"Every beginning is difficult" no matter what science we are talking about. Yet it was for workers that Marx and Engels wrote, and not for "clever" academics. A man or woman who is obliged to toil long hours in work, who has not had the benefit of a decent education and consequently lacks the habit of reading, finds great difficulty in absorbing some of the more complex ideas, especially at the outset. We recognise that there are real obstacles in the path of the worker's struggle for theory. VOLUME 38, pp 221 - 222 Summary of Dialectics.VOLUME 38, p359: On the Question of Dialectics.The Three Sources and Components parts of Marxism (extract), by Lenin.From 'Ludwig Feuerbach and the End of Classical Philosophy', by Engels. ![]() The ABC of Materialist Dialectics, by Trotsky.The law of quantity into quality (and vice versa).It is the duty of every worker and student to conquer for himself or herself the theories of Marx and Engels, as an essential prerequisite for the conquest of society by working people. The theories of Marxism provide the thinking worker with a comprehensive understanding. However, every serious worker and student knows that nothing is worthwhile if attained without a degree of struggle and sacrifice. Marxism is a science with its own terminology, and therefore makes heavy demands upon the beginner. Whatever the initial difficulty, a certain perseverance will pay just rewards. The newer reader should not be put off by the sometimes difficult and abstract ideas expressed in these writings. Even in their rough, unfinished form these notes give a brilliant insight into the method of Marxism and its relation to the sciences. These were later published as the Dialectics of Nature. On his death, Engels left a pile of manuscripts, which he intended to work up into an account of dialectics, or the laws of motion of nature, human society and human thought. Unfortunately Marx and Engels never wrote a comprehensive work on dialectical materialism, although they intended to do so. While this is a good start to the subject, there is no substitute for proceeding from there to tackle the philosophical works of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Trotsky, Plekhanov and others. In beginning this study of Dialectical Materialism the editors are publishing an introductory article by Rob Sewell. ![]() The guides are suitable for individual study or as the basis of a Marxist discussion group. The other "component parts", as well as other fundamental questions, will be dealt with in future issues. In the first of these Education for Socialists study guides, we provide a selection of material on Dialectical Materialism. They are intended to assist the student of Marxism by providing an introduction to the subject matter, with suitable Marxist texts that we hope will whet their appetite for further reading and study. The Education for Socialists series was launched to promote the study of Marxism. These are the famous "Three component parts of Marxism" of which Lenin wrote. The study of Marxism falls under three main headings, corresponding broadly to philosophy, social history and economics - Dialectical Materialism, Historical Materialism and Marxist Economics. In their totality, these ideas provide a fully worked-out theoretical basis for the struggle of the working class to attain a higher form of human society - socialism. ![]() Marxism, or Scientific Socialism, is the name given to the body of ideas first worked out by Karl Marx (1818-1883) and Friedrich Engels (1820-1895). We are starting with dialectical materialism, the philosophy of Marxism. The purpose is to provide a basic explanation of the fundamental ideas of Marxism with a guide to further reading and points to help organise discussion groups around these ideas. We are publishing the first of what will be a series of Marxist study guides.
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