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat; the socialist system is
anchored on collective ownership of the means of production.
While capitalism promotes class division and class inequality, socialism
tries to create class harmony and class equality. It should be noted that
there is a difference between class and social inequality while they are
related they are not the same. Social inequality may still exist amongst
the same class and this may create differentiation; but class inequality
results in acute division and irreconcilable antagonism between social
classes.
4.0 CONCLUSION
Dialectical materialism is the law determining the most fundamental
connections between all things and phenomena in nature and society,
including consciousness as the central theme of Marxist dialectics.
Transformation of quantity to quality propels change in nature and in
society.
5.0 SUMMARY
In this unit, you learnt that dialectical materialism is the philosophical
theory developed by Karl Marx and Fredrick Engels. Marx formulated
his theory of dialectical materialism by combining the traditional view
of a universe composed solely of matter with the dialectic of G.W.F
Hegel. Marx analysis of capitalism places economic forces as the
determining forces in the making of history. You also learnt how at a
specific temperature, solid ice changes to liquid water- then at a higher
temperature to steam – a gas – and that the three apparently different
substances are actually different manifestations of the motion of the
same water molecules.
SELF-ASSESSMENT EXERCISE
i. Describe how transformation of quantity to quality propels
change in nature and society.
ii. Identify the linkage between quantitative and qualitative changes.
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