Glossary of Terms: Di

Dialectical Materialism

• Definition: A methodology combining Dialectics and Materialism to understand reality, including thoughts, emotions, and the material world.
• Theoretical Foundation: Forms the foundation of Marxism, which is the practice of communism.
• Key Concepts:
  • Eternal cycle of matter, its transient modes, and the eternal changing laws governing it.
  • Matter and motion are inseparable.
  • Scientific theories are relative; nature has no absolute boundaries.
• Foundational Thinkers: Fredrick Engels and Vladimir Lenin.
• Application: Seen in the materialist conception of history.
• Origin: Coined by Karl Kautsky and popularized in the Second International.
• Related Concepts: Dialectics, Materialism, Historical Materialism, and Political Economy.

Dialectics

• Definition: A method of reasoning that comprehends things in motion, change, and interconnection.
• Contrary to Formal Thinking: Dialectics oppose formal, metaphysical thought which begins with fixed definitions.
• Examples:
  • Darwin's understanding of fish evolution.
  • Light as both wave and particle.
• Unity of Means and Ends: There should be no contradiction between means and ends when the objective is understood.
• Historical Context:
  • Origins in ancient Chinese and Greek philosophy.
  • Consolidated by Hegel.
  • Developed further by Marx and Engels, moving from idealistic to materialist dialectic.
• Further Reading: Engels' "The Science of Dialectics" and "Dialectics of Nature", Marx's "The Metaphysics of Political Economy", Trotsky's "The ABC of Materialist Dialectics", Lenin's "Summary of Dialectics".

Dictatorship

• Definition: The imposition of rule without consent; often contrasted with democracy but implies majority rule over a minority.
• Historical Context:
  • Originates from Roman dictatura as an emergency power.
  • Evolved through centuries, notably during the French Revolution.
• Modern Usage: Eventually came to mean a form of government opposed to democracy.
• Dictatorship of the Bourgeoisie: Suppression of the working class in a capitalist democracy.
• Dictatorship of the Proletariat: Political transition from capitalism to communism through revolutionary democracy.

Difference

• Definition: The negation of identity, fundamental in progressing to Opposition and Contradiction.
• Philosophical Development: Explored systematically by Hegel.
• Further Reading: Hegel’s Shorter Logic.

Direct Action

• Definition: Workers bypassing mediation to solve immediate problems directly.
• Historical Context:
  • Originated in the early 20th century, influenced British labor movement via France.
  • Advocates argue it is essential for working class emancipation.

Direct Struggle

• Theory: Revolution through terrorism to directly challenge government structures.
• Historical Example: Advocated by Russia's People's Will party.

Discrete

• Definition: Denotes breaks in development or distinct objects.
• Related Concepts: Continuity and Discontinuity.

Distribution and Exchange

• Distribution: Allocation of the total social product among the population.
• Exchange: Trading of products of equal value.
• Relation to Production: Integral to the development of productive forces and social systems.
• Bourgeois Society: Exchange is foundational, leading to economic systems structured around commodities and money.

Diversity, the Maxim of

• Definition: The principle that no two things are completely alike.
• Philosophical Roots: Attributed to Leibnitz and explored by Hegel.

Division of Labour

• Definition: Assignment of different tasks to different people, key to production.
• Historical Progression:
  • Rooted in kinship, evolves with class structures.
  • Influenced by technological advancements like machinery.
• Marxism View: Division of labour should evolve to allow individuals diverse roles, achieving personal development and freedom.
• Further Reading: Engels' "Origins of the Family, Private Property, and the State", Marx and Engels' discussions in "German Ideology" and elsewhere.