Date: Sat, 22 Mar 1997 18:50:58 -0500 (EST)
From: klo_mckinsey-AT-K12.MEC.OHIO.GOV
Subject: Re: M-I: Marx was not an economic determinist




On Sat, 22 Mar 1997, Karl Carlile wrote:

> 
> 
> AA:You said that Marx's view was dialectical materialism not economic
> determinism. Marx's view was neither. It was historical materialism.
> 
> KARL: Your observation is correct. Marx adhered to the materialist 
> conception of history. 
>                                       
> 
> 
> 
> 
>                           Yours etc.,
>                                      Karl   
> 


MY REPLY, 

    Gentlemen, gentlemen.  Let's get the basics down first before we
embark upon abstruse monologues on matters of lesser consequence.  The
theory is dialectical materialism, not dialectical economism or historical
materialism.  Dialectical economism is a nonsense phrase and historical
materialism is subsumed within dialectical materialism and pertains to the
social and historical development of man.  Dialectics pertains to the
conflicts between opposites within all material aspects of existence and
that would include sciences such as chemistry, physics, biology, etc.  In
effect, historical materialism is one facet of dialectical materialism. 
Marxism, i.e., dialectical materialism is much more encompassing than you
are giving it credit for.  You should have done your homework and I can
think of no better brief synopsis than that provided by Joe Stalin on the
very first page of his book entitled *Dialectical and Historical
Materialism*.  In fact, the very first sentence of his book says,
"Dialectical Materialism is the world outlook of the Marxist-Leninist
party."  There you have it in all its radiant detail.  Could one have said
it better?  Stalin goes on to say, "It is called dialectical materialism
because its approach to the phenomena of nature, its method of studying
and apprehending them, is dialectical, while its interpretation of the
phenomena of nature, its conception of these phenomena, its theory, is
materialistic." 
     Joe then goes on to explain how historical materialism is included
within and is a part of dialectical materialism.  He states, "Historical
materialism is the extension of the principles of dialectical materialism
to the study of social life, an application of the principles of
dialectical materialism to the phenomena of the life of society, to the
study of society and its history."  Certainly "society and its history"
does not encompass all of the material conditions by any means." 

     Incidentally, Karl you need to make it clearer as to who is saying
what to whom.  Your notation system is ambiguous.

3/22/97



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