The Feral Underclass
21st October 2003, 14:36
First of all I would like to give my own interpretation on what 'Historical Materialism' means and then if I am wrong you can correct me on it...
For me, hisotrical materialism is a theory on how society developed. It basically means that history developed dew to economic necessities of human beings. We had primitive man who existed with hunting animals, he developed the spear to make it easier for him to catch the animals and as hisotry progressed human beings realised that you can capture these animals and bread them isntead of running after them [an example], and took pieces of land. People began to aquire land which took on some mystical form and humans believed in who ever owned the land was some how the most important human being. The artistocracy developed and with it a psychological belief that those who were not artistacratic were in control. So developed the feudal system. As hisotry progressed further so did technology and a new class. A Middle class of small land owners then wanted to take more control over the means of production and so there became revolutions to overthrough monarchies and some of the middle class presured their monarchies to hand over power. Then there was the industrial revolution which catapulted capitalism as a system with an ideology and a theory forcing the farmers and peasents into cities to look for work. And now we are here, in this ultra consumer hyper capitalist world... :unsure:
The method of understanding this development is called the dialectic? the process of change and that one thing has to exist before another thing can come out of it?
Please please please elaberate on this. I was also speaking with two anarchist comrades who said that historical materialism and the dialectic do not really concern anarchism. But why? surely it is the basis of our understanding on how society turned out the way it did...please elaberate?
For me, hisotrical materialism is a theory on how society developed. It basically means that history developed dew to economic necessities of human beings. We had primitive man who existed with hunting animals, he developed the spear to make it easier for him to catch the animals and as hisotry progressed human beings realised that you can capture these animals and bread them isntead of running after them [an example], and took pieces of land. People began to aquire land which took on some mystical form and humans believed in who ever owned the land was some how the most important human being. The artistocracy developed and with it a psychological belief that those who were not artistacratic were in control. So developed the feudal system. As hisotry progressed further so did technology and a new class. A Middle class of small land owners then wanted to take more control over the means of production and so there became revolutions to overthrough monarchies and some of the middle class presured their monarchies to hand over power. Then there was the industrial revolution which catapulted capitalism as a system with an ideology and a theory forcing the farmers and peasents into cities to look for work. And now we are here, in this ultra consumer hyper capitalist world... :unsure:
The method of understanding this development is called the dialectic? the process of change and that one thing has to exist before another thing can come out of it?
Please please please elaberate on this. I was also speaking with two anarchist comrades who said that historical materialism and the dialectic do not really concern anarchism. But why? surely it is the basis of our understanding on how society turned out the way it did...please elaberate?