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How does the Marxist reliance on evolution as a basis for its social theory influence their perception of...?
Oops. The question was too long and got cut off. Here it is again: How does the Marxist reliance on evolution as a basis for its social theory influence their perception of the mechanisms of society?
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- Marxists see societies as being fragmented into groups that compete economically, like the natural world is fragmented into species that compete for food and space. In the economic competition, the bourgeois (wealthy and middle class) have taken wealth from the proletariat (working class).
- Marxism is a theory of revolution rather than evolution. Although a Dutch Marxist thinker named A. Pannekoek wrote a treatise entitled “Marxism and Darwinism”, he stated in said work that Darwinism was used by the ruling class to perpetuate themselves in power by using it as a justification to legitimize their claim that social change occurs naturally and gradually – not unlike the evolution of species in the natural world – thereby making social revolutions unnecessary. Evolution implies a gradualist, incremental approach to social change where “The System” is a self-regulating mechanism that takes care of everyone’s needs; a conflict-free, natural development over time where “natural selection” means that the fit (the rich) survives and the unfit (the poor) does not. These are all parts of the basic tenets of “bourgeois Liberal Theory” – which is a pejorative among Marxists. On the other hand, the inherence of conflict and the necessity of a comprehensive overhauling of the power structures in society through revolutions are vital components of Marxist philosophy, social history and economic theory. Marxists do not “rely on evolution as a basis for their social theory”. They rely on the “Dialectical Method” in their analyses of society – a method which Marx himself developed into what eventually became known among his followers as “Dialectical Materialism”. Dialectical Materialism is based on the assumption that “contradictions” deriving from opposing interests divide society into “classes”. Marxists contend that contradictions are inherent in any society at any particular “historical stage” from the “Feudal” to the “Capitalist”, even the “Socialist” stages, with the exception of the pre-“class-based” society of the “Primitive Communal/Communist” stage. Each historical stage corresponds to a specific “Mode of Production.” Modes of Production – which Marxists also call “Structure”, “Economic Base”, or simply “Base” – consist of a combination of: 1) “Forces/Means of Production”, and; 2) “Relations of Production”. The contradictory “class interests” of those involved in any form of economic activity/production (Mode of Production), as well as the inherently quicker pace of changes in the nature of the productive forces (Forces of Production) via technological advancements compared to the slower pace of the changes in the property ownership structures (Relations of Productions), are elements of Marxist social revolutions. Therefore, for Marxists, “contradictory class interests” are the bases of “class conflict”, which, in turn, is the driving force of social change and “class struggle” is the single unifying thread of all social interaction in all “class-based” societies throughout most of history. Unlike reforms, revolutions are not painless, gradual, or incremental because they involve changing the ownership structures. Seeking reforms is evolutionary, bourgeois, and un-Marxist; seizing political and economic power from the ruling class is revolutionary, proletarian and Marxist.
