Reason in Revolt - Dialectical Philosophy and Modern Science, vol. 2

The dialectical materialism of Marx is not only a useful philosophical method for understanding the processes of society, but is also a powerful tool for the assessment of the scientific method, according to Marxists Grant and Woods. In "Reason in Revolt," they explain the philosophical basis of dialectical materialism and defend its practice using examples from current work in formal logic and physics. They suggest that just as science provides confirmation of dialectical materialism, so dialectical materialism helps demonstrate where science has lost its way. They are especially critical of the injection of mysticism into current works of theoretical physics. (Book News) The present world situation suggests that the capitalist system is now reaching a similar impasse to the one reached earlier by Stalinism. The crisis can be explained in quite scientific terms. To do so, however, a knowledge of the Marxist method - of dialectical and historical materialism - is necessary. Many blame the activities of the US President, George W. Bush. But Mr. Bush is only the unconscious agent of historical processes that he has inherited and the existence of which he does not suspect. Paradoxically, by acting in the way he has, he is hastening the demise of the socio-economic system he hopes to preserve. Now, America has the reputation of the most counter-revolutionary force on earth; but we may come to witness a very graphic example of the dialectic of history! Ted Grant joined Britain's Independent Labour Party in 1934. His published writings include The Unbroken Thread (1989), Scotland: Socialism or Nationalism (1992), Where is Britain Going? (1995), and Russia from Revolution to Counter-Revolution (1997). Woods is the author of: Marxism in Our Time (1992), China in Crisis (1994), The Socialist Alternative to the European Union (1997), A New Stage in the Capitalist Crisis (1998), Indonesia: the Asian Revolution Has Begun (1998), and Crisis in Russia, the Free Market Failure.