Antagonism: Antagonism is the basis of destruction and transformation to a new quality. (see Dialectics: quantity, quality, the antagonistic element.) Contradiction: a conception of development and motion as internally necessary self movement of conflicting opposites. The unity and struggle of opposites means contradiction internal to a quality or "internal contradiction." Internal contradiction rather than clash between things. (see dialectical materialism) Dialectics, quantity, quality, the antagonistic element.
Quality (in the sense we are using it) is a process. The sum total of the stages of development (quantity) of the process is the process. Thus, there cannot be a separation between quantity and quality. Every quantity is qualitative. Since life is specific, every quality is expressed quantitatively. Growth, or motion, takes place in definite and indispensable stages. A change of environment exacerbates internal contradictions. Each stage grows out of the preceding one and connects to it. Each stage has its set of internal contradictions that describe its motion inside the general qualitative contradiction that covers the process. Therefore, each stage of growth is both inner connected and interconnected. In "Dialectics of Nature," Engels gives examples of the transformation from one quality to another. "All qualitative differences in nature rest on differences of chemical composition or on different quantities or forms of motion (energy) or, as is almost always the case, on both. Hence it is impossible to alter the quality of a body without addition or subtraction of matter or motion, i.e. without quantitative alternation of the body concerned. [emphasis added]." An increase of intensity and change in the form of contradiction marks each stage of quantitative development. The final stages of contradiction create the conditions for the introduction of antagonism. Contradiction is "the action of speaking against or in opposition to an action, proposal; gainsaying; opposition." (see contradiction). Antagonism, on the other hand, is "the mutual resistance or active opposition of two opposing forces, physical or mental; active opposition to a force." Contradiction does not grow into antagonism. Antagonism replaces contradiction. Internal contradiction is the basis of development and growth. Antagonism is the basis of destruction and transformation to a new quality." _http://www.speakersforanewamerica.com/EnteringAnEpochOfSocialRevolution2.pdf_ (http://www.speakersforanewamerica.com/EnteringAnEpochOfSocialRevolution2.pdf) Dialectal materialism: (materialist dialectics) Materialist dialectics is an approach and method to the study of a real world in constant change. A materialist approach begin with the material world. The world is knowable and our knowledge of its laws grows from a lower to a higher level. Society is knowable, containing economic laws moving society from a lower to a higher level. Change in society is based on development of the productive forces. Its constant change prevents us from knowing everything at any particular moment. But that is no excuse for not accepting and learning about what is real. On the contrary, it inspires a serious Marxist to constantly study. The materialist approach is combined with the dialectical method, treating all things in nature and society as dialectical. The basic laws of materialist dialectics are: 1) Nature is an integrated whole, connected and interactive. 2) Nature is in a state of constant change: development, disintegration, dying away and rebirth. 3) Internal contradiction, the basis of development, is inherent in all things. 4) Changes are from lower to higher order and occur as negations or annulment. 5) Qualitative changes begin with the quantitative introduction of a new quality into the quantitative development of the old. Qualitative changes occur as leaps. 6) Quantitative changes are definite and indispensable. Dialectics begins with clearly delineated concepts and asks the question. "what is society and of what does it consist." Society has so many parts, individuals and interactions that one can get lost in trying to understand everything at the same time. Thus, the question is posed; "what is fundamental in society?" The way we produce, the way production is distributed (relations of production) and the state of development of productive forces in society are fundamental to any society. From looking at what is fundamental a thesis and antithesis is formed. The thesis, in this instance would be the productive forces because it is the most stable and indispensable part holding society together. The antithesis would be the relations of production or the way people are organized to work and distribute what is produced. When looking at the thesis and antithesis together we discover that in relationship to one another the productive forces stabilizing society are at the same time more mobile - changing, than the relations of production. Yes, the productive forces are the stable and indispensable, yet mobile in unison with relations of production. This is so because the productive forces are always developing with technology improvement, and this change must eventually cause change in social relations. When productive forces reach a certain stage of technology driven development they rebel against the old social relations based on an old technology. Society struggle to reorganize itself around the new productive forces and a period of social revolution opens. The thesis - productive forces, interacts with and through the anti-thesis - relations of production, and their "unity and struggle" drives society forward. At a certain stage in this unity and struggle a new social system is created to expressed new productive forces and new relations of production. A synthesis emerges from the unity and struggle between productive forces and relations of production. Thesis, antithesis and then synthesis. Within the new synthesis arise a new thesis and anti-thesis and the self movement of life continues on a higher level. Historical materialism is the application of dialectical materialism to history, shows that the method of securing the means of subsistence determines the character of a social system. People organize (create productive relations) around their tools and the knowledge of using them (the productive forces) for the production of their food, clothing and housing. The dialectical development of the struggle between the constantly developing productive forces and the static productive relations is the motive force for the quantitative development of social systems. Qualitative change (negation) in the motive force used in production is the basis of qualitative changes between economic formations. The sum total of the productive relations constitutes the economic structure of society. The basis of the productive relations of capitalism is that the working class has to sell its labor power to the capitalist class in order to live. This fundamental relationship is static. Society, however, is much more flexible and complex. (see materialism conception of history: historical materialism 2) _http://www.speakersforanewamerica.com/EnteringAnEpochOfSocialRevolution2.pdf_ (http://www.speakersforanewamerica.com/EnteringAnEpochOfSocialRevolution2.pdf) Materialist conception of history: historical materialism 2 The materialist conception of history starts from the proposition that the production of the means to support human life and, next to production, the exchange of things produced, is the basis of all social structure; that in every society that has appeared in history, the manner in which wealth is distributed and society divided into classes or orders is dependent upon what is produced, how it is produced, and how the products are exchanged. From this point of view, the final causes of all social changes and political revolutions are to be sought, not in men's brains, not in men's better insights into eternal truth and justice, but in changes in the modes of production and exchange. They are to be sought, not in the philosophy, but in the economics of each particular epoch. The growing perception that existing social institutions are unreasonable and unjust, that reason has become unreason, and right wrong [1], is only proof that in the modes of production and exchange changes have silently taken place with which the social order, adapted to earlier economic conditions, is no longer in keeping. From this it also follows that the means of getting rid of the incongruities that have been brought to light must also be present, in a more or less developed condition, within the changed modes of production themselves. These means are not to be invented by deduction from fundamental principles, but are to be discovered in the stubborn facts of the existing system of production. Frederick Engels Socialism: Utopian and Scientific _http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1880/soc-utop/ch03.htm_ (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1880/soc-utop/ch03.htm) This email was cleaned by emailStripper, available for free from _http://www.papercut.biz/emailStripper.htm_ (http://www.papercut.biz/emailStripper.htm) (http://www.papercut.biz/emailStripper.htm) _______________________________________________ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
