Writing a Paper On Dialectical Materialism

[Socialist Dave]

... and Lenin and Trotsky's views on it. Was wondering if anybody could suggest some good primary sources to check out where they talk specifcly about it.

Cheers folks.

[Mr. Natural]

Helena Sheehan's Marxism and the Philosophy of Science (1983) is definitely a book for you. Despite its title, it is an easy read, and there is lots of dialectics, Lenin, and Trotsky.

I find Bertell Ollman's works to be by far the best on Marx's and Engels' understanding of materialist dialectics. He doesn't get into Trotsky and Lenin, but his Dance of the Dialectic (2003) is what I would recommend if a person could only read one book.

[Socialist Dave]

Ok, Im sure that will be very useful, thanks very much

[Rooster]

Trotsky wrote this short pamphlet The ABC of Materialist Dialectics (http://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1939/12/abc.htm)

[Rooster]

Oh and Lenin wrote this book called Materialism and Empirio-Criticism (http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1908/mec/index.htm). I have it on my book shelf but I've not really read it and I'm no philosophy buff so I don't know how good that is or how valid or accurate these two works are on the subject. But these are pretty much the first, or main, primary sources I could think of.

[Socialist Dave]

Deffos going to use the Lenin one, wasn't aware of the Trotsky one, thanks very much

[Mr. Natural]

I forgot what might be the best book for you. I assume, with your interest in Trotsky and Lenin, that you have Trotskyist leanings.

Whatever your tendency, John Rees' Algebra of Revolution (1998) is probably the best beginning for your readings on Trotsky's and Lenin's approach to dialectics. There are long sections on both men.

[Socialist Dave]

It's true that I do admire Trotsky, but I'm writing this from a balanced philsophical point of view, rather than a normative political point of view, all the same these are all sources that I'm sure will be useful for me.

[Rooster]

Stalin also wrote about dialectics and Zizek comments on this in the introduction to Trotsky's Terrorism and Communism. I'll see if I can find it and maybe copy out what it says if it's not too long.

[ernie2]

Trotsky's ABC of Materialist Dialectics is a very good overview of his understanding of the marxist method.
Another essential book for understanding the Marxist method, though not about Lenin and Trotsky's understanding is Antonio Labriola's Essay's on the Materialist Concept of History.