MARX' METHOD, EPISTEMOLOGY, AND HUMANISM

SOVIETICA

PUBLICATIONS ANO MONOGRAPHS

OF THE INSTITUTE OF EAST-EUROPEAN STUDIES AT THE

UNIVERSITY OF FRIBOURG I SWITZERLANO ANO

THE CENTER FOR EAST EUROPE, RUSSIA ANO ASIA

AT BOSTON COLLEGE ANO THE SEMINAR

FOR POLITICAL THEORY ANO PHILOSOPHY

AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MUNICH

Founded by J. M. BOCHENSKI (Fribourg)

Edited by T. J. BLAKELEY (Boston), GUIDO KUNG (Fribourg) and

NIKOLAUS LOBKOWICZ (Munich)

Editorial Board

Karl G. Ballestrem (Eichstiitt) Bemard Jeu (Lille) Helmut Dahm (Cologne) George L. Kline (Bryn Mawr PA) Richard T. DeGeorge (Lawrence KS) James J. O'Rourke (Manchester NH) Peter Ehlen (Munich) Friedrich Rapp (Dortmunti) Michael Gagem (Munich) Tom Rockmore (Quebec City) Philip Grier (Carlisle PA) Andries Sarlemijn (Eindhoven) Felix P. Ingold (St. Gall) James Scanlan (Columbus OH)

Edward Swiderski (Fribourg)

VOLUME 48

PHILIP J. KAIN Stanford University, Western Culture Program, California

MARX' METHOD, EPISTEMOLOGY, AND

HUMANISM A Study in the Development of His Thought

D. REIDEL PUBLISHING COMPANY ..... A MEMBER OF THE KLUWER " ACADEMIC PUBLlSHERS GROUP

DORDRECHT / BOSTON / LANCASTER / TOKYO

library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Kain, Philip J., 1943-Marx' method, epistemology, and humanism.

(Sovietica; v. 48) Bibliography: p. Inc1udes index. 1. Marx, Karl, 1818-1883. 1. Title. II. Series: Sovietica

(Universite de Fribourg. Ost-Europa Institut): v. 48. B3305.M74K275 1986 335.4' 1 86-3279 ISBN -13: 978-94-010-8564-9 e-ISBN-13 :978-94-009-4646-0 DOI: 10.1007/978-94-009-4646-0

Published by D. Reidel Publishing Company, P.O. Box 17,3300 AA Dordrecht, Holland.

Sold and distributed in the U.S.A. and Canada by Kluwer Academic Publishers,

190 Old Derby Street, Hingham, MA 02043, U.S.A.

In aU other countries, sold and distributed by Kluwer Academic Publishers Group,

P.O. Box 322, 3300 AH Dordrecht, HoUand.

AU Rights Reserved © 1986 by D. Reidel Publishing Company. Dordrecht, Holland

Softcover reprint of the hardcover lst edition 1986

No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical

includ ing photocopying, recording or by any in formation storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the copyright owner

For Joseph and Benjamin who someday may write

books of their own

Other book by the same author:

Schill er, Hegel, and Marx: State, Society, and the

Aesthetic I deal of Ancient Greece

Acknovl edgments

Parts of Chapter 1first appeared as 'History, Kno'w'ledge, and Essence in

the Ear I y Marx' in Slud;es ;n SOI,';el TMugtd, XXV (1983), pp. 261-83.

Parts of Chapter 2 first appeared as "Marx's Theory of Ideas' in Historr and

Theor.l", XX (1981 ), Beiheft: Siudies in Mar,\'lSI Hislorical Theor.l", pp.

357-78. Parts of Chapter 3 first appeared as 'Marx's Dialectic Method' in

H1Stor,Jo' and Theor,I", X I X (1980), pp. 294-312. Chapter 4 first appeared as

'Marx, Engels, and Dialectics' in Siudies in SOl,'iel TMugtd, XXIII (1982),

pp. 271-83. The t'w'o articles from Histor.l" and 'heorrare reprinted here

by permission of Wesleyan University Press. The T'w'o articles from Studies

in SOI,';el Thougtdare reprinted here by permission of D. Reidel Publishing

Company.

CONTENTS

1 NTROOUCT I ON

CHAPTER ONE: THE DEVELOPMENT Of MARX' DOCTRINE Of

NA TURE ANn ESSENCE (1841-1845) 12

1. MET APHYS I CS ANO ESSENCE 12

II. DOCTRINE OF NATURE t.NO ESSENCE 14

III. METHOD 16

IV. EPISTEMOLOGY 21

a. OB~IECTIVE PERCEPTION 26

b. CONSTITUTION ANO REfLECTION 28

CHAPTERTWO: THE METHOD ANO EPiSTEMOLOGY Of MARX'

MATERIALiST lJiEW Of THE WORLO (1845-1856) 34

!. ,l:B/I,NDONMENT Of THE DOCTRINE Of ESSENCE 34

II. HISTORICp.,L MATERIALISM ft.ND METHOO 35

Iii. HiSTORiCAL MATERIALiSM ANO EPISTEMOLOGY 47

CHAPTER THREE: M.!l.RX· O !,l!.!..ECT! C.ă.L METHOD (1857-1883) 58

1. OIALECTICAL METliOD 58

II. DIALECTICAL METHD1;l ANO HEGEL 66

III. OI ALECT I CAL METHOO ANO H! STOR I C . .!!..L MA TER I ALI SM 70

x CON1ENTS

IV. lAWS ANO PREOICTION 76

V. OIAlECTICAL METHOO ANO EPISTEMOLOGV 81

VI. Ol.u,lECTICAL METHOO ANO A NEW CONCEPT OF ESSENCE 86

V It. O LALECT I CAL METHOO ANO THE LA TER WR I TI NGS 95

VIII. WiTHERING AW,AV OF SOCIAL SCIENCE 97

IX. SC I ENCE ANO MET APHVS i CS 106

CHAPTER FOUR: ENGELS ANO DIALECTICS 109

1. HISTORICAL MATERIALISM ANO OETERMINISM 109

\ 1. (JIALECTICAL METHOO 112

II!. EPI'3TEMOLOGY 114

IV. DIALECTIC OF NATURE 115

CONCLUSION 118

,u.BBREV lAT I ONS 126

NOTES 128

BIBLIOGRAPHY 176

INDEX 185