Historical materialism

Historical materialism

Materialism as inversion of idealism: Marx turns Hegel upside down: economic conditions determine ideas, not the other way around.


Materialism as inversion of idealism: Marx turns Hegel around: economic conditions determine ideas, not the other way around.

Marx turns Hegel back on his feet.

The materialist conception of history starts from the principle that production, and with production the exchange of its products, is the basis of every social order; that in every society that has appeared in history the distribution of the products, and with it the division of society into classes or estates, is determined by what is produced and how it is produced, and how the product is exchanged. According to this conception, the ultimate causes of all social changes and political revolutions are to be sought, not in the minds of men, in their increasing insight into eternal truth and justice, but in changes in the mode of production and exchange; they are to be sought not in the philosophy but in the economics of the epoch concerned. (Engels)

The materialist conception of history starts from the principle that production, and with production the exchange of its products, is the basis of every social order; that in every society that has appeared in history the distribution of the products, and with it the division of society into classes or estates, is determined by what is produced and how it is produced, and how the product is exchanged. According to this conception, the ultimate causes of all social changes and political revolutions are to be sought, not in the minds of men, in their increasing insight into eternal truth and justice, but in changes in the mode of production and exchange; they are to be sought not in the philosophy but in the economics of the epoch concerned. (Engels)


Materialism as inversion of idealism: Marx turns Hegel around: economic conditions determine ideas, not the other way around.

Marx turns Hegel back on his feet.(Economic) base – (political and cultural)

superstructure

Economic explanation: late 18th and early nineteenth century America

free states slave states

economic subsistence farming, artisanal labor

social

political

ideological

Material explanation: late 18th and early nineteenth century America



social yeoman farmers, artisans (horizontal)

political

ideological





political democratic

ideological






ideological independence (Franklin)




commodity agriculture









planter and dependents (vertical)









political democratic quasi-aristocratic, quasi-feudal








political democratic quasi-aristocratic, quasi-feudal

ideological independence (Franklin) paternalism, chivalry

In order that a manner of life so well adapted to the peculiarities of capitalism could be selected at all, i.e. should come to dominate others, it had to originate somewhere, and not in isolated individuals alone, but as a way of life common to whole groups of men. This origin is what really needs explanation. Concerning the doctrine of the more naive historical materialism, that such ideas originate as a reflection or superstructure of economic situations, we shall speak more in detail below. At this point it will suffice for our purpose to call attention to the fact that without doubt, in the country of Benjamin Franklin's birth (Massachusetts), the spirit of capitalism (in the sense we have attached to it) was present before the capitalistic order. (Max Weber)

In order that a manner of life so well adapted to the peculiarities of capitalism could be selected at all, i.e. should come to dominate others, it had to originate somewhere, and not in isolated individuals alone, but as a way of life common to whole groups of men. This origin is what really needs explanation. Concerning the doctrine of the more naive historical materialism, that such ideas originate as a reflection or superstructure of economic situations, we shall speak more in detail below. At this point it will suffice for our purpose to call attention to the fact that without doubt, in the country of Benjamin Franklin's birth (Massachusetts), the spirit of capitalism (in the sense we have attached to it) was present before the capitalistic order. (Max Weber)

Cultural explanation:

Question of origin: a mode of life originating elsewhere (Puritanism) gets “selected” because it happens to suit capitalism


Question of origin: a mode of life originating elsewhere (Puritanism) gets “selected” because it happens to suit capitalism (agency lies with capitalism)

Question of (ultimate) determination:


Question of origin: a mode of life originating elsewhere (Puritanism) gets “selected” because it happens to suit capitalism (agency lies with capitalism)

Question of (ultimate) cause: sometimes ideas transform economic relations

Marx (visionary) –

Marx (visionary) – Lenin (formulate doctrine;

founder of party)


founder of party)Socrates -


founder of party)Socrates - Plato (formulates doctrine; founder of

party)



party)

Jesus –



party)

Jesus – St. Paul (formulates doctrine; founder of party)

Karel Čapek (1890 – 1938)


Journalist


JournalistInterest in pragmatism, William James. (Dr. Gall:

“People who have ideas should never be allowed to have any influence on the events of this world.”)


JournalistInterest in pragmatism, William James. (Dr. Gall:

“People who have ideas should never be allowed to have any influence on the events of this world.”

Science fiction or future-oriented works

R.U.R. (1920)

Opening scene:

R.U.R. (1920)

Opening scene:Office work

R.U.R. (1920)

Opening scene:Office workGlobal capitalism

Comedy:

Comedy: Domin finishes Helen’s sentences; keeps holding

her hand


her handSurprise inversion: Rossum [“Reason”] was mad


her handSurprise inversion: Rossum [“Reason”] was madHelen does not believe that Stella is a robot

and thinks the other managers are robots


her handSurprise inversion: Rossum [“Reason”] was madHelen does not believe that Stella is a robot

and thinks the other managers are robotsHumans playing robots (Bergson’s theory of

laughter: an organism acting mechanically)

Robots: the products of industrialization when young Reason takes over from his father (“[Rossum] had no idea at all about industrial production”)

Robots: the products of industrialization when young Reason takes over from his father (“[Rossum] had no idea at all about industrial production”)

New type of laborer

R.U.R. = Rossum’s Universal Robots


Robota = serf labor, hard, manual work


Robota = serf labor, hard, manual workRozum = reason

Fabry: “to give birth to a machine is wonderful progress. It’s more convenient and it’s quicker, and everything that’s quicker means progress. Nature had no notion of the modern rate of work. From a technical point of view, the whole of childhood is quite pointless. Simply a waste of time.”

to give birth to a machine is wonderful progress. It’s more convenient and it’s quicker, and everything that’s quicker means progress. Nature had no notion of the modern rate of work. From a technical point of view, the whole of childhood is quite pointless. Simply a waste of time.

Ten years laterWar leading to revolution, comp. to WWI and

Russian Revolution

Ten years laterWar leading to revolution, comp. to WWI and

Russian RevolutionThe Robot Manifesto: “Proclamation to all Robots

in the world”“Robots of the world! Many humans have fallen.

We have taken the factory and we are masters of the world. The era of man has come to its end. A new epoch has arisen! Domination by robots!”

Busman: Dear lady, what I mean is that the price of labour is getting cheaper! Even with its food, a robot costs no more than three quarters of a cent per hour! It’s wonderful; every factory is buying robots as quick as they can to reduce production costs, and those that aren’t are going bankrupt.

Helena: Yes, that’s right, and throwing their workers out on the streets.

Busman: Haha, well of course they are! [ . . ]

Busman: Dear lady, what I mean is that the price of labour is getting cheaper! Even with its food, a robot costs no more than three quarters of a cent per hour! It’s wonderful; every factory is buying robots as quick as they can to reduce production costs, and those that aren’t are going bankrupt.

Helena: Yes, that’s right, and throwing their workers out on the streets.

Busman: Haha, well of course they are! [ . . ]

Economic explanation

Industrialization created a class that will overthrow bourgeoisie: the workers (Robots)



Reforms (Helen), seeking recognition of workers as human, are useless




Only nationalism can avert united front of workers




Only nationalism can avert united front of workers

Historical reference point: WWI and Russian Revolution

Religious explanation:

Nana: robots are crime against God: only God can create. Humans must not try to imitate God.

Natural explanation

Only natural reproduction is possible. Once humans reproduce mechanically, nature revolts: humans can no longer reproduce.

Ending?

Robots become human:

Ending?

Robots become human: emotions

Ending?

Robots become human: emotionssuperfluous words

Ending?

Robots become human: emotionssuperfluous wordsadmire beauty

Ending?

Robots become human: emotionssuperfluous wordsadmire beautyuselessness (Helen and Helen Robot)

Ending?

Robots become human: emotionssuperfluous wordsadmire beautyuselessness (Helen and Helen Robot)they will procreate like animals/humans (Alquist: “If you want to live you’ll have to breed, like animals!”)

Ending?

Robots become human: emotionssuperfluous wordsadmire beautyuselessness (Helen and Helen Robot)they will procreate like animals/humans (Alquist: “If you want to live you’ll have to breed, like animals!”)

Robots are re-naturalized: evolution continues

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Historical materialism