SOVIET PHILOSOPHY, SCIENCE AND CYBERNETICS
Abstract
Marxist-Leninist ideology is founded on a doctri nal edifice that consists of two parts: dialec tical materialism and historical materialism. Dialectical materialism is both a theory of reality, or world-outlook, and a methodology; it is allegedly based on the evolution of the natural sciences and affirms the continuous transformation of matter and the dynamic inter connectedness of things and concepts. Historical materialism is the associated theory of society and deals with the problems of ethics, aesthet ics, and the philosophies of history and law. That Marxism-Leninism is not a science follows from the fact that it does not satisfy the three essential conditions of a science: (1) that it be based on experience; (2) that it be presented in a logical and coherent way; (3) that it be open to free criticism and readjustment or rejection if further facts demand it. Marxism Leninism does not satisfy any of these condi tions. It is not based on experience; rather, it is proposed as an priori dogma derived from the inviolable "classics" of Marx, Engels, and Lenin. It is not logically organized. It rejects free criticism and believes itself to be eternal and unchanging.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1963
- Accession Number
- AD0405565
Entities
People
- F. J. Krieger
Organizations
- RAND Corporation