Marxism and the philosophy of science Pdf

Introduction to Karl Marx and Marxism, the philosophy of science.

Karl Marx was a nineteenth-century thinker who sparked the social change known as “modern socialism.” When analyzing the consequences of his writings and methods, modern scholars must take into account how the scientific and philosophical milieu has changed from the mid-nineteenth century through today. By illuminating both the limitations of classical science – with an eye toward its often racist character – and the instabilities in contemporary theory, this work demonstrates why attempts to apply philosophy of science to prove or disprove Marxism have failed. These failures may also help explain why most scientists don’t take philosophy of science seriously as a means for understanding the world.

In philosophy of science, Karl Marx is recognized as having made a number of important contributions to science, not the least of which is the fact that he was one of the first philosophers to write serious critiques of classical philosophical notions of science. These critiques were directed at Immanuel Kant’s idealist philosophy and Isaac Newton’s mathematical physics.

 

 

 

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