ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Theological Instructions LESSON FIFTEEN: DIALECTICAL MATERIALISM AND ITS CRITICISM Mechanical materialism and dialectical materialism Materialism comes in different forms, and each one has a distinctive explanation for the beginning of the universe and its phenomena. In the beginning of the modern age, materialism by utilising the concepts of Newton on physics, interpreted the appearance of phenomena on the basis of mechanical movement.

They considered every movement as an effect of a particular moving force, which entered from outside upon the momentary body. They assumed that the universe was like a large machine from within which there was a moving force. This force would then transfer itself from one section to another causing the ‘large machine’ to move. This theory was named as mechanical materialism. This belief however contained many weaknesses and was subsequently criticised by their adversaries.

An example of such a criticism was: If every movement is an effect of an external moving force, then there must be an external force for that prime matter (māddah al-awwaliyyah). This therefore necessitates the acceptance of a force beyond the physical realm (metaphysical), which has become the source for the initial movement in the realm of matter. Another such criticism was that only conventional and transitional movements could be interpreted as mechanical forces.

The phenomena in the universe could not all be limited to spatial changes, and this further necessitates the acceptance of other causes and agents for the appearance of several such phenomena. The incapacity of mechanical materialism to answer these criticisms caused the materialists to search for other reasons to explain the metamorphosis of the universe. They sought to at least prove that some movement was based on dynamics and that matter was in some way self-erupting.

Some of the founders of dialectical materialism (Karl Marx and Friedrich Engles) by using the philosophical concepts of Hegel regarded the cause for movement to be the internal contradictory factor of the phenomena. In addition to accepting that matter is eternal and uncreated, and in the acceptance of the universal movement and the efficacy of the phenomena upon each other, they explain their assumption based upon three subjective principles: Principle of internal contradictions.

Principle of sublimation or conversion of quantity (kammi) to quality (kayfi).